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Gaby (1956)
An excellent and underrated film
"Gaby" (1956) is a film about a French ballerina's romance in London during WWII. Leslie Caron gives a superb performance in a role with many emotions, including love, heartbreak, and disillusionment. John Kerr is very good as the chipper American paratrooper Greg. The movie is beautifully filmed in muted shades of blue, red and green. The sets look authentic, and there are many memorable scenes. Gaby and Greg are a charming couple. This is a romantic, sweet and poignant film.
There is a particularly dramatic scene at the Ballet Theatre. Twenty ballerinas in full white tutus perform on stage against a blue background. Suddenly, air raid sirens blare, and explosions outside are heard. An "alert" sign flashes on the stage. The dancers bravely continue the performance.
At the French canteen, Greg jumps on a table and sings a French song, to the delight of the audience. At a swanky American "bottle club," Greg shows Gaby how to swing dance.
While walking down down a street at night, Gaby and Greg hear the air raid sirens blast. They quickly go into an underground bomb shelter.
Gaby goes to a church to pray for Greg. The church has stained glass windows and candles.
There is a nice scene in Gaby's apartment, where Gaby's roommate has left a wedding cake for the couple.
The film shows dark foggy streets, dancers practicing backstage, and a luxurious mansion.
Gaby wears a red dress when she tells Greg that she was a prostitute. She is symbolically a "scarlet woman."
The film has a few shortcomings. It would have been nice to see more of Leslie Caron's dancing, since she was a professional ballerina who performed in Roland Petit's Ballet des Champs-Elysees. Also, her role as a disillusioned prostitute could have been presented more effectively.
"Gaby" (1956) is significantly different from "Waterloo Bridge" (1931 and 1940), and has merit in its own right.
This is an underrated film. I hope a DVD is released soon.
La mort du cygne (1937)
A masterpiece about the world of ballet
"Ballerina" (1937) is a masterpiece which shows rare film performances by some of the greatest ballet dancers. It is important in film history, because it was the first full length movie set in the world of ballet. This film deserves to be released on DVD.
"Ballerina" (1937) is a French movie, originally titled "La Mort du Cygne" (the death of the swan). The title was changed to "Ballerina" for the American showing, and English subtitles were added.
The movie is set in the Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier), which has the oldest ballet school and company in the world, and is very prestigious. Director Jean Benoit-Levy spent several months living at the Paris Opera House to study the ballet dancers, so that the film would be an authentic depiction of the world of ballet. The film is so realistic at showing the backstage world of the Paris Opera Ballet that it sometimes seems to be a documentary.
In the film, a 12-year-old dance student, Rose Souris (Janine Charrat), idolizes Miss Beaupre (Yvette Chauvire), the prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet. Rose is upset when a rival Russian dancer, Nathalie Karine (Mia Slavenska), will star in the Swan Lake ballet. Rose arranges an accident for Karine. However, the accident severely injures Karine, and she can no longer dance. Although Karine's leg is broken, her passion for dance is not broken, and she becomes a ballet instructor. Rose is tormented by guilt, and hides in one of the many cellars beneath the Paris Opera House, searching for a river. (There actually is a subterranean stream, and a huge water tank, beneath the Paris Opera House.) However, there is a happy ending. Karine and Rose reconcile through their love of the art of dance, which is greater than their individual problems.
This extraordinary movie features rare film performances by famous ballet dancers. Yvette Chauvire was the prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet. Mia Slavenska was the star of the Zagreb Opera Ballet in Croatia. Slavenska was also the star of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The dances were choreographed by the legendary Serge Lifar, artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet. Janine Charrat was a prodigy, who choreographed her first ballet when she was 14. Charrat became an acclaimed dancer and choreographer, and she performed worldwide for many years.
There are many exquisite ballets in this film. The dancing is graceful and elegant. In a poignant scene, the injured Karine has a dream where she dances beautifully in a garden.
This film authentically shows the backstage world of the Paris Opera Ballet in great detail. There are many scenes of dance classes, and students practicing at the barre. These scenes are reminiscent of the art of Edgar Degas, whose paintings depict ballet dancers in class or rehearsing.
The dancers are excellent at conveying strong emotions in this ballet drama. Karine's eyes, outlined with dark eyeshadow, have an intense and haunting gaze.
The black and white cinematography is dramatic and moody. Karine looks tragic yet regal in her long black dress, holding her cane. Karine's narrow black dress contrasts with the full white tutus of her students. This image is emotionally powerful.
There is a scene with a dancer wearing a large devil head mask. The devil character is a symbolic reference to the malicious act Rose commits, but later regrets.
"Ballerina" (1937) was remade as "The Unfinished Dance" (1947), which is also a wonderful film. However, "Ballerina" (1937) is more realistic in depicting the culture of ballet at the Paris Opera, and shows rare film performances by famous ballet dancers. This historic masterpiece should be released on DVD.
El fantástico mundo del doctor Coppelius (1966)
There are two versions of this rare film.
There are two versions of this rare film: "Dr. Coppelius" (1968) and "The Mysterious House of Dr. C" (1976).
Here is my review for "Dr. Coppelius" (1968). This ballet film is very rare. I hope a DVD of "Dr. Coppelius" (1968) will be released, because this film deserves more recognition.
This is a charming, uplifting film, with ballet, Delibes music, and pantomime only. It combines wonderful dancing, music, comedy, romance, and magic, all in brilliant colors. The costumes and sets are lavish.
(Some lite spoilers here.) This is the basic storyline of "Dr. Coppelius" (1968). The film is set in a European village during the 1800s. Dr. Coppelius is an eccentric inventor and alchemist, who creates lifelike mechanical dolls (automatons) in his spooky house on a rocky hill. Franz, a village lad, becomes infatuated with a beautiful automaton named Coppelia, who wears a lovely pink Victorian dress. Franz' girlfriend Swanhilda gets jealous, and sneaks into Dr. Coppelius' house, where she has many adventures.
The original "Dr. Coppelius" (1968) film has numerous superb ballets. There is a spectacular large-scale ballet in the village square, with dozens of ballet dancers wearing red folk costumes, illuminated with vivid red and pink light. The 1968 film has a magical, fairy tale atmosphere. I give the 1968 film ten stars.
Here is some information about "The Mysterious House of Dr. C." The 1968 film was drastically edited in 1976, adding a voice-over narration, cartoon animation, and songs. Several ballets were cut short. It was renamed "The Mysterious House of Dr. C." The voice-over narration, cartoons and songs are distracting, and interrupt the flow of the film. I much prefer the original "Dr. Coppelius" (1968) movie, which is a true classic ballet film.