Stars: Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Margot Fonteyn, Roland Petit

Summary: A documentary made two years before his death this is the story of the ballet legend who at one point in his career was on stage more than two hundred and fifty times a year.

Born on a moving train traveling through his native Siberia, dancing great Rudolf Nureyev began his life in motion and never stopped. Now dance lovers can hear his story in his own words in this insightful biography that includes performance and news footage of the charismatic dancer, as well as interviews with relatives, teachers, and partners. This release contains a generous helping of performance footage including LE CORSAIRE, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, and MARGURITE AND ARMAND, the ballet choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton especially for Nureyev and his longtime partner, Margot Fonteyn.

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Patricia Foy's absorbing Rudolf Nureyev--A Documentary, a portrait of surely the most committed and versatile dancer in the history of ballet, was made in 1991, two years before his death. It is as much the study of a life apart as a profile of a tireless jet-setting artist. His career took him from poverty-stricken provincial childhood to life as a student at the Kirov, through defection to the West in 1961 and on to the great classical roles on the world's most famous stages, a sublime professional partnership with Margot Fonteyn and a fascinating evolution as a supreme exponent of modern dance. And through it all, Foy's film suggests that for all Nureyev's desire to be a member of the corps, he always felt isolated. The dancer himself concludes by saying he never felt a part of society.

This would be all too melancholy but for the rich cast of assembled contributors who shed light on his mercurial character and artistic intelligence, and the unexpected charm of a man often tagged "difficult" in the wretched tradition of show business cliché. Best of all, though, is the extended archive footage, which testifies to his extraordinarily athleticism and sheer grace. Never has the human form looked so fluid in motion. --Piers Ford

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menu - 1. English, 2. French, 3. Spanish, 4. German
Subtitles:	Dutch
Year:	1991
Release Date:	November 6, 2000
Runtime:	90 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	100 104
Keywords:	General, Entertainment, Documentary, Nureyev, Rudolf, Documentaries, Biographies
Genre:	Documentaries & Biographies