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f i l m   Nijinsky Directed by Herbert Ross, 1980 Sceenplay by Hugh Wheeler from Romula Nijinsky's biography and diaries music performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic; 125 minutes When Herbert Ross began work on Nijinsky, the project of filming the life story of one of the century's most controversial and brilliant talents had been talked about for half a century. Nijinsky focuses on the legendary Russian impresario, Diaghilev, who electrified the Western world with the first season of Russian ballet to be seen outside of Russia. His principal dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky, flared like a meteor across the sky, dazzling onlookers with his artistic genius. Hugh Wheeler's screenplay dramatizes the engrossing triangular conflict between Nijinsky, the paternal and protective Diaghilev, and Romula de Pulsky -- Nijinsky's admirer and later his wife. It is at once a tragedy and a love story. In the words of the Christian Science Monitor, "...the performances are first-rate. Bates's portrayal of Diaghilev is all the more impressive when you remember that his other current film is The Rose, wherein he plays an overaged hippie trying to keep a dissolute rock star out of the gutter. George de la Pena, a gifted young dancer, plays Nijinsky with grace and delicacy. Another dancer, Leslie Browne, is Romula de Pulsky. Alan Badel is a riot as the foppish Baron de Gunsburg, and Jeremy Irons gives a remarkably subtle characterization of Fokine. ...a great galloping dance of a movie, a strong and sometimes stunning achievement." When queried about how he approached the bisexuality of the Nijinsky role, de la Pena's answer was both honest and illuminating. "When you read Greek literature, you come across many examples of the liaison of an older man teaching a younger man about life -- it was very common then and has been throughout the ages, so for me there was nothing unusual in it. But always -- with both Diaghilev and Romola -- he was drawn to a force stronger than he was. They were both very powerful people." Curiously enough, during the making of Nijinsky, the character of Nijinsky became so much a part of him that he "almost lost George de la Pena." "I became almost as inarticulate as Nijinsky was ... and I depended tremendously on Alan Bates, who plays Diaghilev. I was constantly getting strength and energy from him -- there was a sense of connection there that carried me ... If Diaghilev wasn't there, I felt a sense of emptiness. It may sound crazy and it certainly seemed peculiar to me because I've never had that sensation of being somebody else, of being so wrapped up in a human being." Nijinsky was filmed at Pinewood Studios, England, and on location in Hungary, Sicily and France.   Review excerpts ... From the Boston Globe (Bruce McCabe): "...a bravura performance by Alan Bates, perhaps the actor of the past decade. Bates's characterization of Serge Diaghilev, the impresario who was Nijinsky's mentor and lover and who introduced Russian culture into the western world, is impeccable. It's a model of compression. It is, in fact, through no fault of Bates, so strong that it subverts the film's presumed premise, the fascination of Nijinsky. Bates makes you fascinated with Diaghilev, a quite sympathetic monster. Bates also makes you fascinated with Bates, a seemingly quiet actor who overpowers this film with such ease and charm." From the Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt): "The film pirouettes all over Europe, visiting the best theaters, hotels, and watering places, and offering fascinating incidents in all of them. One minute we're watching Stravinsky hammer out the Rite of Spring on his piano, and moments later we're at the premiere of the piece, watching the audience rebel against this new and 'pagan' art. We listen to the great choreographer Fokine wrangle with Diaghilev over top billing, and worry about Nijinsky's mental health as his career begins to wobble. ... The affair between Diaghilev and Nijinsky is presented as historical fact, but the movie utterly avoids any hint of exploitation, or sensationalism..." From Mr Show Biz Movie Guide: "...Bates is superbly convincing as impresario Sergei Diaghilev."   Alan Bates comments ... "I like to let the part creep through me, insinuate itself into me. I like physical things about a part. I can start walking with a stoop without being aware that I'm doing it. I sort of let it come through. With Diaghilev, I let the whole weight of who he was come through. They gave me his walking stick, the one he actually used. It was an enormous help. ... If we've told the story truthfully -- and I believe we have -- Diaghilev was the motivator of Nijinsky. The story depends upon Diaghilev. The story couldn't be just about Nijinsky. Diaghilev loved dancers. In real life, he had two of them taken away from him by women. His biggest mistake was in allowing himself to be hurt by them after he had created them. He created genius and then he fell in love with it. I suppose that's natural. But when he lost it, it was a double blow." Was Diaghilev a monster? "It could be monstrous if you were on the receiving end. He had an animal quality. There was the lurking danger there that something might blow up." This animal quality that Diaghilev had. Is it possible that that's the same quality that Bates has, the one that makes him as popular as he is? "I mustn't tell you what I've got," Alan Bates said. "Too much knowledge can destroy what you do." © Boston Globe, 1980, excerpted from a 1980 interview with Bruce McCabe

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