"We were in our own world," says Suzanne Farrell of her relationship with the noted choreographer George Balanchine, and watching this uneven Oscar-nominated documentary by Anne Belle and Deborah Dickson, many viewers will have an even more laconic response: "clearly." Which is not to say that Suzanne Farrell--Elusive Muse isn't worth watching. Told through interviews with Farrell and her dance partners during her long career with the New York City Ballet (1943-1989, with a 5-year hiatus), and including wonderful archival film footage of Farrell in performance (as well as modern scenes of her teaching), the film recounts her platonic love affair with the 42-years-older "Mr. B" (Balanchine) as his lead ballerina and chief muse. Curiously, Peter Martins, who was paired with Farrell during the '70s and '80s is not interviewed here, nor, for that matter are any other females that I recall (except for her stage mother) and no other ballerinas. Whatever the reason, the film comes across as a tightly controlled performance on the part of Farrell--a nostalgic valentine to herself seen and evaluated through her eyes alone. Yet, it is partially for this reason that the film holds one's attention; there's an interesting hubris at work here (Farrell's offhand reference to her "romance" with Balanchine as being "more than most relationships"--this spoken in retrospect by a mature fifty-something woman--is art elitism taken to a whole 'nother level). There's also a sense of sadness, not because of Farrell's lost love really, but because of her tunnel-visioned life. A thought-provoking, disturbing film (in ways that I doubt the filmmakers intended), Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse is never less than interesting, and, occasionally, illuminates indirectly the darker shadows of the human soul. Recommended. Incidentally, Warner Home Video has George Balanchine's The Nutcracker available on video for $19.95. (R. Pitman)
Suzanne Farrell--Elusive Muse
(Direct Cinema [800-525-0000], 105 min., not rated) 12/8/97
Suzanne Farrell--Elusive Muse
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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