Nijinsky *** (1980, Alan Bates, George De La Pena, Leslie Browne) – Classic Movie Review 6027

Director Herbert Ross follows his hit 1977 dance movie The Turning Point with this sumptuously realised, passionately told, involvingly acted 1980 film version of the true-life gay love story of the tragic obsession of the choreographer Sergei Diaghilev (Alan Bates) for the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (George De La Pena).

So what if Hugh Wheeler’s screenplay is gossipy, it adds fun to an entertaining movie for The Turning Point crowd. Bates is extremely subtle and moving, and the British thespians are at their best.

It is graced with great sets designed by John Blezard, a fine period sense (the 1910s), lovely cinematography by Douglas Slocombe and a fine score by John Lanchberry – and nice dancing, too, by the way.

It is produced by Nora Kaye, Stanley O’Toole, with Harry Saltzman as executive producer.

After many years in the British theatre, Jeremy Irons makes his first film appearance, playing the choreographer Mikhail Fokine.

Also in the cast are Leslie Browne as Romola de Pulsky, Ronald Pickup as Igor Stravinsky, Alan Badel as Baron de Gunzburg, Colin Blakely as Vassili, Ronald Lacey as Leon Bakst, Carla Fracci as Tamara Karsavina, Janet Suzman, Siân Phillips, Vernon Dobtcheff, Frederick Jaeger, Anton Dolin, Stephan Chase, Hetty Baynes, Charles Kay, Geoffrey Hughes, Kim Miller, Tomaso Milian Jr, Monica Mason and Mart Crowley (the writer of The Boys in the Band).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6027

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