LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA  BALLET
Directed & Edited by Frederick Wiseman
Produced by Pierre-Oliver Barde, Wiseman & Francoise Gazio
Released by Zipporah Films
English & French with English subtitles
France/USA. 158 min. Not Rated
 

Looking like a gilded wedding cake, the enormous Palais Garnier, home to the Paris Opera Ballet company, is the latest microcosm to undergo Frederick Wiseman’s scrutiny—his camera roving from the cavernous underground passages (there’s a sewage tunnel straight out of The Phantom of the Opera) to the stone creatures on the rooftop. His documentary exemplifies one choreographer’s rallying cry that “Everybody must unite around the work,” including the custodial staff and the costume department (someone has to spray-paint the pointe shoes).

However, even for those not in the know, the thorough precision of the rehearsals won’t be unexpected—“head down, arm lower, not too quick," etc. Fortunately, all the hard work comes to life and the technique submerges into character and a narrative in wide-ranging on-stage performances. Wiseman has selected excerpts from both the company’s classical and modern dance repertoire, including the more traditional fluidity of Rudolf Nureyev’s The Nutcracker and the sharp, aggressive movements of The House of Bernarda Alba by Mats Ek. The most riveting performance is also the most psychologically astute; in Angelin Preljocaj’s Le Songe de Médée, the lead ballerina really seems to have mentally checked out.

Overall, the lingering camera films the choreography in medium wide shots, capturing the dancers’ entire movements and alignment, but barely moving, remaining imperious to the choreography and the music. This, and the lack of narration or intercutting, won’t challenge the notion that Wiseman’s films are rigidly structured, unyielding, and detached. Like an exacting ballet instructor yielding a mean stick, Wiseman is precise, revealing to the viewer exactly what he wants you to see, in sync with the company's cautious administration. Artistic director Brigette Lefevre has more screen time than any of the dancers or choreographers. Unfortunately, she and her inner circle’s dry discussions on casting decisions or VIP galas are cautious and far from illuminating—it’s like eavesdropping on the insular affairs of a board meeting. Everyone is on their best behavior, aware of the camera.

Released earlier this year, Bertrand Normand’s documentary Ballerina offers a more upfront, inquisitive approach to a dancer’s life, with a stronger sense of the discipline and sacrifice that entails. The manner in which the young women’s skills and bodies are examined is blunt and impersonal, but the artists profiled are seen in all their glory en pointe, and are at least heard. Kent Turner
November 4, 2009