The Company (film)
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The Company movie poster
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| Directed by | Robert Altman |
| Produced by | Robert Altman Joshua Astrachan Neve Campbell Pamela Koffler David Levy Christine Vachon |
| Written by | Barbara Turner (screenplay) Barbara Turner & Neve Campbell (story) |
| Starring | Neve Campbell Malcolm McDowell James Franco |
| Music by | Van Dyke Parks |
| Cinematography | Andrew Dunn |
| Edited by | Geraldine Peroni |
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Production
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Release dates
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Running time
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112 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[citation needed] |
| Box office | $6,401,690[citation needed] |
The Company is a 2003 film about the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. It was released on December 26, 2003 in the United States and around the world in the first half of 2004. The movie was directed by Robert Altman and stars Neve Campbell, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. The movie also stars Malcolm McDowell as the ballet company's artistic director, a character based on Gerald Arpino.[1]
Contents
Plot
The Company is composed of stories gathered from the dancers, choreographers, and staff of the Joffrey Ballet. Most of the roles are played by company members. While a small subplot relates a love story between Campbell's character and a character played by James Franco, most of the movie focuses on the company as a whole, without any real star or linear plot. The many company stories woven together express the dedication and hard work that dancers must put in to their art, although they are seldom rewarded with fame or fortune.
Pieces in the film
Excerpts of the following pieces are included in the film:
- Alwin Nikolais’s “Tensile Involvement” (opening piece, with ensemble bound by elastic)[2][3]
- Gerald Arpino’s “Light Rain”,[3] “Suite Saint-Saëns”,[3] and "Trinity"[3]
- Moses Pendleton's "White Widow" (dance with the swing)[3]
- Robert Desrosiers’ “The Blue Snake.”[2][3]
- Arthur Saint-Leon's "La Vivandière" (excerpt from Pas de Six)[2]
- Lar Lubovitch's "My Funny Valentine" (pas de deux; the performance in the thunderstorm)[3]
- Laura Dean's "Creative Force" (Campbell's flashback; the excerpt for 10 dancers in red costumes)[4]:23
Cast
- Neve Campbell - Loretta 'Ry' Ryan
- Malcolm McDowell - Alberto Antonelli
- James Franco - Josh Williams
Dance Lighting
Dance lighting for the Joffrey Ballet portions was composed by internationally recognized dance lighting designer Kevin Dreyer.
Development
The Company was an idea of Campbell's for a long time – she began her career as a ballet dancer, having been a student at Canada's National Ballet School.[5] Altman was reportedly reluctant to direct it[6] but later agreed. Neve Campbell and James Franco prepared for their roles as restaurant workers by training under Mickaël Blais, the chef of Marche, an upscale bistro in Chicago.[7][8]
Reception
The Company received mostly positive reception from critics and currently holds a 71% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9] Roger Ebert gave the film 3 1⁄2 stars out of four.[10] Slant Magazine called it the best movie of 2003.[11]
Conversely, Elvis Mitchell called the film "enjoyably lithe and droll" and attributed a "great deal of the film's appeal" to McDowell's performance, while noting the film "doesn't stick with you as a whole."[12] Box Office Mojo reported a worldwide box office of $6.4 million, less than half of its estimated $15 million budget.[13]
References
- ↑ Review of The Company by Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Leland Windreich for Ballet-Dance Magazine, January 2004 'The Company': Fleeting Events in a Dancer's World
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Mary Ellen Hunt for Ballet-Dance Magazine, January, 2004 'The Company': Altman's take on the Joffrey is artsy, not artistic
- ↑ Office credits for The Company
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ [1] from Chicago Sun-Times
- ↑ About Mickaël Blais
- ↑ Molly Woulfe for NWI Times, November 22, 2002 Pirate flicks still shiver his timbers
- ↑ "The Company. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger. "The Company". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ↑ "The 10 Best Films of 2003" by Ed Gonzales for Slant Magazine
- ↑ Review of The Company by Elvis Mitchell for The New York Times
- ↑ Summary of The Company from Box Office Mojo
External links
- 2003 films
- English-language films
- Articles with unsourced statements from November 2013
- 2000s drama films
- American drama films
- Films directed by Robert Altman
- Films about ballet
- Films set in Chicago, Illinois
- Films shot in Chicago, Illinois
- Sony Pictures Classics films
- American dance films
- American films
- Films produced by Christine Vachon
