The Company is a Robert Altman film. It's a film that Neve Campbell helped develop and always had Altman in mind to direct, but never really believed he would do it, however, through perseverance she got her man, and it through his involvement that I became interested in this film. You see Robert Altman is one of those directors who I feel I should know more about. I first became aware of him whilst I was at college when a tutor of mine made us study scenes from both Gosford Park, as well as the opening shot of The Player. Until this moment I don't even think I had heard of Altman before, yet after that moment suddenly I was seeing references to him everywhere, my dad introduced me to MASH, people were describing things as Altmanesque, and I thought that I wanted to get in on the action. Since then I've still only seen a handful of Robert Altman films, but each one has shown a director who was at the top of his game, very original in his style and always interesting.
Now what is most interesting, in my opinion, about this film is that it intersperses scenes of the dramatic goings on of a dance company in their personal lives and behind the scenes, with scenes of the ballets as they unfold on stage. I read that Altman actually filmed over 10 full ballets to use in this film. This adds another dimension to the film, as when the camera is looking at the characters lives it feels very much like a documentary. This I mean in the highest praise possible, every character feels real, the interactions between them all seem natural and it definitely feels like you are a fly on the wall. It doesn't hurt that in the arts community you often have quite extrovert figures, meaning that what may seem peculiar in other situations feels perfectly at home here. However, whilst the real world is filmed with realistic staging, when the camera turns to the stage we see art. Whether it is the opening ballet where ribbons play a large part, the simply dance Neve Campbell and her partner perform in the park, or the dance of the Blue Snake which dominates the end of the film, each dance is both choreographed and shot beautifully, each one complimenting the next.
Though whilst you would hope that the dancing in a film about ballet would be good, it is also true that the story is engaging, after all, would the film be worth watching otherwise. Well I guess the basic plot is a simple tale of a young girl who is in a dance company, who finally gets her big break when new directors come in and like her style, meets a chef who she falls in love with and dances quite a lot. Knowing Neve Campbell pretty much exclusively from the Scream films it is refreshing to see that she really thrives when in a much more minimal setting, her performance shone through in its quietness. Quiet too was the relationship she had with James Franco's Chef, the two barely speaking to each other, giving the impression that whilst her work life was so full of movement and drama, she liked to be able to go home to peace and quiet reflection. It's a nice comparison between the two, and it's this relationship which kind of grounds the film, and makes it more relateable for those outside of the arts community.
This is an interesting film, it's not a major film, it never feels like a film which would be a commercial hit, but it is interesting, and enjoyable, shining a light into a world that is often portrayed in the brightest most extrovert way, but this film feels much more honest and true, never relying simply on cliches to get by. I think that perhaps had it not been for Altmans involvement it could have been a bore, but as it stands it is yet another strong addition to the Altman catalogue.
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