Ballets russes
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Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 13 Ratings

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  • Summary: Unearthing a treasure trove of archival footage, filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have fashioned a dazzlingly entrancing ode to the revolutionary twentieth-century dance troupe known as the Ballets Russes. What began as a group of Russian refugees who never danced in Russia became not one but two rival dance troupes who fought the infamous "ballet battles" that consumed London society before World War II. (Zeitgeist Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Sid Smith
    100
    May not be the greatest dance documentary ever made, but it could well be the most accessible and touching.
  2. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    100
    It gives you such an intense hit of creativity that afterward you may find yourself trying to jete out of the theater and into the street.
  3. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    80
    It's a profoundly optimistic and delightful movie, for balletomanes and neophytes alike. It made me happy for days afterward.
  4. Empire
    Reviewed by: David Parkinson
    60
    One of the finest documentaries ever made about the performing arts, this magisterial history of the companies that danced under the name Ballet Russe will enchant dance aficionados and novices alike.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. LindaM.
    10
    What a Joy! I wished that it would go on forever. A fabulous look in to the origins of 20th century ballet. How wonderful to see the archival footage of those fabulous ageing dancers. To see them then and now. There bodies old now, but a spirit that is still young and full of life and joy of dance. How wonderful to have a look into what a dancer's life was like when dance itself began to change and evolve. Many of these wonderful people have passed away since this film was released. If this film was never made, so much of what they had to say would be lost to us forever. I can't wait to own the DVD!… Expand
  2. NancyS.
    10
    brilliant, divine characters- honest, raw, poignant- ageing bodies,the mask of ageing- inside young vital passionate. Inspiring- this is how life should be lived- engaged, alive. The film carefully constructed and very emotional- pulling out all the stops.… Expand
  3. DuaneT.
    10
    As inspired as it gets. A ballet movie for people who don't even like ballet. You can't help but walk out dancing, even if it's only inside and you'll wake up dancing the next day.… Expand
  4. JayW.
    6
    A conventional, sweetly-done and utterly predictable tear-jerker. Deeply flawed, in my apparently singular opinion, by a near-complete failure to place itself in historical context. After all, there was a war on, the gravest calamity to befall modern Europe, with tens of millions of Soviet citizens murdered, and not one of the performers having anything to say about anything but their precious careers. Perhaps the cutting room floor had more, but we'll never know.… Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

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