"Nureyev" Documentary Gets 2-Week Run at NYC's Film Forum (Plus How to Find Showtimes in Your Area)
A while ago we alerted you to Nureyev, a new feature length documentary about the life of legendary ballet star Rudolf Nureyev. The film is now enjoying a limited run in several U.S. cities, nicely coinciding with the release of Ralph Fiennes’ Nureyev biopic The White Crow. The documentary, directed by brother-sister team Jacqui Morris and David Morris, tells the infamous dancer’s life story from his deeply impoverished childhood to his years at the Kirov Ballet and his eventual defection from Russia. It then continues where The White Crow leaves off, chronicling his dance career and pop-culture celebrity in the West, his celebrated partnership with Margot Fonteyn and his life-ending battle with AIDS.
Along the way, the directors contextualize his life with cultural and political events of the era, such as the Cold War (and ballet’s distinct role in it). The film is also packed with archival dance footage; highlights include Nureyev and Fonteyn’s balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet, and ballet class with his longtime lover, Danish dancer Erik Bruhn. It also features never-before-seen footage of his work with Martha Graham and Paul Taylor, as well as cheeky talk-show interviews. His lengthy ovation on the Dick Cavett Show, which rolls during the credits, sheds light on the sheer magnitude of Nureyev’s mainstream fame.
While most screenings are very limited, lasting anywhere from one to a few days, New York City’s Film Forum will be presenting a two-week theatrical run of Nureyev—offering five showtimes a day—from June 7–20. Outside of New York, the best way to find out if and where the film is playing in your area is to enter your zip code on the website of its distributor, CineLife Entertainment. Nureyev will be screening in select U.S. theaters through July.
