The Bolero

When we think of Academy Award-winning productions, we tend to think of major movies featuring the era's superstars. We tend to overlook the documentaries, especially the short subjects. A fine example is "The Bolero". William Fertik's documentary is a brief look at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra performing Boléro, a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel. Conducting is Zubin Mehta, one of the most renowned and accomplished individuals in music during the past half-century. The effort and passion that the orchestra puts into this has to be seen to be believed. I recommend watching it if you get a chance (it's available on Vimeo).

At some point I'd like to see a festival focusing entirely on music-themed movies. In addition to this, there'd have to be "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "The Doors", and maybe some of the old Looney Tunes cartoons based on operas.

Bolero is a wonderfully haunting work which Maurice Ravel, the composer, actually disliked. Zuben Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic render a glorious performance of the work after giving us a look into the inner workings of the orchestra and how the work is prepared.

I saw this on PBS many years ago - and it is an excellent documentary film! The Academy Award given to it was a deserved one. Whoever saw the film while in high school and college music classes were fortunate had an excellent teacher who chose this film for their viewing. The film gives one an excellent idea of how orchestras perform music and operate on a day to day basis. Maestro Mehta, as I remember it, was an interesting and charismatic performer and narrator. The film is well worth trying to track down for one's own collection (perhaps it may be obtained via interlibrary loan in your own community). I hope that you can find a copy.

If you do not like classical music, avoid this film like the plague. If you do like this music, you should try and obtain a copy - it is available from Pyramid Media. I believe that it should be mandatory viewing for any high school or university student in an orchestra.

The first part of the film consists of short conversations with Maestro Zubin Mehta and members of his orchestra concerning Bolero. This gives insights into how various instruments and sections of the orchestra work together on Ravel's famous masterpiece. The second part consists of the orchestra performing the work. The close-ups of various members gives you a view that simply cannot be seen in a concert hall. This is absolutely one of the best short films I have ever seen, and it fully deserved the Oscar that it won.

I've commented previously on "Bolero" and have tried to locate a DVD. Pyramid Media does have it, however the cost, hundreds of dollars, seemed a bit much. Well, I found "The Bolero" at a web site entitled, "first run features" for only $14. The print is good. It was good watching it again with two of my grandsons. A great teaching/learning experience. Even though the movie is dated (1973), it is still a wonderful tool to explain the workings of the orchestra and the preparation that goes into a polished performance. While teaching in New Jersey, I showed "The Bolero" many times to many classes of students grade 7 & 8.. The students were awed by the piece and the cinematography. I recommend this short movie, which won an academy award in 1973 for best short subject.