Wednesday, July 31, 2024
White Nights
- Commentary: Under construction.
Although Roger Ebert gave this film a visual "thumbs up". He also gave it a relatively middling rating (2½ stars) and grumbled about almost everything except the dancing. Frankly, I don't blame him. The story is easily forgettable, while watching the movie, I might add. The dancing, though, is transporting, as well as energetic and, sometimes, jaw-dropping. I've been focusing on movies that contain dancing, lately, and, even though the story in this film is insignificant, watching Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov dance with, and against, one another, each a master in his own dance artistry, is breathtaking.
And then, of course, there are the presences of both Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini, which are always a pleasure, even when they're in a story and/or playing a part that's, well, frankly, meh. This movie, by the way, is considered Isabella Rossellini's "breakthrough" role in film. Helen Mirren, on the other hand was well established as a film actor (among other types of acting) when she performed in this movie.
More later, possibly.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mikhail Baryshnikov Nikolai Rodchenko Gregory Hines Raymond Greenwood Jerzy Skolimowski Colonel Chaiko Helen Mirren Galina Ivanova Geraldine Page Anne Wyatt Isabella Rossellini Darya Greenwood John Glover Wynn Scott Stefan Gryff Captain Kirigin William Hootkins Chuck Malarek Shane Rimmer Ambassador Larry Smith Marc Sinden Charles Maryam d'Abo French Girl
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1985
Directed by Taylor Hackford.
Labels: dance, taylor-hackford
