Allegra Kent Movies
Inspired more by the 1960s TV series than by the original Charles Addams New Yorker cartoons, The Addams Family proved to be one of the more successful of the TV shows-turned-movies of the 1990s. The film opens on a recreation of the magazine cartoon wherein the ghoulish Addamses prepare to pour hot oil upon a group of merry Christmas carolers. After a series of vignettes which establish the characters of Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Anjelica Huston), Wednesday (Christina Ricci), Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and family servants Lurch (Carel Struycken) and Thing (Christopher Hart), the plot proper gets under way. A stranger, played by Christopher Lloyd, shows up on the Addams doorstep, claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester. It appears, however, that Lloyd is a ringer, in cahoots with attorney Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya) to strip the Addamses of their fortune. In their usual against-the-grain fashion, the Addams Family seems to delight in the possibility that they're being hoodwinked-indeed, not even kidnapping or death threats dampen the Addams clan's joy of living (or should we say dying?). The Addams Family served as the directorial debut of cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, (more)
- 1989
Ballet and modern dance (a closely related artform) owe an unpayable debt to the Russian emigre choreographer George Balanchine (1904-1983). In addition to being a master teacher, a famously demanding and perfectionistic director of both the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet, as a choreographer he developed a new language of dance expression which was less ethereal, more immediate, than the previous century's classical ballet. In so doing, he created a uniquely "American" ballet, and established America as a powerhouse in the ballet world. He was a friend of the great artists of his era, from composer Igor Stravinsky to poet W.H. Auden. This documentary includes film of some of the works he choreographed, as well as reminiscences of some of his dedicated dancers. His troubled personal life is only glancingly alluded to: the focus of this documentary is on his transcendent artistry. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maria Tallchief, Mary Ellen Moylan, (more)
- 1966
This filmization of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream is actually the New York City Ballet version, as staged by George Balanchine. Topnotch dance artists Suzanne Farrell and Edward Villella head a distinguished troupe in keeping the classic tale of mismatched lovers and magic spells on its toes. At 93 minutes, this film will appeal most to ballet aficionados; don't try to force the kids to watch if they'd rather change over to Barney or the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Though George Balanchine is occasionally listed as the film's director, it was in fact Dan Eriksen who set up the cameras and chose the angles. Midsummer Night's Dream virtually defies a cinematic approach, though Eriksen tries his hardest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Suzanne Farrell, Edward Villella, (more)
