A deep look of the incredible devotion, artistry and sacrifices that Karen Kain and the National Ballet of Canada dancers make in their pursuit of creating their "Swan Lake"
A deep look of the incredible devotion, artistry and sacrifices that Karen Kain and the National Ballet of Canada dancers make in their pursuit of creating their "Swan Lake"
"Swan Lake". The pinnacle of classical dance, the main ballet of the world repertoire, the keystone and the holy grail. A real miracle and a real, huge responsibility. Both for those who dance and for those who are responsible for the staging.
Ballerina Karen Kane was a big star. Nureyev's partner and Andy Warhol's model, she danced Odette and Odile in different versions, but in this story she always wanted emotions that would make the audience cry.
After finishing her career as a ballerina, Karen directed the National Ballet of Canada. And before retiring, she returned to her main dream: to stage her own version of "Swan Lake" on her home stage. But the path to the premiere was not so easy.
The documentary film "Swan Song" is an honest and beautifully filmed story about the ballet backstage, about the path that the troupe goes through from the birth of an idea to happy bows after a successful premiere.
Language:
English, russian subtitles
Actors:
Karen Kain, Robert Binet, Jurgita Dronina
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) – participation
Director:
Chelsea McMullan
Canada, 2023, 100 min
documentary
18+
Media: BALLET magazine
Film "Swan Song". With or without tights, that is the question
The work of the film crew is really good, few people manage to achieve such naturalness, closeness and trust with the artists, without stooping to excessive manipulation of clichéd shots, which are full of almost all films about ballet. From 450 hours of footage, the creators managed to assemble a film that reveals to the limit the vulnerability of the main characters and the environment in which they undergo their trials.