English
One of the greatest attractions of the last Venice Film Festival, was the presence of the American director Frederick Wiseman (Boston, 1930) to present a documentary on the legendary Parisian cabaret ´Crazy Horse´ which has just turned 60 years old. Of course, he would deny this term, and not without motive.
Wiseman isn´t interested in labels and neither does he share the need to separate films in different genres, especially his, in which the dramatical structure has always been the common essential element, the core that runs across them may be his interest for the human body -and his inherent yet deceiving fragility- in all his manifestations, from the way i which the world of ballet uses it as an essential way of expression to the use that the monks (which in some way they try to deny) or the soldiers (for whom it constitutes a weapon or tool of aggression and attack) make of them.
Hence that Wiseman has no qualms in admitting that, actually, what made him make this latest film was just ´Crazy Horse´ in particular, an inexcusable reference for all genre lovers, of which he´s been carrying the flag and has been a reference point for over six decades. An inside ´Crazy Horse´ his interest focuses on, another common aspect of his work, the people, specifically the fabulous and legendary dancers, whose gaze, fluctuating between tenderness and the most consuming and desiring voyeurism, makes them exceptional as professionals of their art and as people.
Wiseman´s film is one of the ways that ´Crazy Horse´ has to celebrate his 60th birthday. Another consists in bringing out the show from its theatre in Paris and organizing a tour around different cities in the world for the first time. Madrid is one of the lucky cities which will have the honour of hosting the show. It will coincide with the Christmas festivities, from the 21st of December until the 8th of January at the Sala Verde in the brand new Teatros de Canal http://www.teatroscanal.com/1000348000201/forever-crazy__1.html
The expectation generated by the show is totally justified if we take into account that ´Crazy Horse´ has had, in one way or another, associations with important individuals from popular culture of the second half of the 20th century, such as Salvador Dalí (who designed a piece of furniture similar to his Mae West sofa for one of the shows), Serge Gainsbourg (author of the ´Crazy Horse Swing´ an identifying song of the venue), Charles Aznavour (who had his first success at ´Crazy Horse´), Dita von Teese (great diva of burlesque cabaret of the 21st century), and designers such as Paco Rabanne, Karl Lagerfeld, Emmanuel Ungaro, Loris Azzaro and Azzedine Alaia, who are responsable for the show´s costumes.
Crazy Horse has always been at the front row of cabaret, displaying a developed artistic sense which has connected it style-wise with the avant-gardes of each time. If you rent apartments in Madrid you´ll find few plans which are more seductive for the last nights of the year.
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
