Riot at the Rite

2005 · ⭐ 9 · Votes: 1

In the spring of 1913 Parisian businessman Gabriel Astruc opens a new theater on the Champs Elysées. The first performance is the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring' danced by the Ballet Russes. The rehearsal process is extremely fraught: the orchestra dislike Stravinsky's harsh atonal music; the dancers dislike the 'ugly' choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky. The volatile bisexual Nijinsky is in a strained relationship with the much older Sergei Diaghilev the Ballet Russes' charismatic but manipulative impresario. Public expectation is extremely high after Nijinsky's success in 'L'apres-midi d'un faune'. Finally 'The Rite of Spring' premieres to a gossip-loving febrile fashion-conscious Parisian audience sharply divided as to its merits.