Film

Everyman Hampstead

Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution

One of the greatest ballet films of all time, a classic of British cinema, and a favourite of Martin Scorsese. Sumptuous décor and costumes, sublime cinematography and wonderful dancing combine in a dramatic plot partly inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale and partly by a real-life encounter between Sergey Diaghilev and the British ballerina Diana Gould.

Starring Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Leonide Massine and Robert Helpmann.

A rare screening of a remarkable documentary. World-renowned Ballets Russes revival team Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer reconstruct Stravinsky’s lost ballet Le Chant du Rossignol with the Ballets de Monte-Carlo. The Four Emperors: composer Igor Stravinsky, choreographer George Balanchine, painter Henri Matisse, and of course Sergey Diaghilev. The Nightingale: the English ballerina Dame Alicia Markova who danced the role in 1925 when she was 14 years old.

The film includes interviews with Stravinsky, Balanchine, Tamara Geva, Boris Kochno and Nicolas Nabokov, and will be followed by Q & A with Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer, joined by American dance writer Marcia Siegel.

Ends approx. 9.55 pm

The story of a filmmaker (Sally Potter) who meets an Argentinian tango dancer (Pablo Veron) living in Paris, and makes a deal — if he will make her a tango dancer, she will let him star in her next film. He accomplishes his side of the bargain when they perform together in a show, but her attempt to make a film with Pablo in Buenos Aires poses problems — how do you follow when your instinct is to lead?

Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s entrancing ode to the later Ballets Russes companies formed after Diaghilev’s death, peppered with anecdotal interviews from the companies’ stars. A tale of artistry, triumphs, ego, money and, of course, dance.

Joan Frosch and Alla Kovgan’s film explores the perspective and creative processes of choreographic trendsetters from Senegal to South Africa, juxtaposing reflection, rehearsal and performance vividly bringing to life the beauty and tragedy of 21st century Africa.

Documentary master Frederick Wiseman’s 38th film turns his attention to one of the world’s greatest ballet companies, the Paris Opera Ballet. John Davey’s camera roams the crystal chandelier-laden corridors, labyrinthine underground chambers, rehearsal studios and luxurious theatre of the vast Palais Garnier, and follows dancers including Nicolas Le Riche, Marie-Agnès Gillot, and Agnès Letestu rehearsing the choreography of Mats Ek, Wayne McGregor, Rudolf Nureyev and Pina Bausch. For balletomanes and the curious alike, La Danse serves up a scrumptious meal of delectable moments, each one more glorious than the next.

Jean Cocteau’s turbulent life, complex relationships and the sheer variety of his talents as poet, novelist, dramatist, film maker and visual artist will be explored by Dr Benjamin Andréo. The programme includes film of a live performance by Denise Duval (soprano) and Francis Poulenc (piano) of extracts from Poulenc’s operas, including Cocteau’s La Voix Humaine, and a screening of the Paris Opera Ballet’s production of Cocteau’s Le Train Bleu, first performed by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1924. Cocteau’s work as a graphic designer will also be shown, along with extracts from several of his films.