University of Virginia Library

Film Review

'Isadora': Problem Child

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The film biography of dancer
Isadora Duncan has been kind of a
"problem child" to Universal
Pictures. Moreover, it's been a
disappointment - both critically
and financially. In one of the great
blunders of movie history, the
studio released "Isadora" in one
city (Los Angeles) last December to
make it eligible for last year's
Academy Awards. Vanessa
Redgrave did win an Oscar
nomination for best actress, but the
three-hour film was blasted by the
critics. So, back to the
cutting-room went director Karel
Reisz to shorten the film by nearly
one-third. Universal then changed
its title to "The Loves of Isadora"
and re-released it on a non-reserved
seat basis.

All this trouble and the film still
can not be considered any sort of
triumph. Miss Redgrave gives a fine
characterization of Isadora, but,
alas, she is simply unable to carry
the entire project on her pretty
shoulders.

Isadora Duncan was a "free
spirit" who believed life was a
continuous adventure and therefore
not a moment of it should be
wasted. When we first meet her she
is old beyond her years and quite
haggard. She is in the process of
writing (with much assistance) her
life story, which is portrayed on the
screen in a series of flashbacks.

During her rise to the pinnacle
of dancing stardom, she becomes
involved with three men: a young
artist, a wealthy tycoon, and a
Russian poet. She gradually is
alienated from much of society
because of her beliefs and actions,
and is ultimately labeled a
communist.

For a while, her story is fairly
interesting. It ceases to be so
because it soon loses its distinction.
Isadora's "loves" are really quite
commonplace and, as a result, we
question whether an entire picture
should be devoted to an
examination of them.

The script is confused (not
confusing, mind you). We see the
death of Isadora's children depicted
not once, but twice. One moment
they're dead and the next they're
alive and well and ready to be killed
again. This is done to show
Isadora's remembrances of her last
minutes with them, but it comes
off like a clumsy instant replay you
would expect to see during a sports
telecast.

After all the cutting, the movie
is, inevitably, uneven in certain
places. The persistent time changes
between present and past do
nothing except interrupt the story
line. Thus, Isadora's life is shown,
not as a whole, but in related
segments which combine to create
an episodic rather than
smooth-flowing film. Director Reisz
also does not build up to
particularly dramatic events, but
simply lets them happen as if he
were filming a documentary. This is
especially evident in the portrayal
of Isadora's tragic death.

Miss Redgrave's performance is
one of great stature. She is on
screen most of the time and never
once fails to put her character
across. Each of the film's bright
moments - and there are several -
can be attributed mainly to her.
Whether romping around a room
nude (don't get excited men, the
screen is virtually dark), teaching
her students the art of dance, or
standing helplessly on a stage while
her audience walks out shouting
indecencies at her, she is absolutely
superb.

Of her lovers, James Fox as the
liberal artist is satisfactory, while
Jason Robards manages to put
more dimension into the part of the
rich but restless tycoon than the
character deserves. The part of the
youthful Russian poet is poorly
written and Ivan Tchenko can do no
more than make him appear to be a
clod.

"The Loves of Isadora" is a
worthy effort that somewhere went
astray. Not a total failure, but, to
the public as well as to Universal, a
disappointment.

(Now at the Cinema)