WALKING INTO "THE Company", I knew only that Robert Altman was directing, and the Neve Campbell, who attended ballet school before becoming an actress, had spearheaded the project. Therefore, I expected to see several intersecting storylines, as Altman is best at, and a showy performance from Campbell. But I was sorely -- and gladly -- mistaken.
"The Company" savors the beauty of everyday life. Most every scene is one you could cut out of the film without missing anything, and yet the accumulation of so many tiny, commonplace moments creates an enrapturing portrait of being alive. There are no trumped-up rivalries, dramatic twists of fate, or underdogs overcoming obstacles that often enliven movies about sports and arts. In an un-Altman move, there are no real storylines at all, and nothing intersects. Neve Campbell, although she does get the spotlight for one dance, barely even qualifies for a lead performance, and simply takes her place alongside the other dancers.
What's so fascinating about "The Company" is how the quotidian moments balance the ballet sections. My wife and I were recently watching "The Children of Theatre Street," about the Kirov Ballet School, and someone made a comment about how ballet is about training the body to do what doesn't come naturally. Unlike other forms of dance, the muscles used and the movements made do not come naturally. The unnatural beauty of the dancers, which are given center stage for probably half the film, combine nicely with the natural realism of the other half. Dancers goof off and laugh, work a second job, argue with their mothers, take baths, eat breakfast, look after their careers, bandage their wounds, and take care of their friends. "The Company" reminds us that life itself is beauty, that paying the bills and feeding the cat are as much a part of it as the intense moments of glory that we tend to seek after.
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