February 3, 2012 – Frederick Wiseman’s documentary Crazy Horse opens tonight at the Nuart in Los Angeles for a one week engagement. Let us first be clear, this movie is not about a horse.
Chances are that some of us, who have never been to Paris, do not realize that Crazy Horse is a popular cabaret established back in 1951 in the European city that today is a must for visitors almost in line with checking out the Eiffel Tower.
The documentary is also not about the history of Crazy Horse; that is something you will have to read about before or after you watch it. The film instead is about what goes on in the cabaret – the girls practicing, the routines, the music, and about the entire team that takes to run a place like this – costumes, make-up, hair, and so forth.
It has some of the talk behind the scenes required by the genre, but much of the film records scenes of the “new” show that the Crazy Horse offers. After many years of presenting the same routines, Desirs opened September of 2009 under the guidance of choreographer Phillippe Decoufle and artistic director Ali Mahdavi. The documentary follows the process of selecting the dancers for Desirs, their practice sessions to master the show, and plenty of recordings of the finalized product - which translates into 134 minutes of a lot of bare skin.
It is not a documentary for children, although is not rated, but the nudity will not scandalize you. It is about the business of seduction, without having it be crude or raw. In Wiseman’s own words it is about “the fantasies of the public who come to see the show, the dancers who agree to perform nearly nude, the dreams of the shareholders who want to make money, and those of the director who has to show what desire means.”
Crazy Horse
Nuart Theatre
11272 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles
415/352-0832
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Films/films_frameset.asp?id=111076
One week engagement only
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