Nijinsky

Well Worth A Viewing
Hard to believe that "Nijinsky" is now a twenty-two-year-old film; its look and performances are so fresh that it could be the latest from Ivory-Merchant.

The film focuses on the period 1912-1913, when Vaslav Nijinsky was both at his height as a choreographer, and at his lowest point personally. He was under the guidance and domination of impresario Sergei Diaghilev in his work and his love life, and he was also being pursued by ballet groupie Romola de Pulzsky, who eventually met and indeed married him.

The film is based on actual events, but viewers should be aware that the script takes minor liberties with historical time frames, character motivations, and events to advance its story. The production is mounted most handsomely, with the London Festival Ballet helping to recreate Nijinsky's most famous works. The ballet sequences are beautifully filmed, but many suffer from being cut very short. However, "L'Apres-midi d'un Faune" is presented at decent length, and there is an...

Too Beautiful, So Fragile- And A Visual Feast For The Eyes
I'm not going to write too much about this exceptional film- The reviewer before me has already done a superb job. I will say this: I saw Nijinsky upon its first release in 1980, and I was impressed enough to return to the theatre again, to see if my original impressions were accurate. I was both enchanted and more than pleased by the entire production. I've read the definitive 1970 biography Nijinsky by Richard Buckle (in fact I still own it), and this film is as close as you will ever get to seeing a portrait of his time. Not only the man, but his peers, and events that shaped and inspired his turbulent vision are portrayed with great care and thought. The colors of the film are vibrant and rich, and true to the art of Leon Bakst, principal designer to the ballet troupe. I felt like I was transported to this marvellous age, when electricity was still a wonder, great luxury liners rode the waves, and the airplane was discovering the sky while the automobile and railroads crossed the...

DVD! DVD!! DVD!!!
Having fallen in love with THE RED SHOES and learning that the inspiration for the film was the Diaghilev-Nijinski story, I made it a point to get ahold of NIJINSKI. I wasn't really expecting much, since I had never heard of the film before, and so I was honestly surprised to find that it was such a good film. It's as good a film biography as the best of them, in my opinion, blessed with wonderful performances, plus it has a FASCINATING story, which takes it up a notch from there. (In fact, it had made me want to do some reading on the people in the film.) But for now, I'm hoping to encourage the designated gatekeepers to put NIJINSKY on DVD. So, 5 stars (although I would actually rate it at 4-1/2 with 5 for THE RED SHOES). NIJINSKY on DVD with a good historical comentary would be a jewel.

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