The White Crow (2019) (Russian & English Language)

Review

127min

Genre:     Fact-based, Drama

Director:  Ralph Fiennes

Cast:       Oleg Ivenko, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Ralph Fiennes…and more

Writers:   David Hare and Julie Kavanagh… and more

-Synopsis-

A chronicle of the makings of Siberian ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev and the difficult non-conformist personality which forged a standout artist—from his youth in Russia through to his time performing and representing the Soviet Union in Paris, and his notorious defection to the West in 1961.

After making his directorial debut by appropriately starring in his Shakespeare adaptation ‘Coriolanus’ in 2011, and then turning to biographical drama and the life of Dickens two years later for his second effort ‘The Invisible Woman’, one of the finest actors of his generation Ralph Fiennes steps back into supporting actor mode and focuses his lens once again on history for his third trip to the director’s chair—turning to the cold war for his take on a classic outsider story, and a cinematic portrait of an iconic performance artist . . . who risked everything to live life his way.

In his movie debut, world-renowned Russian-Ukrainian ballet soloist Oleg Ivenko stars as Nureyev himself; a rebellious young Siberian from humble beginnings and a ballet late-starter, whose rough edges are smoothed out by a strong artistic spirit and determination, as he begins to reach his potential under the tutelage of master instructor Alexander Pushkin (Ralph Fiennes). When the Soviet government’s ambition to present its ‘cultural supremacy’ abroad leads to an early 60s tour of Paris for the Mariinsky Ballet, Nureyev’s relationship with Parisian socialite Clara Saint (Adèle Exarchopoulos) conspires with his newfound taste of freedom and French culture, forcing him into a fateful decision which would shape the rest of his personal and artistic life . . . and make headline history.

When it comes to a personal artistic illustration of the political and ideological clash-of-cultures that was the Cold War, you’d be hard pressed to find a more notable example than the Rudolf Nureyev story—the fist defection of a Soviet artist to the west, which created international headlines and struck a PR blow to Russia and then the Soviet Union’s strategic dominance of global ballet for much of the 20th century.

So there’s no denying Ralph Fiennes’ intent to create a historic and to some extent contemporary socio-political film, especially given the current state of relations between Russia and the west. But it’s done from a fairly balanced perspective by a British artist with experience of and admiration for Russian culture, even taking the time to fine-tune the crash-course Russian he learned for his role in 2015’s period drama ‘Two Women’, to portray a stoic and wholly convincing Russian ballet guru here.

As a portrait of a performance artist, ‘The White Crow’ (the Russian version of black sheep) requires an artist to bring it to life, and Fiennes foregoes an experienced actor (and skilled doubles) to take a chance on film newcomer but ballet expert Oleg Ivenko, who unsurprisingly executes all the choreography masterfully and nails Nureyev’s dance development arc. Meanwhile on the acting front he is convincing enough when speaking his native tongue, but far less so in the English language scenes, yet manages to do a solid enough job in bringing to the screen the passionate, hard working but blunt and obstinate nature of Nureyev—qualities which often made him a difficult person to live with, but which contributed to the standout artist and performer he would become.

‘The White Crow’ is also a cinematic snapshot of an era, well captured by cinematographer Mike Eley (Touching the Void, My Cousin Rachel) who takes full advantage of picturesque Parisian, Balkan and Russian locations, while the costume and production designs expertly re-create the late 50s to early 60s style, and the orchestral score by regular Matthew Vaughn collaborator Ilan Eshkeri (Kick-Ass, Coriolanus) energises the drama and the dance.

The film sticks pretty close to the facts of the story, or at least the Julie Kavanagh biography on which it’s based, but it doesn’t exactly make for the most riveting and imaginative biopic you’ve seen, and as a result there’s a lack of genuine dramatic tension or atmosphere, even despite the climactic defection scene—while the central performance isn’t quite strong or charismatic enough to make amends. Unsurprisingly ‘The White Crow’ merely scratches the surface of Nureyev’s difficult personality while only hinting at his complex sexuality, which when freed came to define him as a person (and perhaps as an artist) in the years following his defection, and until his untimely death from AIDS complications.

Yet thanks to the director’s diligence and artistic eye, ‘The White Crow’ just about proves an intriguing cinematic history lesson and reasonably captivating portrait of an exceptional performer. One with a dedication to his artistry and its craft, above all else, putting him at odds with Soviet ideology and way of life while making him simultaneously both a prodigious example of Soviet cultural excellence and a non-conformist problem for their authorities—with the courage to make a life-changing leap.

The Bottom Line…

Ralph Fiennes’ third directorial effort only scratches the surface of the Rudolf Nureyev persona and story, and doesn’t exactly set the artist biopic sub-genre alight, but is well crafted and solidly enough performed to bring a fascinating little cold war history lesson to life, while proving a captivating enough early life cinematic portrait of an iconic artist . . . and an irrepressible perennial outsider.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

White Nights (1985)

A dancer and Soviet defector is unexpectedly plunged back into Russia and forced to remain as a ballet dancer, but his determination to return to the ‘land of the free’ pairs him with his former lover and a disillusioned American defector as they plan a daring escape.

Directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines and Helen Mirren among others.

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