Even for a non-ballet enthusiast (if such a thing exists!) the story of Rudolf Nureyev is fascinating. Born in the Soviet Union in 1938 Nureyev ballet education was interrupted by the Second World War, so he was unable to enrol at the Leningrad Choreographic School (associated with the Kirov Ballet) until he was seventeen. Despite his late start however, under the tutelage of Ballet Master Alexander Pushkin he joined the Kirov Ballet where he became famous throughout the USSR. It was here that he cultivated his rebellious style of dancing, which placed the male at the centre of the performance rather than in a supportive capacity, helping revolutionise the role of male dancers.
He acquired international fame however, in 1961 when on the Kirov Ballet’s European Tour, fearing for his life if he returned to the USSR, he defected to the West in Le Bourget Airport, Paris with the help of the French police and socialite Clara Saint. He then signed with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas before joining American ballerina Maria Tallchief on tour in Denmark where he met his future partner Erik Bruhn. Later that same year, Nureyev was invited to make his London debut at a gala for the Royal Academy of Dance and was subsequently invited to dance Giselle with Margot Fonteyn the next season. This was to be the start of a long-standing dance partnership. Nureyev also embarked on a film career after arriving in the West making his screen debut in 1962 with Les Sylphides. His most famous role however, was as actor and dancer Rudolph Valentino in Ken Russell’s 1977 film. In 1983 Nureyev became director of the Paris Opera Ballet where he stayed until his death in January 1993.
Fiennes has already acquired permission from the Nureyev Foundation, which includes the rights to use Julie Kavanagh’s fantastic biography Nureyev: The Life, and will start shooting in 2016.
A Film As of Yet Unnamed: Nureyev
Yesterday actor Ralph Fiennes announced that he is to direct a new film based on the iconic tale of one of the most famous male dancers of all time; Rudolf Nureyev. The film, as of yet unnamed, is based on a screenplay by David Hare, the author of the Oscar-winning film The Reader, in which Fiennes played a German lawyer. Whilst it is astounding that we have had to wait so long to see Nureyev’s story on the silver screen, it looks like we will be amply awarded for our patience. The film will be produced by Gabrielle Tana, who famously produced Philomena and The Duchess, and promises to be just as fantastic. Tana is currently working on the documentary Dancer about ‘the James Dean of the ballet world’ Sergei Polunin, who recently rocketed to fame after his appearance in the Hozier’s music video ‘Take Me To Church’, which has attracted over eleven million views.
Whilst the plot is still under wraps, according to Screen Daily rather than being a biopic, the film charts a specific incident in Nureyev’s life; possibly his defection from the Soviet Union. Speculation is rife however, as to who will play Nureyev himself, although it has been confirmed that Fiennes who played the lead role and directed both the 2011 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Corialanus and the Charles Dickens biopic The Invisible Woman (2013), will not be lacing up his ballet slippers.
Even for a non-ballet enthusiast (if such a thing exists!) the story of Rudolf Nureyev is fascinating. Born in the Soviet Union in 1938 Nureyev ballet education was interrupted by the Second World War, so he was unable to enrol at the Leningrad Choreographic School (associated with the Kirov Ballet) until he was seventeen. Despite his late start however, under the tutelage of Ballet Master Alexander Pushkin he joined the Kirov Ballet where he became famous throughout the USSR. It was here that he cultivated his rebellious style of dancing, which placed the male at the centre of the performance rather than in a supportive capacity, helping revolutionise the role of male dancers.
He acquired international fame however, in 1961 when on the Kirov Ballet’s European Tour, fearing for his life if he returned to the USSR, he defected to the West in Le Bourget Airport, Paris with the help of the French police and socialite Clara Saint. He then signed with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas before joining American ballerina Maria Tallchief on tour in Denmark where he met his future partner Erik Bruhn. Later that same year, Nureyev was invited to make his London debut at a gala for the Royal Academy of Dance and was subsequently invited to dance Giselle with Margot Fonteyn the next season. This was to be the start of a long-standing dance partnership. Nureyev also embarked on a film career after arriving in the West making his screen debut in 1962 with Les Sylphides. His most famous role however, was as actor and dancer Rudolph Valentino in Ken Russell’s 1977 film. In 1983 Nureyev became director of the Paris Opera Ballet where he stayed until his death in January 1993.
Fiennes has already acquired permission from the Nureyev Foundation, which includes the rights to use Julie Kavanagh’s fantastic biography Nureyev: The Life, and will start shooting in 2016.
Even for a non-ballet enthusiast (if such a thing exists!) the story of Rudolf Nureyev is fascinating. Born in the Soviet Union in 1938 Nureyev ballet education was interrupted by the Second World War, so he was unable to enrol at the Leningrad Choreographic School (associated with the Kirov Ballet) until he was seventeen. Despite his late start however, under the tutelage of Ballet Master Alexander Pushkin he joined the Kirov Ballet where he became famous throughout the USSR. It was here that he cultivated his rebellious style of dancing, which placed the male at the centre of the performance rather than in a supportive capacity, helping revolutionise the role of male dancers.
He acquired international fame however, in 1961 when on the Kirov Ballet’s European Tour, fearing for his life if he returned to the USSR, he defected to the West in Le Bourget Airport, Paris with the help of the French police and socialite Clara Saint. He then signed with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas before joining American ballerina Maria Tallchief on tour in Denmark where he met his future partner Erik Bruhn. Later that same year, Nureyev was invited to make his London debut at a gala for the Royal Academy of Dance and was subsequently invited to dance Giselle with Margot Fonteyn the next season. This was to be the start of a long-standing dance partnership. Nureyev also embarked on a film career after arriving in the West making his screen debut in 1962 with Les Sylphides. His most famous role however, was as actor and dancer Rudolph Valentino in Ken Russell’s 1977 film. In 1983 Nureyev became director of the Paris Opera Ballet where he stayed until his death in January 1993.
Fiennes has already acquired permission from the Nureyev Foundation, which includes the rights to use Julie Kavanagh’s fantastic biography Nureyev: The Life, and will start shooting in 2016.