Lesley J

I’d give it 3.5 stars...I liked that a good part of the film was in Russian, with English subtitles as it lent a degree of authenticity. Also contributing authenticity are the many ballet segments with real dancers. The sets were also evocative of the 60’s. However Nureyev comes off as very unlikeable, and quite one dimensional, not to mention uninteresting. The only redeeming human qualities presented in this version of events were inhabited almost solely by the character Clara Saint, (somewhat also by Alexander Pushkin), but none whatsoever by Nureyev. The film jumped around temporally more than was necessary, only hinting at some intriguing themes/scenes which were left unexplored/undeveloped?...I wasn’t sure what to make of his silent and demonstrably long suffering sisters and mother, and unless I nodded off, which is entirely possible, what was the point of the winter scene where he's left in the woods by his father? Atmospherically and musically, and possibly historically, the movie is successful, but from a story-telling standpoint, it falls short. Although the events of his young life that led up to his defection would have been an integral part of any story telling endeavour, it could be argued that Nureyev's greatest achievements occurred after this time, and it’s a pity they were not included.