La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

"Paris Opera Documentary"

2009 2h 39m FR

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 18

Documentary

Synopsis

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Frederick Wiseman observes the ins and outs of the Paris Opera House, including the processes behind seven of their operas: Genus (Wayne McGregor), Le Songe de Médée (Angelin Preljocaj), La Maison de Bernarda (Mats Ek), Paquita (Pierre Lacotte), Casse-Noisette (Rudolf Nureyev), Orphée et Eurydice (Pina Bausch), and Roméo et Juliette (Sasha Walt).

“Paris Opera Documentary”

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Cast

Emilie Cozette
Self
Brigitte Lefèvre
Self
Aurélie Dupont
Self
Dorothée Gilbert
Self
Marie-Agnès Gillot
Self
Agnès Letestu
Self
Delphine Moussin
Self
Kader Belarbi
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frederick Wiseman
Writers: Frederick Wiseman
Languages: French
Countries: France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

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Clocks in at 159 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Frederick Wiseman Paris Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frederick Wiseman, shot by John Davey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frederick Wiseman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Emilie Cozette and Brigitte Lefèvre and Aurélie Dupont carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frederick Wiseman directs. John Davey behind the camera. Frederick Wiseman cuts. Produced in France, United States of America. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 159 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Released 17 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.
4Part of the "Frederick Wiseman Paris Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Frederick Wiseman, shot by John Davey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Frederick Wiseman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Emilie Cozette and Brigitte Lefèvre and Aurélie Dupont carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Paris Opera Documentary".
10IMDB entry: tt1500496 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 11 themes, including "ballet", "ballet school", "dance team", "cinéma vérité".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Davey
Editing: Frederick Wiseman
Runtime: 159 min · 2h 39m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (2009)

Part of

Frederick Wiseman Paris Collection

Frederick Wiseman's Paris Collection groups three documentaries: La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué (1996), La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (2009), and Crazy Horse (2011). Shot in Wiseman’s direct-cinema style—no interviews, no narration—they follow rehearsal, administration, casting, lighting, and the nightly demand to go onstage at the Comédie-Française, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the Crazy Horse nude revue. Taken together, the films are a study of how three historic Paris performance houses work, and of how bodies, craft, and looking are organized.