Synopsis
Dramatization of Russian ballet star Vaclav Nijinsky's diaries which detail his madness as well as his homosexual relationship with Ballet Russe impresario Sergei Diaghilev and his marriage to his Hungarian wife.
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Cast
- Derek JacobiNijinsky (voice) (as Sir Derek Jacobi)
- Delia SilvanRomola
- Chris HaywoodOscar
- Hans SonneveldDoctor
Recommendations
- 100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
You don't need to have seen a lot of art films to love The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky. All it takes is compassionate curiosity and perhaps some lingering memory of the world as a child experiences it. - 80
The A.V. Club
It's absorbing stuff, with some of the dishy quality of Andy Warhol's diaries and an almost humorous single-mindedness whenever Nijinsky returns, yet again, to the subjects of his vegetarianism, or how much he loves Russia (and France, and England, and just about everywhere he's ever been). - 60
Washington Post
Has its share of arresting images, especially a lovely pas de deux performed in the nude and a dazzling performance of "Le Spectre de la Rose." - 50
Washington Post
Those who are only mildly curious, I fear, will be put to sleep or bewildered by the artsy and often pointless visuals. - 50
Chicago Tribune
Sadly, this noble effort is loving but lame. - 50
The New York Times
Watching Paul Cox's impressionistic film based on the diaries of that legendary dancer and choreographer, it is impossible not to contemplate with a shudder the shadowy line between art, ecstasy and psychosis. - 40
TV Guide Magazine
It quickly becomes clear that Nijinsky's disordered thoughts are simply the rantings of a man losing his grip on reality. They're sad and occasionally evocative, but they're not especially interesting in and of themselves, and do nothing to evoke or illuminate Nijinsky's genius. - 38
New York Daily News
Unfortunately, the visuals are not compelling enough on their own to hold our interest, and a highly mannered Derek Jacobi is all wrong as the narrative voice of Nijinsky.