《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评

Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950) is a legend, the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. In Russia and in Europe he was a sensation, acclaimed for his roles in "Le Spectre de la rose," "Petrushka," and "Scheherazade." After leaving Russia and joining Serge Diaghilev's Ballet-Russe, in Paris, Nijinsky began choreographing. His unparalleled career as a dancer was cut short in 1919, at the age of 29, when he suffered a mental breakdown and was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia. Nijinsky's diaries were begun in 1919, and the film is a point of departure for Dutch-Australian director Cox, here debuting his 20th feature. Sir Derek Jacobi is the voice of Nijinsky, reading excerpts from the feverish writings of the dancer, who was trying to make sense of the increasing turmoil of his inner world. The imagery that accompanies the text ranges broadly, from entrancing still photos of the dancer to wordless staged dramatizations to snippets from Nijinsky's best-known roles, performed by a host of dancers. The film is impressionistic, episodic, and confusing-perhaps to reflect the disintegration of Nijinsky's mind, but ultimately, the cinematic experimentation is exasperating. What is frustrating about the film is what is frustrating about the diaries: to a great extent, both are incoherent and shed little light on the artist. Recommended only for universities with large film programs.-Joan Stahl, Univ. of Maryland Lib., College Park (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.