Leonide Massine pt1

This is a rough cut of an unfinished doc I produced in 1971 featuring the famous Ballets Russes choreographer.
I met Massine in 1970 when I asked him to be a patron of my attempt to mount a production of Erik Satie's surrealist ballet Relache (whose Entr'acte, a film by Rene Clair, I had accompanied at the NFT as a silent film pianist). He invited me to his island in the Gulf of Salerno that summer. There we hatched the idea of a series of video-cassettes (at that stage a vapour-ware medium!) which would contain his 'late thoughts' as a choreographer. I came back to the UK fired up with the idea.
During the next 6 months the project coalesced into making a documentary re-establishing Massine's position in the public mind. With a great more enthusiasm than realism I begged and borrowed the £1800 I needed to shoot the footage & returned the following summer with the legendary tv director Rudolph Cartier, with whom I had distilled a script from Massine's a/b; and the cameraman Norman Yardy.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Massine & Rudy did not hit it off - in spades! And after a couple of shots Massine (if you spot where hes furious you'll guess the shooting sequence) wouldnt allow Rudy anywhere near the filming. Which was pretty awkward on a small island. I had planned to do sound but had to direct it all as well.
There was a cherchez la femme element to this - as Massine, then 78 had 2 children of 4 & 6 with his german secretary. Normally she was kept in Wiesbaden, but was allowed to come to Li Galli for the summer. She & Massine could only converse in english. Her mother came too, who had no english, and thus M's exchanges with the old lady were limited to courteous gestures.
It was Massine's habit to invite dancers from the Royal Ballet School, of which he was a patron, and one of these had already caught his eye. I think he was fearful that Rudy Cartier, who was 8/9 years younger would get there first. The supreme irony was that she was already sleeping with me, which he must have known, but didn't seem to mind at all. Strange how the mind works.
Continued in part 2

[@MsSharon555]

I've waited forever to find an interview on Leonide Massine, this is wonderful! What a rich, colorful life he must've led!

[@eiccaapocalyptica]

My grandmother met him in 1952, and she still remembers him

[@theslof1]

What a joy to see this. I spent a good part of the summer of 1978 on this island, studying choreography with this legendary man. A great privilege. But you didn't quite capture those hypnotic black eyes!

[@kabardinka1]

It's mentioned in both the Kavanaugh and Solway biographies of Nureyev and is mentioned here: "an island between Capri and Positano. The island had previously belonged to the dancer and choreographer Massine and, in a Saracens tower, there is a fully equipped dance studio. The island had been unoccupied for ten years ...Rudolf set about making it habitable. A helicopter pad was made and building materials and furniture began to arrive." Rudy bought the island.

[@nevanovna]

Massine's English is fantastique for a Russian,thank you for this film.

[@kingdomania]

Thank you for posting this! I never thought I would hear Massine's voice again or see Gali again. He was one of the most charming people I have ever met and this little snip brought me great joy.

[@quetzalverdeblu]

bellissimo, grazie a chi ha pubblicato questo video

[@Stoclet]

It' s FANTASTIC ! Thank you for posting it !

[@jkircher314]

Magnificent! What fantastic material! Thank you so much for posting this and part 2.

[@MMSteer]

I was intrigued by these postings, because something very similar happened to me too. There was an extraordinary magic in the place. Subsequent to my posting a year ago Ive found out that the islands are apparently still owned by the Nureyev Foundation, and are available to rent.

[@nonenoneonenonenone]

I would love to see all of it.

[@yakovsmirnov55]

Fabulous! I hope you get to complete this.

[@Neil1889]

I'd like to see more too.

[@TheCraigMann]

Thank you

[@kabardinka1]

Massine actually owned 3 islands near Capri. Perhaps Lorca still owned one of them, but the main Massine house and dance studio were owned and rebuilt by Rudi.

[@kabardinka1]

Rudolf Nureyev bought Massine's island and villa and restored it.

[@marioriospinot]

Nice.

[@pediatrapaola]

@kabardinka1 YES ISLAND'S NAME IS "LI GALLI"

[@MARTA22486]

I am very interested in all the mass information, and this little piece of documentary has made me very happy. I am doing a research work on the choreographer and I am glad to know that there are still images and interviews to be based on. Do you have anything else? I could share it, it would be very helpful, always citing it and proving the source. Thanks!!!

[@MMSteer]

Glad you like it; but I made this film 50 years ago (!) and am not longer involved in that world. So Ive nothing to add. BW

[@vladdrac88]

@maxwellsteer Forgive me :) I removed the posts you're referring to. They caused me to attempt to communicate with the person I'd thought so much of all these years.I'd tried once before, when my mother, a former ballerina was dying. I thought a phone call from the former object of my affections would cheer her up. My lady was the daughter of people she had worked with in the ballet. Not wanting to disturb her household I asked a mutual acquaintance to request a call to my mother. No call came.

[@80DaNnO80]

It is possible to share this extraordinary documentary in better video quality? 240p is very poor. Thanks a lot.

[@CherubimMusicTrust]

Fraid not. That's all that's left. The 16mm originals are in the BFI Archive collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150009691

[@80DaNnO80]

@@CherubimMusicTrust it's a shame. Thanks

[@deirdremirmelli5610]

Hello michael. How are you? This is didi, I was on the island with you whilst you were filming, remember? My daughter went to film school, I had told her all about this experience. I can't believe I found your film. Do you have any stills?

[@maxwellspupils]

This is not true. Leonide left it to his son Lorca who was certainly living there until recently.

[@MMSteer]

Well I never! You have a film-making dauter: I have a film-making son. If youve found my website you'll realise my life took many turns after those days. I am just uploading a performance I gave on Friday of Dreams & Memories by Josef Suk. (There's an apposite title!) This year I was approached by a french museum curator who is trying to get funding to finish this film for a f/c exhibition about Parade. Drop me a line via the website. somewhere I have photos. somewhere! Ciao.

[@kimlevine8829]

Well I'm a massine so give a plaus

[@MMSteer]

Respect! Ive recently been approached by an Italian dancer-filmmaker who is attempting to get funding to make a film about Massine, Nureyev and Li Galli. Who knows? It may happen.

[@thegamingbeastpixelgun3d915]

Michael Maxwell Steer that’s wonderful! It’s me that commented 3 years ago and had terrible spelling! But, yes, that would be wonderful! I would love to learn more about my great grandfather. I have a picture of him and Picasso together but that’s my only piece of real family memories of him.

[@vladdrac88]

:) A warning to all young Americans: When traveling in Europe, never let yourselves become the boy or girl toy's of calculating, social climbing Eurotrash. (Particularly former 'Barons' or 'Baroness's )Over the last half century or so, besides the personal damages, I've no doubt that the effluent has been seriously damaging to our culture. In the worst cases, they may even have turned good old American boys into colonialists. :)