This mesmerizing Oscar-nominated documentary about iconic choreographer Pina Bausch features performance art and fascinating dance moves (from playful joy to apparent panic attacks) on a stage and in unlikely settings clearly staged expressly for the camera, performed by braless women in shimmery gowns as well as hunky men occasionally in street clothes (two of the men don dresses and two strip down to their underpants). All this interspersed with documentary footage of Bausch and the dancers speaking in their many native languages about their late hero (1940-2009). Directed with precision by Wim Wenders (pronounced Vim Venders because he's German like Bausch; my favorites include Hammett (1982), Paris, Texas (1984), and Wings of Desire (1987); there are a number of others on his resumé I'd like to see) and shot with love by Hélène Louvart (whose resumé is longer, though nothing looks familiar), the 3D is good (though not essential) and the dancing spectacular. Here are head shots and names of the dancers.
Lately I've taken to counting the music tracks listed during the credits because the songs are rarely listed on imdb, and often are hard to find, especially in a case such as this, where a shorter soundtrack has been released. There were 31 songs listed on the screen, but the soundtrack, for sale here at amazon, has only 15. The song featured in the trailer is on youtube, and, while I write this, I've been following the links to other tracks with the same photo.
If the idea of watching a modern dance performance makes you long for a root canal, pass this one up. For everyone else, it's sheer delight. Make a point of seeing it.
No comments:
Post a Comment