Ballet Films
A chronological listing of various ballet films ranging across genre, including recordings of performances and documentaries, Dance for the Camera (by ballet choreographers); Avant-Garde film-making; Ballet Feature films (dance-based dramas).
Ballet des Sylphi
France 1902 Dir Ferdinand Zecca
73 feet
35mm B&W
A ballerina and corps de ballet perform on stage.
Archive Source: BFI National Archive
A Nymph of the Waves
US 1903
9 feet
16mm B&W
A woman wearing a hat appears to dance on the sea. This is believed to be Cathrina Bartho performing her Speedway dance, augmented here by double exposure.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Some Classical Dancing by the Pupils of Margaret Morris
UK 1922
81 feet
35mm B&W, silent
Dancers perform around a lily pond.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Analysis of Motion
US 1924
439 feet
35mm B&W, silent
The ballerina Albertina Rasch is studied with the slow motion camera in her exercises and various practice steps. Contrasting real-time and slow motion camera shots illustrate various movements.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Mime Dance by Miss Mary Montgomery
UK c1928
1 mins
35mm B&W, silent
Modern dance performed by Mary Montgomery.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Opera in Rehearsal 1936-38
UK c.1938
65 mins
DVD (Reference copy only only) B&W + Col, silent
Amateur film footage of opera dress rehearsals at Sadler's Wells and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo at Covent Garden.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Lady Into Fox
UK 1945
25 mins
16mm B&W + DVD (Reference copy only)
A performance of the ballet based on David Garnett's novel, with Sally Gilmour and Walter Gore and choreography by Andrée Howard.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
US/West Germany 1955 Dir Michael Powell
13 mins
35mm Col
Ballet fantasy, based on Goethe tale and danced by Sonia Arova and others. The first ballet film in Cinemascope.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Les Collants Noirs (1960) (Grandes Projections Cinematographiques/Talma Films/Doperfilm)
A ballet-film containing four episodes, the first La Croqueuse de Diamants (The Diamond Cruncher) features lyrics by Raymond Queneau.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Margot Fonteyn introduces the London Festival Ballet
UK 1961 Dir Rodney Greenberg and Julian Field
65 mins
Beta SP B&W + DVD (Reference copy only)
Two ballets performed by The London Festival Ballet. The Sanguine Fan (music: Edward Elgar) with Ben Van Cawenbergh, Nigel Burgoine, Manola Asensio and Graduation Ball (music: Johann Strauss) with Trevor Wood, David Long, Andria Hall, Lucia Truglia.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Sleeping Ballerina
UK 1963 Dir Ludovic Kennedy
27 mins
16mm B&W
Documentary about the life of ballet dancer Olga Spessivtzeva.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
El Fantastico Mundo del Dr. Coppelius
Spain/US 1966 Dir Ted Kneeland
97 mins
35mm Col
Abbreviated film version of the ballet drawn from Delibes' Coppelia. Choreography by Jo Anna Kneeland. Artistic consultant Alicia Markova.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Nine Variations on a Dance Theme
US 1966 Dir Hilary Harris
11 mins
16mm B&W
A ballerina rehearses, and the camera twines itself around her flowing body and graceful limbs, like a convulvulus round a rose. The intricate counterpoint of choreography between dancer and camera becomes a revelation. For the lover of modern ballet and anyone who can derive the least pleasure from the brilliant use of film form.
Archive source: LUX
The Bolshoi Ballet in London
USSR 1966 Dir Anatoly Koloshin
33 mins
16mm B&W
The Bolshoi Ballet's trip to London, including rehearsals and performances. Dancers include Margot Fonteyn (in a scene from 'The Firebird') and Galina Ulanova.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Cranko's Castle
UK 1967 Dir Margaret Dale and Peter Wright
50 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) B&W
A profile of choreographer John Cranko at the Stuttgart State Theatre Ballet. He is seen working on Swan Lake, Giselle, Jeu de Cartes (Card Game). With the first British performance of his Opus 1 to music by Webern.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Dance
Canada 1970 Dir David Rimmer
5 mins
16mm B&W
Two dancers turn and pirouette in true competition style. Their routine is extended...and extended, competing enthusiastically they whirl beyond the point of credibility... on and on they go... in perfect repetition, a final masterly and endless spin.
Archive source: LUX
The Miraculous Mandarin
Hungary 1971 Dir Miklós Szinetár
30 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Hungarian television presentation of Béla Bartók's ballet. A prostitute encounters a mandarin who has supernatural powers.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Taming of the Shrew
West Germany 1972 Dir John Cranko
85 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A recording of John Cranko's ballet of The Taming of the Shrew, after William Shakespeare, filmed in the Württemberg State Theatre with the Stuttgart Ballet and the Stuttgart State Theatre Orchestra with musical director Bernard Kontarsky.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Parade
UK 1973 Dir Basil Coleman
39 mins
DVD Col (Reference copy only)
A performance of two ballets by the Paul Taylor Dance Company (Duet and Noah's minstrels), with Carolyn Adams, Betty Dejong, Senta Driver, Eileen Cropley, Ruby Shang, Monica Morris, Daniel Williams, Nicholas Gunn, and Paul Plumadore. Performed and recorded on the opening night of Manchester Festival '73.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Moor's Pavane
DK 1976 Dir Preben Montell
22 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
José Limón's dance version of Shakespeare's Othello set to music by Purcell, with soloists of the Royal Danish Ballet.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Pas de Deux from Sylvia
UK 1976 Dir Ben Harrison
9 mins
16mm Col
Delibes' pas de deux from Sylvia, danced by Doreen Wells and Donald MacLeary, at Wynyard Park, Cleveland.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Royal Birthday at the Ballet
UK 1980
65 mins
Beta SP + DVD (Reference copy only) Col
The Queen Mother spends the evening at the Ballet, to celebrate her 80th birthday. Included are three scenes by Leonide Massine.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Dreams
Switzerland 1980 Dir Fred Bosman
30 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
The Basel Theatre Ballet performs this love story which inspired Wagner's Wesendonk songs, filmed in the original Swiss setting.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Georgian State Dance Company
UK 1980
40 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Programme recorded at the Wembley Conference Centre.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
China: Ballet
UK 1980 Dir Charlie Nairn
49 mins
DVD Col (Reference copy only)
Documentary on the history of the Peking Ballet Company and the way in which that story mirrors the history of post-revolutionary China.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Ballet Black
UK 1986 Dir Steve Dwoskin
85 mins
DVD Col
The history of Les Ballets Nègres, the first black ballet troupe in Europe, created in 1946 by Berto Pasuka (born Jamaica, d.1963), with the participation of surviving members of the company, including choreographers Richie Riley, Raymond Maclean.
Archive source: Arts Council of England + BFI National Archive
Omnibus: The Bolshoi Ballet
UK 1986 Dir Michael Houldey
127 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Interviews with leading figures in Soviet ballet and specially filmed excerpts from the Bolshoi's current repertoire. Extracts include Giselle, Don Quixote, Ivan the Terrible, Raymondo and The Seagull.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Natasha
UK 1985 Dir Derek Bailey
65 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Dance programme hosted by Russian ballerina Natalia Makarova, featuring extracts from a number of ballets and a performance of Natasha a dance number choreographed for this programme by Norman Maen.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Body and Soul (Ballerina)
UK 1987 Dir Derek Bailey
60 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
First programme in four-part series on the art of the ballerina, written and presented by Natalia Makarova. She examines what it means to be a great ballerina: "You must bring into an ideal balance the body of a superb athlete and the soul of an artist". With on-screen participants Frederick Ashton, Maurice Béjart, Kirsten Ralov, Jerome Robbins, Maya Plisetskaya. Dancers Carla Fracci, Sylvie Guillem, Antoinette Sibley and others.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Great Roles (Ballerina)
UK 1987 Dir Derek Bailey
60 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Third programme in four-part series on the art of the ballerina, written and presented by Natalia Makarova. The great classical roles that are the pinnacle of the ballerina's art - Swan Lake, Giselle and Sleeping Beauty - and the classics of the future. Makarova dances with Reid Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Anthony Dowell, Stephen Jefferies and Derek Rencher.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Handing on the Torch (Ballerina)
UK 1987 Dir Derek Bailey
58 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Fourth programme in four-part series on the art of the ballerina, written and presented by Natalia Makarova. Makarova looks to both the past and future, emphasising the essential tradition of classical ballet, and profiling three young dancers she believes could be the great ballerinas of tomorrow - Cecilia Kerche from Rio de Janeiro, Mette Bodtcher from Copenhagen and Sylvie Guillem from Paris.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
A Simple Man
UK 1987 Dir Gillian Lynne
60 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A ballet to celebrate the centenary of the painter L.S. Lowry. Music composed by Carl Davis, choreography by Gillian Lynne.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Still Life at the Penguin Café
UK 1989 Dir Keith Beckett and David Bintley
39 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Performance of David Bintley's ballet set to the music of the Penguin Café Orchestra and using 23 dancers including top dancers from The Royal Ballet.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Amazing Adventures of Christopher Gable
UK 1989 Dir Tony Bulley
52 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A documentary about the ballet star Christopher Gable, who starred in Ken Russell films before directing Northern Ballet Theatre. This documentary examines his battle with the Arts Council of England at a time when they are threatening to cut his company's grant and redistribute it in London.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The South Bank Show: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
UK 1998 Dir Daniel Wiles
52 mins
DVD Col (Reference copy only)
A profile of the all-male comedy ballet company as they perform at the Edinburgh Festival. (NB: The running time includes a profile of actress Maxine Peake that formed the first half of the programme)
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The South Bank Show: Wayne Sleep
UK 1998 Dir Leo Burley
52 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A celebratory documentary to mark Wayne Sleep's 50th birthday, focusing on a gala performance of his Classical Ballet Tour at Her Majesty's Theatre, together with extracts from famous ballets which moulded his career as a Royal Ballet star of the 1960s-70s.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Point Your Toes, Cushla!
New Zealand 1998 Dir Simon Marler
10 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A little girl messes up her performance in a ballet competition.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Bourne to Dance
UK 2001 Dir Ross MacGibbon
76 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Matthew Bourne looks at a history of male dance and some of the influences on his own work as a dancer and choreographer, including Nijinsky, Nureyev and Baryshinkov, and dance in Hollywood films.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The South Bank Show: Irek Mukhamedov
UK 2003 Dir Matthew Tucker
51 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A profile of the Russian dancer Irek Mukhamedov as he oversees a new production of Swan Lake in Warsaw.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Power Behind: The Dance
UK 2003
3 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
A portrait of ballet dancer Jonathan Cope as he mentors and prepares two up and coming ballerinas - Lauren Cuthbertson and Edward Watson - for their debuts in Romeo and Juliet.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
Yvette
UK 2003
11 mins
DVD Col (Reference copy only)
Yvette is a pupil of the Royal Ballet School who dreams of becoming the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
The Real Billy Elliott Diaries
Future Time Productions, Universal Studios
UK 2005
23 mins
DVD (Reference copy only) Col
Follows the nationwide search to find a young dancer to play Billy Elliot in a West End musical version of the film.
Archive source: BFI National Archive
La Danse
US/France 2010 Dir Frederick Wiseman
159 mins
DVD Col
The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world's great ballet companies. LA DANSE shows how a ballet company functions from administration, technical support, and classes, to the rehearsal and/or performance of seven ballets: Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, The Nutcracker by Rudolf Nureyev, Genus by Wayne McGregor, Medea by Angelin Preljocaj, The House of Bernarda Alba by Mats Ek, Romeo and Juliet by Sasha Waltz and Orpheus and Eurydyce by Pina Bausch. The film is a profile of all aspects of the ballet company, one of France's principal cultural institutions. The film immediately draws us into the rehearsals and shows preparations for performances of seven ballets, including The Nutcracker by Rudolf Nureyev and Medea by Angelin Preljocaj, widely considered to be the most important contemporary choreographer working in ballet today. It is a testament to both Wiseman's love of dance and the respect of the Opera that he was allowed full access to film all facets of this revered institution from the administration offices to the costumers' department, illustrating the sometime tensions between a commercial sensibility and creative integrity.
Archive source: BFI Distribution (Non-theatrical screenings only)
