Criterion Collection: Pina [Blu-ray] [Import]

Finally an important show of Great Pina's work. But, why $ 37.98 for a zone 2 dvd - plus shipment charges? You could get it direct from the British Amazon site for 8.99 english sterling pounds - plus about $ 5,00 shipment, which altogether is about half the price what the other sellers for this item are requesting. So far, there is available even a 3D blu-ray - and a regular 2D blu ray - in blu-ray-zone 2. Why not for the USA - blu-ray zone 1? Ah!, the merchants ... When will this nonsense about dvd and blu-ray regions stop. Greed is godd and necessary, but excesive greed is bad and stupid for everybody.

"Pina" (106 min.) is a thrilling documentary about/celebration of choreographer Pina Bausch's work. It is important to note that Bausch herself was involved in the preparations of this movie, but she passed away just before shooting beagan after a short but devastating bout with cancer. Director Wim Wenders halted the production, but the dancers of the Wuppertal Tanztheatre convinced him to carry on and to make the movie as a tribute to Bausch. And that it certainly is.

The movie showcases 4 major pieces by Bausch, starting with The Rite of Spring, in which the dancers perform on a thick layer of dark sand. The other pieces are Cafe Mueller, Kontakthoff, and Vollmond. The latter is truly remarkable: there is a huge rock on the stage, and a continuous waterfall onto the stage, which eventually gets flooded for the most part. The dancers splish and splash their way to, through and onto it and it is an incredible visual experience. A number of scenes are also filmed in and around Wuppertal, including on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn (the "hanging monorail") as well as a number of industrial sites that are visually very powerful. The documentary includes short interviews with various company dancers on how Pina influenced them. Sadly, the are only snippets of old footage of Pina Bausch herself.

I saw this in the theatre in 3D and while the 3D was good, I will say that the 3D aspect is not essential to appreciate this movie for what it is: a love note to modern ballet and to Pina Bausch. If you have any interest in ballet, you truly do not want to miss out on this movie. "Pina" was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary, and it is easy to see why. Highly, highly recommended!

I've never been entirely convinced by Wim Wenders as a narrative film director-- his talents have always been more situated in the realm of conceptual art than that of the storyteller. Here he gets a chance to apply his conceptual art strengths to one of the few great artists of our time, Pina Bausch. The results are often startling, enthralling, and affirmative.

The opening excerpt from Bausch's RITE OF SPRING ranks as one of the greatest pieces of filmmaking I've ever seen. There is no doubt that Wenders has found the best possible use for 3D. To be frank, I would have preferred to see the entire performance rather than the documentary which enfolds it, but ideally we can have both (hint to distributors: there are at least five DVDs to be gleaned from the various dances here. I'd buy all of them!!)

The central section of the film includes excerpts from Bausch's more cerebral work, and it is here that perhaps the film is less effective. While the work itself is absolutely fascinating, the series of tableaux which Wenders constructs breaks the spell essential to fully entering Bausch's world. On the other hand, Wenders does create some extraordinary moments possible only through film-- by, for example, intercutting between dancers of various ages-- thus participating in the creative process and making the film itself a document keeping Bausch alive.

Meanwhile, we get- a la "A Chorus Line," the dancers themselves, introduced in close ups Avedon would have been proud of. This device is interesting, if not, perhaps, in the end, terribly well integrated. Threading through the film as a leitmotif we get a processional that reminded me of the end of 8 1/2 (A.O. Scott cites "The Seventh Seal," which also suggested itself to me). It works (we are reassured that the stream of energy Bausch left behind remains) but these cinematic gestures don't approach the brilliance of the work celebrated by the film itself (which is just as it should be, I suppose).

All in all, not one of the greatest documentaries of all time, but absolutely essential, nonetheless. Magnificent!