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Very eighty’s, very direct, yet refined.
The fight for freedom is the quest of Man since always. Films are mostly about that: the wrongly condemned man who tries a spectacular escape, the national hero who frees an occupied country, the women escaping from the violence of an abusive husband…
In White Nights, however Mikhail Baryshnikov’s quest playing a Russian ballet dancer is the most important one – the quest for free thinking. In the first scene, Nikolai Rodchenko (Baryshnikov’s character) is performing with a female dancer. She plays death, he plays a struggling boy. She seduces him and takes him with her, which means that the boy dies. That is the metaphor that starts it all. What is Man but thoughts and actions that come from thoughts? What is Man but feverish imagination and notorious evolution, what is Man but he who produces Art in all its forms? Man is free to think, to be aware of himself, and of that freedom. Take that away from Man and nothing human will remain in a body used merely for surviving, reduced to its primary biological functions. Doctors shut down machines for reasons such as these. Death.
Rodchenko doesn’t die. The ballet is like a warning of what might be, not what will be. So he runs, escapes from communist Russia into the United States of America. And here we see how close character and player are, ‘cause Baryshnikov ran away from his beloved Russia too and in order to shoot the film the director had to simulate the sceneries around the main actor – back them his return to his birth country could be fatal.
Baryshnikov succeeded, Rodchenko succeeded. But others didn’t. It hurts in the film to see that those who didn’t are the ones that gave up and gave in. They didn’t perish during the battle, they simply believed that fighting served no other purpose than to endanger the quietness and security of their lives. They gave in to the real danger and closed their eyes. They played the role that was intended for them, they performed up to the moment they believed their performance. Oblivion.
The fight for freedom is the quest of Man since always. Films are mostly about that: the wrongly condemned man who tries a spectacular escape, the national hero who frees an occupied country, the women escaping from the violence of an abusive husband…
In White Nights, however Mikhail Baryshnikov’s quest playing a Russian ballet dancer is the most important one – the quest for free thinking. In the first scene, Nikolai Rodchenko (Baryshnikov’s character) is performing with a female dancer. She plays death, he plays a struggling boy. She seduces him and takes him with her, which means that the boy dies. That is the metaphor that starts it all. What is Man but thoughts and actions that come from thoughts? What is Man but feverish imagination and notorious evolution, what is Man but he who produces Art in all its forms? Man is free to think, to be aware of himself, and of that freedom. Take that away from Man and nothing human will remain in a body used merely for surviving, reduced to its primary biological functions. Doctors shut down machines for reasons such as these. Death.
Rodchenko doesn’t die. The ballet is like a warning of what might be, not what will be. So he runs, escapes from communist Russia into the United States of America. And here we see how close character and player are, ‘cause Baryshnikov ran away from his beloved Russia too and in order to shoot the film the director had to simulate the sceneries around the main actor – back them his return to his birth country could be fatal.
Baryshnikov succeeded, Rodchenko succeeded. But others didn’t. It hurts in the film to see that those who didn’t are the ones that gave up and gave in. They didn’t perish during the battle, they simply believed that fighting served no other purpose than to endanger the quietness and security of their lives. They gave in to the real danger and closed their eyes. They played the role that was intended for them, they performed up to the moment they believed their performance. Oblivion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1H6iP60wh8
Cast and Crew:
Mikhail Baryshnikov, whose skills we can definitely see in both areas, plays the leading role as a Russian ballet dancer. An outstanding performance.
Gregory Hines and Isabella Rossellini (her first role in the cinema) play his friend couple who share his escape.
Helen Mirren plays Baryshnikov former partner in dancing, a woman too afraid to leave Russia, yet too honest not to help the main hero although play along with the communist regime.
Jerzy Skolimowsky gets full marks playing chief of Russian secret police.
Roland Petit genially choreographs the initial ballet “Death and the young boy”.
DIRECTOR: Taylor Hackford
Cast and Crew:
Mikhail Baryshnikov, whose skills we can definitely see in both areas, plays the leading role as a Russian ballet dancer. An outstanding performance.
Gregory Hines and Isabella Rossellini (her first role in the cinema) play his friend couple who share his escape.
Helen Mirren plays Baryshnikov former partner in dancing, a woman too afraid to leave Russia, yet too honest not to help the main hero although play along with the communist regime.
Jerzy Skolimowsky gets full marks playing chief of Russian secret police.
Roland Petit genially choreographs the initial ballet “Death and the young boy”.
DIRECTOR: Taylor Hackford
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