Film: Isadora
Year of production: 1968
UK Release date: 16th May 2011
Distributor: Odeon
Certificate: 12
Running time: 134 mins
Director: Karel Reisz
Starring: A Vanessa Redgrave, James Fox, Jason Robards
Genre: Biography/Drama
Format: DVD
Country of Production: UK/France
Language: English
Review by: Mark Player
Long considered by many as the innovator of what is now regarded as modern dance, Isadora Duncan led an unconventional and sometimes controversial life until her untimely death in 1927. Ironically, she was famously killed by one of the things that she loved the most: flowing fabrics; specifically her scarf, which, whilst sat in a travelling open-top sports car, got caught in the exposed spokes of one of the rear wheels, strangling her to death. Available for the first time in the UK as a digitally re-mastered, two-disc collector's edition, Karel Reisz's biopic Isadora (1968) arrives on DVD through Odeon Entertainment.
The film starts a week or so before her death, with an ageing Duncan (Redgrave) working on her memoirs with friend/writer Roger (John Fraser), as well as other members of her dwindling entourage based in the French Riviera. As Duncan dictates, she reminisces the early years: working as a street performer with her father-less family; her first love with stage-designer Gordon Craig (James Fox); her subsequent first child, Deirdre, and her taking to the burgeoning bohemian lifestyle of Paris; establishing her own dance school in a Parisian Chateau with the financial assistance of wealthy new flame Paris Singer (Jason Robards) and her emigrating to post-revolution Russia where she falls for the poet Sergei Yesenin (Ivan Tchenko).
Meanwhile, back on the Riviera, Isadora is forced to sell off some of her possessions due to debts run up from staying at various hotels. She also develops a romantic obsession for a mysterious man – whom she nicknames “Bugatti” – who is seen driving around in a red, open-top sports car...
Adapted by respected British author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg in part from Sewell Stokes biography 'Isadora Duncan: An Intimate Portrait' as well as Duncan's own book, 'My Life', Isadora offers a look at an unconventional artist that doesn't contain the usual thematic clichés of drug abuse and alcoholism that one finds in many famous life stories. What we get instead is a classic rise-and-fall arc that sees Duncan during her humble beginnings, her fame and fortune period, through to her decline and subsequent obscurity.
Interestingly, Bragg's screenplay chooses not to explore Isadora's early life. Apart from a prologue that depicts a young Isadora setting fire to her parents' divorce certificate and vowing to live a life of service to the arts, Duncan's childhood is completely overlooked. This heavily downplays on the fact that whilst it was in Europe that she made her name, Duncan was born in America and lived there for the first 22 years of her life. Instead, her flashbacks start after she and her family had moved to London and then Paris. This isn't a detriment as such. If anything, the film's structure is somewhat refreshing initially; juxtaposing between Duncan's life in the present (1927) and how it was in the past. However, the novelty begins to wear off.
Part of the problem is that the flashback approach starts to make the film feel disparate and episodic; segregating the narrative into chunks organised by Isadora's particular lover at that time in her life. When one section ends, we never hear from that love-interest again; being outright replaced by the next one instead. What happened to Craig and Singer? Both fathered Isadora a child each, but are given somewhat of a back seat. But then again, seeing as their scenes are recollections from Isadora's past, maybe they never meant that much to her anyway. On the bright side, all the supporting players do well with what they are given - Robards in particular.
This leads neatly to Redgrave's performance as the film's eponymous subject. Although she lost out to both Katharine Hepburn and Barbara Streisand at the Oscars that year, Redgrave gives a strong turn with enough versatility to handle the character's evolution over the years: from young and slightly ditzy to ageing drama queen. Biopics usually succeed or fail due to the quality of its lead, but, with Isadora, this feels difficult to discern. On the one hand, Redgrave does give a good performance, even if she does lack the poise and the physical discipline of a 'proper' dancer; however, Duncan's whole ethos was to break away from standardised styles (ballet for example) to create something spontaneous and with feeling. On the other hand, the character's bohemian outlook and rodomontade behaviour can be incredibly annoying; as if they are the centre of a universe created just for them.
It’s difficult to amass empathy for somebody that was as pretentious and as delusional as Duncan was a lot of the time, but, then again, she was as artist; if you consider somebody prancing about on a stage whilst waving a billowy scarf to be art. As for the dance sequences themselves, which there are several, they are decently staged and photographed, but whether or not they capture the 'essence' of Duncan's work is totally subjective. Some will see beauty; others will snigger at their making-it-up-as-it-goes-along appearance.
This is the main deal-breaker for Isadora: if you can stand the character and admire/appreciate the work that she did then this film will likely appeal to those wanting to learn a little more, or simply to enjoy the story. However, those who consider Duncan's work to be little more than someone writhing around to music, or find her character to be overly flamboyant and self-important, will probably find little value here. There are occasional moments where Redgrave's performance evinces a certain vulnerability that can be easily identifiable, but these moments aren't as frequent or a fulfilling as they could and should be.
Isadora is a more than competent biopic. Under Karel Reisz's direction, Redgrave gives a strong portrayal of a highly influential artistic figure who’s not easy to like. The film also suffers from a narrative structure that quickly starts to stagnate, holding little emotional punch. However, Isadora will still be worth a look for those that are curious. MP
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