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By
BILL CONIFF
When "Center Stage" was
released in 2000, some compared it to "Fame" --
unfavorably. I'm here to set the record straight.
"Center Stage," thanks in large part to its
excellent director, Nicholas Hytner, is
well-crafted and tremendous fun. If you're a dance
fan, it deserves a slot in your collection.
"Fame," on the other hand, is a coarse, inferior
film that has not aged well -- although it does
tap successfully into the energy of its then-young
performers.
It's true that the "Center Stage" characters might
seem familiar: the too-perfect,
raised-to-be-a-prima-ballerina one; the cocky,
streetwise one; the sweet and innocent one; the
straight-but-sensitive-male one; the gay,
wisecracking one; and the bad-boy star. All but
the latter have been accepted into the prestigious
American Ballet Academy and are striving to be
selected for the school's big performance, which
will determine their future. Although there's
nothing new here, Hytner and his screenwriter,
Carol Heikkinen, add some shading to these stock
characters. At first, it seems the movie is going
to disparage supposedly "highbrow" ballet in favor
of jazzed-up Broadway dancing -- the typical slant
of Hollywood movies. But in the end, it gives each
its due.
The dance sequences could not be better. Here
again, Hytner proves how expert he is. He's better
known as a distinguished director of theater --
musical and otherwise. He frames every scene in
"Center Stage" perfectly -- and that's become a
rarity in films with dance. Ever since music
videos on MTV, the close-up, quick-cut,
destroy-all-flow approach has been the most
prevalent. That's not the case here. The dance
segments range from traditional ballet to Latin
dance to some amusing hybrids. All are equally
enjoyable on their own terms, and the dancers give
them their most. The results are undeniably
electric. The pull-out-all-the-stops climax --
during which ballet star Ethan Stiefel drives his
motorcycle on stage and tugs the tutu off
principal dancer Amanda Schull -- ends the movie
with a bang. That last segment was created by
Susan Stroman, today's leading Broadway
choreographer, and you can see glimmers of the
tongue-in-cheek potential she subsequently brought
to fruition with her biggest hit, "The Producers."
Several of these dancers had little previous
acting experience, but thanks to their energy and
sincerity, they also acquit themselves well in the
drama under Hytner's guidance. Among the
experienced actors, Donna Murphy stands out as a
strict teacher, a role she invests with unexpected
warmth. Murphy is underutilized by Hollywood --
although she's well loved on Broadway -- and it's
our loss.
The DVD of "Center Stage" has excellent video and
audio quality, and the image is anamorphically
enhanced for widescreen TVs. The extras add to the
value of the package. They include an informative
commentary by Hytner, a couple of worthwhile
deleted scenes (one with Sascha Radetsky
exhibiting more of his exciting dancing), and
extended dance scenes (a big plus).
As of this writing, Hytner has not made another
film since "Center Stage." He now seems to be
focusing exclusively on the stage again, but
hopefully he can be lured back behind the camera
soon. (Is it too much to hope for a filmed version
of his acclaimed stage production of Rodgers and
Hammerstein's "Carousel"?) In the meantime, I
highly recommend two of his previous films, "The
Object of My Affection" and "The Madness of King
George," both of which are available on DVD. |
