Review: La Danseuse (The Dancer)

Born in America but made in France, Loïe Fuller was one of the most innovative pioneers of modern dance, influencing the likes of Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham. La Loïe, as she was known, may not be as familiar a name to those not well acquainted with dance history and the Belle Époque but her swirling figure has been immortalised in lithographs, sculptures, posters, and the like.

La Danseuse (The Dancer), the feature film debut from Stéphanie Di Guisto, takes a significantly fictional approach to the real-life figure who inspired the likes of the Lumière Brothers and Toulouse-Lautrec. When she is first introduced, it is 1892 and she is still Marie-Louise Fuller, living on a farm with her alcoholic but loving father, breathing in the outdoors, sketching in her notebook, and reading passages from Oscar Wilde's Salome. When her father is shot dead in his open air bathtub by some crooked cowboys, Marie-Louise heads to Brooklyn to live with her mother (Amanda Plummer), who cuts off her daughter's tangled hair and warns her not to jeopardise her standing with the women of the Temperance league.

From there, Di Guisto solidly but unremarkably depicts Marie-Louise's entry into the performing arts, first as a photographic model, then as a theatrical performer who suddenly realises her true art when a wardrobe malfunction results in her twirling her too-loose skirts around to the applause of the audience. It isn't too long before she introduces the routine that would make her famous on both sides of the Atlantic. The first performance of that routine - an explosion of swirling fabric illuminated by multi-coloured lights - is an amazing moment. If the routine still possesses the power to mesmerise today, think of how it must have overwhelmed the audiences of the time. The moment is a transformative one, not only for the character but also for the film. From thereon in, La Danseuse shifts to a stronger register as Loïe pushes herself further and further and often past her body's capabilities.

Musician turned actress Soko perfectly embodies Loïe's athleticism and vulnerability. Lily-Rose Depp as Isadora Duncan is still more presence than actress, but what a presence. Haughty and self-assured, she does well in portraying Duncan as an ambitious schemer, not above manipulating Loïe's obvious affections for her in order to further herself. In many respects, the film would have benefited from more focus on the complications of their personal and profession bonds. It's clear that Loïe is drawn to Duncan not merely for her ethereal beauty, but also unsettled by the fact that Duncan is her polar opposite and quite possibly the dancer she can never be. Also intriguing is Loïe's relationship with aristocratic louche Louis d'Orsay (Gaspard Ulliel), who may be one of the few to truly understand her genius.

On the technical side, there is captivating cinematography by Benoît Debie and beautiful production design and costumes by Carlos Conti and Anaïs Romand, respectively. Géraldine Mangenot's editing is strong in general, but she doesn't wholly mask the transitions from the actresses to their body doubles during the film's dance sequences. Whilst the film may not be factually sound, it does provide an often moving look at a performer ahead of her time and one who shed blood, sweat and tears in the service of her art.

La Danseuse (The Dancer)

Directed by: Stéphanie Di Giusto

Written by: Stéphanie Di Giusto, Thomas Bidegain, Sarah Thibeau; based on the novel Loïe Fuller, danseuse de la Belle Epoque by Giovanni Lista

Starring: Soko, Gaspard Ulliel, Mélanie Thierry, Lily-Rose Depp, François Damiens, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Amanda Plummer, Denis Ménochet