I remember rather enjoying this on its original release and even that I watched a very small part being made whilst happening to be in Yugoslavia in 1967 but it seems a sad spectacle today. What then must have seemed daring, revolutionary and inspiring, now looks a little silly and pretentious. Poor Vanessa Redgrave, who must have put in hours to get the dance routines looking respectable, had an impossible task. She cannot dance and her acting is put severely to the test here. It may be argued that Isadora Duncan was also unable to dance in the accepted sense but then we aware of her reputed sexual allure that must have got her through many a scrape and helped her acquire some cash. Alas Vanessa is lacking in this department too. The most pertinent question is why a year or so after Ken Russell's brilliant version, Reisz even bothered to make this (and make it some 100 minutes longer!). The answer is probably that the Russell TV documentary had been little seen but now it certainly hangs on to show the world how and how not to make a bio pic.
Review of Isadora
Isadora
(1968)
why a year or so after Ken Russell's brilliant version, Reisz even bothered to make this
13 September 2018