17 April 2011

Tout Près des Étoiles














Another documentary about ballerinas- Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet is the English title, though I like the French Tout Près des Étoiles better. "Tout près des étoiles" expresses the idea of being so close to the stars, which seems to describe the documentary more accurately.
There are lots of mini-interviews with understudies and other dancers on the periphery, and this documentary explores the pain and sweat and blood that go into dancing more than Ballerina. It spends more time on the difficulty of being an "étoile" (main dancer) for the opera, from training to retirement, and the sensation of being close to these "stars." The film also lingers on black and white stills and degas-like shots of the dancers, very lovely.


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