Paris 1913. A riot is on the brink of breaking out inside the Theatre des Champs Elysee. It is the premiere of composer Igor Stravinsky’s new work, The Rite of Spring.
This scene makes a grand opening for Jan Kounen's latest film biopic of the affair between composer Igor Stravinsky and fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel. It is a striking beginning for a film which then seems intent to focus on the ambiguous.
Stravinsky (played by acclaimed Danish actor, Mads Mikkelson) and Chanel (Anna Mouglalis) portray this famous pair with passion, in a beautifully shot film, which ultimately - and unfortunately - leaves its audience a little disappointed.
The Rite Of Spring
On the stage, dancers recreate the spectacle of a pagan rite, a dance of death, whereby a young maiden is being sacrificed to the gods. Bodies leap and jump violently to the music, its chaotic, pounding rhythm and sharp bursts of staccato booming majestically out into the dark theatre.
The audience boo and scream in disgust; backstage, choreographer Nijinsky screams at his dancers from the wings, shouting the temp so that they might hear the beat, as the noise from the theatre has drowned out the orchestra; Diaghilev has the house lights switched on and off in an attempt to calm the audience, but which only makes the chaos worse. It is one of the biggest artistic scandals of the 20th century; yet it also marks the transition from old world to new world.
While the dress rehearsal the previous day had received prestigious and enthusiastic feedback, notable from Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the opening night turned to total chaos. The evocative and audacious music and choreography were a cataclysmic shock to the bourgeoisie audience, who were at odds with the intelligentsia of the audience. During the performance, Stravinsky storms out of the theatre, and disappears, inconsolable, backstage.
Somewhere in the stalls, sits fashion designer Coco Chanel. She is intrigued and spellbound by this revolutionary work. And she can’t help but notice Igor storm out of the theatre, when the police arrive during Act II. It would be another seven years before Chanel would encounter Stravinsky again.
Chanel meets Stravinsky
Paris 1920. Chanel’s fashion label flourishes, while Stravinsky has become a penniless refugee living in exile in France after the Russian revolution. As a favour, Coco invites Igor, and his family to Bel Respiro, her estate just outside Paris; the composer accepts, though it would be hard to believe that his decision was made out of artistic desperation or an electric attraction.
And so begins one of the most talked about affairs of the 20th century. It is a passionate and intense relationship between two creatively passionate and intense individuals. Yet their affair seems destined to end; Coco demands more than simply being Igor’s mistress, and after he blatantly dismisses her as a “shopkeeper”, she refuses to continue the liaison. Stravinsky returns to his ailing wife, Katya. Chanel, however, sees to financing her lover’s work, anonymously donating to the Ballet Russe, for their latest production, for which Igor has composed the score.
No. 5
While Igor is busying composing his music at Bel Respiro, Coco is visiting Grasse, in the South of France, where she is working determinedly on the creation of her first perfume. It will become a revolutionary fragrance, which represents her image – abstract and unique.
To achieve authenticity, she pursues the artificial, and No. 5 becomes the first perfume ever composed of synthetic floral fragrance.
Chanel also designs the minimalist bottle, which contains the signature 80 ingredients – the simplest possible glass vessel with is black and white label.
Coco And Igor – A Film By Jan Kounen
Following on from the recent success of ‘Coco Avant Chanel’, this latest film, focused on the affair between Chanel and Stravinsky is a visual masterpiece. With its kaleidoscope of black and white set design, all accompanied to the stunning music of Stravinsky himself, the story follows the famous creative giants from their first meeting at the premiere of “The Rite of Spring” in Paris, up until their deaths on opposite sides of the globe in 1971.
Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelson give intense, and intricate performances, despite the fragmentary dialogue they have to work with; yet there is something appropriately ambiguous about the lack of tete-a-tete. It feels as if one is watching a thriller, left hanging on the edge of their seats, and not a dramatic re-enactment of a love story; though the rather spiritless ending seems a disappointment - there is no, real, unravelling of the relationship, it just seems to end, and one can’t help but want to know more.
The most impressive moment of the film can no doubt be the opening sequence – the recreation of the historical performance of “The Rite of Spring” at the Theatre des Champs Elysee in Paris. Three weeks in preparation and seven days in shooting, the scene required over 1000 extras, 25 dancers, 70 musicians and 4 choreographic tableaux – but it appears in near perfect syncronisation.
The film opened in August 2010.
Nicole Mansour - My name is Nicole Mansour, and I am a graduate of the Actors Centre Australia with an Adv. Dip. in Performing Arts. After spending several ...
