Crazy Horse Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

  • Starring: Philippe Decouflé
  • Summary: Inside Paris’s Crazy Horse cabaret – the most famous nude dance show in the world. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman explores one of the most mythic and colorful places dedicated to women, the Crazy Horse – a legendary Parisian cabaret club, founded in 1951 by Alain Bernardin. Over the years it has become the Parisian nightlife ‘must’ for visitors, ranking alongside the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Wiseman’s impeccable eye finds the Crazy Horse a uniquely French showcase, with an emphasis on elegance, perfectionism and a grueling schedule (2 shows a night and 3 on Saturdays, 7 days a week). The film shows us the rehearsals for and the unveiling of the brand new show – Désir – created by the renowned French choreographer Phillippe Decoufle. (Zipporah Films) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Feb 7, 2012
    91
    Completing his wonderful French cultural trilogy that also includes portraits of the Comédie-Fran¸aise and the Paris Opera Ballet, indefatigable documentarian Frederick Wiseman freely, unobtrusively prowls the joint to create a movie that respects the serious work involved in simulating the sensations of pleasure.
  2. Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    Feb 7, 2012
    90
    The picture is celebratory, in its own quiet way, as well as clear-eyed.
  3. Reviewed by: David Denby
    Feb 7, 2012
    60
    The French creators of the dance numbers take their work very seriously; they speak of it in terms that would have shamed George Balanchine. That they are sincere in their ideas, however, doesn't mean that they aren't provincial in their own way and long out of date; nor does it mean, to our astonishment, that their show isn't repetitive, solemn, and slightly boring.

See all 20 Critic Reviews