Nijinsky

This is a wonderful flick, much ahead of its time. Far ahead of Brokeback Mountain, it treats the homosexual love of Diagalev and Nijinsky sympathetically and simultaneously as no big deal. Alan Bates was one of the premier English actors of the 20th Century and totally brings to life the presence of Diagalev. The re-staging of the Nijinsky ballets, particularly Afternoon of a Faun, are extraordinary, and Pena's performance as the Faun as extraordinary as the choreography. It is also a superbly beautiful film just to watch. A sumptuous experience.

Amazingly, I had missed this film when it was originally in the theatre. I had no idea it existed. But in my youth I had read several books about Nijinsky as well as Diaghilev and became quite obsessed with the whole world of ballet, going to the theatre frequently. So now I find the film. I assumed it would not be very good. I would certainly have heard of it if it were otherwise. But I knew la Peña was re-creating the great choreography so I figured it would be worth it for that alone. I expected a typical Hollywood-style biography, which is not a complement. To my amazement, it brought back the books I had read and that magical time in my life perfectly. But I was not at all prepared for the interpretation, by this I mean the end of the movie. Of course it is well known that Nijinsky was a schizophrenic and I assumed that this would be the unhappy end to the movie (especially considering the beginning). But that is not so much the take of the writer of the script who sees the tragic love affair as the commencement of Nijinsky's insanity. This quite took my by surprise. Also, the violence of when Nijinsky destroyed his room. But the end, my God the end. I wept for an hour straight and my eyes hurt until into the next evening. I can't even think of it or I will start up again.

This new Blu Ray copy is excellent and the movie is a jewel but it does not have subtitles for the hearing impaired. This is a lack of consideration and respect for the majority of the viewers of a film like this one. Young people are not interested in films like this.

This true story is heartbreaking, yet it holds your attention from the first frames. Some have given patronizing reviews to the young man who played Nijinsky, but I think that was sour grapes because Nureyev backed out. I think this guy was probably better than Nureyev would have been. The scenes of him in the straitjacket could wring tears from a stone. Propmpted me to buy the book "Nijinsky : A Life of Genius and Madness" by Richard Buckle.

The movie itself is a visual masterpiece with wonderful moments from ballet, great acting, great costumes and monumental scenery. The DVD itself, was perfect quality and arrived in record time. Thanks.

I have just received  Nijinsky  the dvd transfer. It is not beautifully restored, there is no letterbox, no extras which would have been so interesting. No nothing! INFURIATING!Except for Leslie Browne's pathetic performance, the acting is very fine. Especially interesting is the wonderful Carla Fracci who was not only a great ballerina but a great actress. Even George was good. Beautifully filmed, wonderful, accurate costumes and sets make this a film worth seeing. Sadly, the dance sequences and short and cut. I would have been willing to sit another hour for more, especially the intriguing reconstruction of Jeux. Lets have a dvd with the movie restored to it's original beauty and LOTS OF EXTRAS!!!! The VHS copy is horrible.

Oh those Russians! Live for Art! Ballet is everything! This is a movie heady with perfume--so much passion, madness, sex...well, it's always there, at least in the world of Ballet. And THE question: is he gay, is he not gay? It is never less than interesting and Alan Bates is always quite wonderful. The others try their damnedest and come close. There is a lot of angst with not enough pay-off, but ya know what--I still liked it. Is it truly biographical? I don't know, but it's interesting and fun to look at....at least once.

I saw this film when it first came out and had it on VHS, so it's nice to see it reissued on Blu-ray (and at a very good price!) This tale of the tragic love of the elder Diaghilev and the young Nijinsky is as much an indictment of jealousy as Othello. Alan Bates and George de la Pena are excellent in their roles. Others (such as Jeremy Irons) are well cast. But it is unfortunate that the ballets they made famous are given such little screen time.

I saw this film on its first release and remembered being disappointed by it. It is, in fact, the only major movie ever made about the life of Nijinsky and, whilst there are sections of the film that are slow, it is overall a beautifully filmed biopic about Nijinsky's life with the Ballets Russes and it evokes, with sensitivity and humour, the atmosphere and environment of company life. The impact of Nijinsky's original performances is cleverly captured - the filming of Spectre of the Rose is wonderfully romantic and impressionsitic and manages to capture the sense of Nijinsky's prodigious leaps, and the rehearsals for and opening performance of The Rite of Spring brilliantly suggest the beginning of the breakdown of Nijinsky's tenuous grasp on reality as well as the creative trauma that sometimes goes hand in hand with genius.The film is beautifully shot, perhaps in a slightly self-conscious way - scenes are 'composed' in a way that some may find old fashioned - but this element of composition cleverly reinforces the theatricality of the world Nijinsky is forced to inhabit. In this high definitition bly-ray the film is visually stunning.It is also significant for a number of other reasons as it showcases an array of consummnate performances from its actors. This is Jeremy Irons first film and he gives a perfectly judged performance as the principal choreographer of the Ballets Russes whose ego is fragile and whose nose is put out of joint by Daighilev's favourite. There's an excellent central performance from Alan Bates as Diaghilev. He's perfectly cast and absolutely the right age for the role. Sadly, not so many of his performances are availbale on DVD or Blu Ray, so if you are a fan, his performance in Nijinsky is quite wonderful. George de la Pena does not really look like Nijinsky and it is, perhaps, surprising that more of an effort was not made to get closer to a physical resemblance - for instance, the hair could have been styled to capture the short, stark look in many of the photographs of Nijinsky dancing that have been archived - however, he does capture the spirit of Nijinsky both in his acting and in his dancing, and the relationships with both Diaghilev and Romola are explored with sensitivity and depth. Lesley Browne, who plays Romola, conveys her journey from the star struck, naive fan to the hardened and practical wife well and, of the three central roles, Romola is, perhaps, the least developed on the page. However, she conveys the early idealism and the later pain and anguish of the character convincingly.The subject of Nijinsky's sexuality and of his relationships with Diaghilev and Romola is explored. The film is careful not to lay the blame for Nijinsky's breakdown and dissent into madness with either of his partners - it is rather the result of each person having to make the choices they make, and of circumstance. At the time of its first release, I wanted these relationships to be explored more explicitly and with greater passion, but seeing the film now more than thirty years down the line, the passion is there and the exploration of the emotional and physical asepcts of the relationships is explored with subtlety and taste. As a major Hollywood movie of its time, it probably goes further than most in exploring the themes of gender and sexual mores.Overall, this is a tasteful and ambitious film that is well worth adding to your collection if you are a fan of Nijinsky and the Ballets Russes, or if you are an Alan Bates fan.

Have waited years to get this dvd. But couldn't get one that was compatible with my player. Now got a new player that works for any region. It's an old film so not the same quality of picture we are now used to, but if you like ballet and a well acted drama can recommend.

Biopic of ballet dancer Nijinsky.Made in 1980,this is a lavish beautifully made movie,depicting his dazzling career & ultimately his decent into madness.George De La pena plays Nijinsky perfectly,he is so passionate & convincing,I cant believe it was his first & only starring role! Alan bates is excellent as as always,he splays Nijinskys domineering mentor & Jeremy irons,in his movie debut,has a minor role as a cheographer.An underrated classic,to be appreciated at last!

A very atmospheric film and story which sets the scene well, although slightly giving a biased impression at the end of Diagalev's attitude to Nijinsky. Splendid recreations of some of the ballets - would like to have seen more of these.

Sicher eine sehr schöne DVD, auf die ich mich sehr gefreut habe!Nur hab' ich "übersehen", dass die in deutschen DVD-playern nicht abspielbar ist. Siehe Region 1... Ich wusste leider nicht, dass das amerikanisches Format ist, war auch nicht klar ersichtlich. Das sollte besser gekennzeichnet werden! Das Angebot der Firma, die DVD auf meine Kosten in die USA zu schicken, fand ich nicht sehr kundenfreundlich. Also - achten auf Region!