1971-1980 Denmark Documentary Jørgen Leth Performance

Jørgen Leth – Peter Martins, en danser AKA Peter Martins: A Dancer (1978)

adminOctober 25, 2019

2 1,986

Peter Martins – en danser is a classical documentary using illustrative visuals, interviews with the subject, and a linking narrative voice over paints a portrait of the Danish ballet star with the New York City Ballet. “I cannot deal with second best people”, the handsome, self-assured Martins says, describing himself as a monstrously ambitious man who is however able to regard his work as a continual learning process. The film follows Martins as a dancer and choreographer, primarily in the rehearsal room but also on stage. It is made quite clear that the New York City Ballet is where the greatest dancers gather, and we meet them in the film; and Martins has to accept that the choreography is the true star. In an early voice over introduces Balanchine’s observations on the body as an instrument used in the ballet as a means of artistic expression, a key to the film as a visual exploration of dance. Concentrated close ups of faces, hands and feet alternate with larger, registering shots that give an impression of the dynamic choreographic effort through their elegant mobility. In the sequences from performances the shots are frontal by nature, with the camera as the stand-in for the audience.