Isadora

After saying that 'Isadora', the film by Karel Reisz that stars Vanessa Redgrave is one of my great favourites, and I believe one of the very best bio-pics ever made, I am going to pass on to the second disc, a 'bonus' of the complete 107 minute 'Isadora' Ballet,, with choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, and music by Richard Rodney Bennett. Bennett was one of my most loved modern composers. A true eclectic, he was an adept at Serialism, traditional tonality, Jazz, and Pastiche, all of which are evident in the really solid, endlessly fascinating score, for symphony orchestra with extended piano solos, a narrator, and, briefly, a chorus.MacMillan set himself quite a task, reducing Isadora Duncan's busy life to a narrative ballet that lasts under two hours. The ballet has two Isadoras, one dancing, and one speaking. (Shades of the Brecht/Weill ballet 'The Seven Deadly Sins', where Anna is embodied by both a dancer and a singer.) Although both dancer and actress are superb, and look very much alike, this is ultimately too choppy and distracting. A straightforward dance narrative would have been more interesting.The supporting cast are all excellent. The male dancers representing Duncan's many lovers are wonderful, and well chosen for physical type. The Pas de Deux of Duncan and Paris Singer after Isadora's children are killed in an accident, is heartrending. The Covent Garden production couldn't be better.Well filmed, and a more than decent sound recording.Apologies for not including the names of the dancers and actress. They are only to be found on the DVD itself, and nowhere in the packaging.A fascinating and frustrating work.

Music, dance & characters in the film with the brilliant actress Venessa Redgrave, James Fox , Jason Robarts as Singer were excellent choices. She gambled & lived dangerously, knew sorrow when her 2 children died, went to Russia & had a mad affair with a Russian poet & died tragically in a horrific road accident!Just don't listen to the Directors commentary which is far too long for my liking!

I saw this 1968 film in the 1980s on a premium movie channel and was impressed but haven't seen it available anywhere since. This new release is compatible for US players unlike previous releases. KL Studios did a great job on this excellent film. Isadora Duncan was quite an interesting and eccentric character, whose life is told in flashbacks as she dictates her autobiography. Outstanding performances from Vanessa Redgrave and the rest of the cast, screenplay, cinematography, editing and music.

DVD description listed english subtitles however there were no english subtitles.

Wonderful movie about a complex life. Tremendous recreations of Isadora Duncan's triumphs on the stage and her ultimately tragic personal life. Very moving. Redgrave is glorious.

A phenomenal and gripping bio-pic of the phenomenal Vanessa Redgrave playing the role (stunningly) of the shocking life of American dancer Isadora Duncan. My favorite scene... her lover, a stage set designer, painting his bedroom in moonlight so that the floor would always look like moonlight... as Isadora dances around him either naked or in something totally diaphanous... Another great scene... When she goes to open a school in Russia (her last husband was a well know Russian poet)... and dances in scalding red for the workers. Wow. Director: Ken Russell Redgrave even LOOKS like Isadora... google it! PLEASE see this amazing film... all of it wonderful. Some very heartbreaking incidents for Isadora... she lived on the edge and sometimes it bit her backsides... but SO WORTH SEEING.

The new Blu-ray "Isadora" release is very nice and does justice to this fascinating film. Vanessa Redgrave gives a truly brilliant performance. Two other Vanessa Redgrave films have just been released in Blu-ray. "Morgan" and "Mary Queen Of Scots" are also beautiful and worth the purchase. Great news for Redgrave fans!

I love Vanessa Redgrave and her ability to perform and bring to life, the late and beloved and controversial dancer, Isadora Duncan. Her relationships with men were quite interesting with Isaac Singer of the Sewing machine empire and the Russian. Vanessa manages to capture the role so superbly that the time flies by so fast. It would have been nice to see Dame Ellen Terry who was the grandmother to her two children in the film but sadly the life of Isadora Duncan was met with tragedy. American actress Cynthia Harris better known for playing Helen Hunt's mother on Mad About You has a supporting role.

Isadora [DVD ]The film itself is beautifully shot and Vanessa Redgrave's performance is nothing short of stunning. Also worth mentioning is Maurice Jarre's beautiful original film score.The run time of the main feature on the Odeon Entertainment 2 disc collector's edition is 134 minutes. The audio language is ENGLISH ONLY (not German as is currently stated in the product description!). There are no subtitles. Picture and sound quality of the main feature are excellent.Bonus features on disc 1:- Stills gallery- Aquarius - Isadora Duncan (11 mins)- Archive footage of Isadora Duncan (only a few seconds, but apparently this is all the film footage that is known to exist of the great Isadora Duncan)Disc 2:- The Royal Ballet perform Isadora. A ballet by Kenneth MacMillan (106 mins). Isadora [DVD

Bought this in 2018 but hubby kept putting off watching it with me. Decided to give up hoping we could watch together and put it on, only to find it is a fragmented vision and flickers. Unwatchable. Too late to return, obviously so will have to find a working version.

An excellent Blu-ray release of Karel Riez's superb cinematic "bio" of American dance innovator and enigmatic performer Isadora Duncan-- hear realized in a superb, Oscar-nominated (she should have won!) performance by one of the 20th-century's greatest film actresses, Vanessa Redgrave..The release is only hampered by the use of the "cut" version, which was called (in the U.S. at least) "The Loves of Isadora." Hopefully the full version will be released one day. This is a great start!

I bought this because it comes with a second disk that is a broadcast of the Royal Ballet's version of her story, which I don't think is available elsewhere.I love Vanessa Redgrave, but she plays Duncan as a bit of a flake. The ending is gruesome.

Had great memories of this movie when it first came out but, watching it again almost half a century after, was a total let down.