Synopsis
Of all the great ballerinas, Tanaquil Le Clercq may have been the most transcendent. With a body unlike any before hers, she mesmerized viewers and choreographers alike. With her elongated, race-horse physique, she became the new prototype for the great George Balanchine. Because of her extraordinary movement and unique personality on stage, she became a muse to two of the greatest choreographers in dance, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She eventually married Balanchine, and Robbins created his famous version of Afternoon of a Faun for her. She had love, fame, adoration, and was the foremost dancer of her day until it suddenly all stopped. At the age of 27, she was struck down by polio and paralyzed. She never danced again. The ballet world has been haunted by her story ever since.
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Cast
- Michael StuhlbargJerome Robbins (voice)
- Marianne BowerTanaquil Le Clercq (voice)
Recommendations
- 100
San Francisco Chronicle
Director Nancy Buirski not only is able to give rare insights into the dance world but a compelling tale of love, friendship and perseverance. - 100
Entertainment Weekly
A spooky, heartbreaking documentary. - 88
RogerEbert.com
While it does profile the work of brilliant dancer, the film also contains two complex and moving love stories as well an account of a physically devastating tragedy followed by an extraordinary tale of struggle and survival. - 88
Chicago Sun-Times
Strangely haunting, often heartbreaking. - 80
Village Voice
Buirski clearly shows that the spark that made her great couldn't be snuffed out so easily. - 80
New York Daily News
Classical dance great Jacques d’Amboise calls Tanaquil LeClercq’s style a “path to heaven.” And this lovely documentary by Nancy Buirski makes clear that he’s right. - 80
Los Angeles Times
Afternoon of a Faun offers privileged glimpses of Le Clercq's life. - 75
Washington Post
What’s most fascinating about Afternoon of a Faun — and what the movie could spend more time delving into — is ballet’s grueling and fleeting nature.