An American Ballet Story

Directed by Leslie Streit, An American Ballet Story explores the rise and fall of a well-regarded dance company called the Harkness Ballet – with a particular emphasis placed on the wealthy woman behind its creation, Rebekah Harkness. It’s potentially intriguing subject matter that’s employed to tedious and mostly uninvolving effect by Streit, as the filmmaker delivers a dry documentary that contains virtually nothing in the way of an entry point for casual viewers – with the arms-length atmosphere perpetuated by Streit’s talking-head approach (ie it’s just so much ballet talk). There’s little doubt, then, that An American Ballet Story ultimately benefits from its periodic emphasis on anecdotes of an almost inherently compelling nature, including the revelation that Harkness was good friends with Salvador Dalí, and it’s clear, too, that such digressions go a long way towards sporadically alleviating Streit’s relentlessly styleless sensibilities (ie there’s just nothing cinematic about any of this, ultimately). The movie, which closes with an endless black-and-white ballet performance, will, in the end, undoubtedly work best among viewers with a preexisting passion or interest in the world of ballet, and it does seem clear, finally, that An American Ballet Story could only have wholeheartedly succeeded in the context of brisk segment on a 60 Minutes-type television program.

** out of ****