narrative style

I was taken off guard by, but ended up really appreciating, the narrative style of this film. In my theater, there were no previews, and without explanation, the scenes of Paris and then the interior shots of the theater just began. Then you got the mix of rehearsal footage of everything from the Nutcracker snowflakes to very modern pas de deux (and everything in between) as well as footage of the administrative and production ends.

Later you got performance footage mixed in with more of the above. Sometimes you saw performances scenes which you had seen an earlier rehearsals of, with breath-taking improvements in the dancing. Sometimes an entirely new scene was presented. This is all without oral or text narration, leaving the viewer to put it together him or herself--though really the director has been quite careful about what is shown and when, so his vision is going to end up emerging, no matter what.

It's no surprise that you get to see a disciplined and dedicated group of artists and a glimpse of those who prop them up; the possible surprise is the subtext of how a ballet company deals with the classical/contemporary dilemma.