American auteur Robert Altman’s new film The Company is a remarkably nuanced portrait of a year in the life of renowned dance troupe, the Chicago-based Joffrey Ballet.
Utilizing digital technology for the first time, the director once again displays his relevance by being on the cutting edge of the possibilities of cinema. In this case, his unique brand of verit style and strength at rendering multiple narratives simultaneously allows the director to focus on the inner workings of the organization, rather than a single character.
Although inspired by star Neve Campbell (who came up with the idea for the film based on her early days as a dancer and brought it to Altman hoping he’d be interested)’s experience at Canada’s National Ballet, the film doesn’t fall victim to the typical clichs found in the average dance movie. Instead, it starkly displays the work leading up to each performance in sometimes gritty detail (in one sequence, a dancer is asked to show others how to dance allegro properly, and ends up snapping her Achilles’ tendon. In the next scene, she is seen on crutches, watching her understudy perform the dance).
Altman’s treatment of Campbell is also an admirable trait of the film, and while her plot represents what could only be considered the ‘love story’, it never overshadows the overall purpose of the work. Instead, the awkward budding romance between her character Ry and the young sous-chef (James Franco) is a reflection of her earlier dance sequence set to the tune of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “My Funny Valentine.” Here, Altman seems to display the earlier beauty of the dance in real-life terms, replete with the false starts and awkwardness of a fledgling relationship.
But clearly, the real star of the film is the company itself and its innovative approach to contemporary ballet. The director’s decision to shoot on digital video allows for the audience to see entire sequences without excessive editing, and the results are breathtaking and often poetic.
One such sequence consists of a single performer and a swing, set to the tune of Julee Cruise and Angelo Badalementi’s Twin Peaks anthem “Wedding in White”. Alongside classical music, other interesting soundtrack offerings include an Elvis Costello rendition of the aforementioned jazz standard and also the works of former Skinny Puppy (the pioneering Vancouver industrial band) frontmen Kevin Connelly and Nivek Ogre.
With The Company, Altman once again asserts his versatility and relevance by adapting new forms in innovative and breathtaking ways. Campbell is also surprising, not only in the fact that she can dance very well, but also in the restraint that she brings to her performance as Ry. The film is not one that you necessarily expect to like going in to the theatre, but the director makes it impossible not to appreciate the amount of work that goes into the performances of the young dancers whose short careers he captures with the virtuosity of his camerawork.
