 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
| The
Company
Directed By: Robert
Altman Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
|
|
| An inside look at the world of ballet. With the complete cooperation of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Altman follows the stories of the dancers, whose professional and personal lives grow impossibly close, as they cope with the demands of a life in the ballet. Campbell plays a gifted but conflicted company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer at a fictional Chicago troupe, with McDowell the company's co-founder and artistic director, considered one of America's most exciting choreographers. Franco plays Campbell's boyfriend and one of the few characters not involved in the world of dance. [TRAILER] Comparing Robert Altman’s (“Gosford Park”) “The Company” to the popular Best Picture-winner “Chicago” is like comparing an in-depth, analytical piece in the New Yorker to a colorful essay in USA Today. Both may be about the same thing, but one is told in greater depth and with greater substance. USA Today’s may be more fun to read, but you’ll ultimately take away more from the former. “Chicago” epitomized the trend in Hollywood of making movies that are faster, brighter, louder and more exciting, adding a thick layer of style and glitz to its source material. “The Company,” to the contrary, wants to strip away the frills of moviemaking to get at the very essence of what makes dance, and even art itself, magical, and to expose the passions and the struggles of those that bring it to life. The title refers to the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, one of the most renowned ballet companies of the world, and Altman’s approach here is two-fold: as much a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on inside a dance company as it is a restrained, withdrawn documentation of the art form itself. The film stars Neve Campbell, as an up-and-coming performer at the Joffrey, although this film is hardly a star vehicle. In fact, I’m not quite sure what label one should assign to Altman’s approach. He introduces us to Campbell, only to back off and focus on the other dancers. He shows us the passionate and eccentric artistic director, played by Malcolm McDowell, only to refuse to go deeper into why he is the way he is or what he really feels about his dance pieces or performers. Instead, Altman continuously shifts gears, denying us what we expect. It is first a movie about Campbell, then about McDowell, then about the life of a dance company, the preparations for a production, and finally the performance itself. “The Company” is fluid and alive, and I never tired of Altman’s journey through each aspect of the industry. He shows us the early stages of what’s happening in the company – the egos, the frustrations, the determination and the constant sensation of momentum. Every day is a new one, and whether it’s a month away from a performance or the day of, the dancers come to work with the same commitment and passion. One of the performers is replaced in a piece, and storms out of rehearsal, insisting that he will file a grievance with the union. In another moment, a dancer snaps her Achilles tendon, surely ending her career, and Altman does not sugar-coat this moment, but moves on forcefully and abruptly, epitomizing the mantra: the show must go on. He then shows their preparations for a monstrous, bizarre production titled “Blue Snake,” which involves absurd costumes, a nearly-incomprehensible historical theme, but which we come to appreciate as we witness the determination of this company in bringing it together. Altman only gives us a few minutes of depth for each character. Campbell has a second job as a waitress, and we see the never-ending struggle of her daily life, rushing from one job to another to pay the bills. And if I’m being honest, for many, this detachment from the film’s personalities will ruin the movie. But the story is to be found in the very lack of emotions we are allowed to feel. These people started dancing because it was their passion, but it has since become their job, and Altman finds the unprecedented balance between the magic of what they’re creating and the realism that this is just another day at the office. My favorite scene was Campbell’s first solo performance with the company; an outdoor performance that is almost ruined by a thunderstorm rolling into Chicago. As I watched this sensuous dance between her and her partner, Altman gave me goose bumps. He cuts between the audience, the dancers, back-stage and a straight-on shot of the performance in action, with lightening in the distance. And it is moments like this when “The Company” fires on all cylinders. We understand what this dance piece means to these performers, how hard they have worked at getting it right, and we are now witness to that moment of transcendence – when, for a moment, this mix of character, music, light and choreography takes our minds to another place. It is the high these performers live for, but one that comes far too seldom and, often, at far too great a cost.   Check out Reviews, Commentary, and More at Zertinet.com |
LINKS
TO REVIEWS |
| Movies
@ Zertinet | Oscars @ Zertinet
| Main Site Best Viewed
at 800 X 600 or greater |
|
