Crazy Horse
by Robert del Valle
★ ★ ★ ★
Directed by Frederick Wiseman
Don't be surprised if you walk away from Crazy Horse with the odd feeling that you've just watched a war movie without blood or a conclusive battle scene. Although there's plenty of pulchritude in it to please the eye, Wiseman devotes most of his attention to logistics rather than to libido, and the business maneuverings we observe often come across like backstage Busby Berkeley filtered through the brain of somebody who's read far too much Sun-Tzu. Taking as its subject the celebrated nightclub that once ruled supreme in Paris as a cabaret venue, Wiseman's unobtrusive camera takes in the collective and sometimes mundane tasks that are preparing musical numbers, dealing with overhead problems, maintaining traditions and selecting women for the competitive stable of performers. And heaven knows this delicious souffle is more satisfying than the average documentary.
© 2013
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