For the first time in its history, the Paris Opera ballet will be in the spotlight in nearly 2,000 cinemas around the world with the broadcast of the ballet Swan Lake choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev. It was the company PathéLive, a subsidiary of Pathé Cinéma, which made the proposal to those responsible for the Paris Opera to film this legendary work in IMAX, a format which makes it possible to exhibit very large images with excellent resolution.
The premiere will take place on Friday November 8 in 1,100 cinemas in France and around the world (more than half of which are IMAX cinemas). On Sunday, November 10 at 4 p.m., the film will be shown in 230 theaters in France (including 24 IMAX theaters installed in major cities). IMAX theaters will present it from November 8 to 12.
We were familiar with the ballet recordings broadcast regularly, for around fifteen years, in cinemas. We also knew about these event shows (operas, concerts, ballets) broadcast live on the big screen, for example the choreographies of the famous Bolshoi in Moscow since 2009, the Taylor Swift shows in 2023 or the last Michel Sardou concert in June 2024 .
Another step will be taken on November 8 thanks to high-performance digital cameras certified by the company IMAX, which presents them as “among the most high-end and best in their category“. Thierry Fontaine, general director of Pathé Live explains that “it’s not a capture like we did with the Bolshoi. For us, it’s a film. We are not only aimed at classical dance fans. We want to go beyond by focusing on the story that the Swan Lake“. He adds, only half joking, that for him “this ballet is a great show“and that the dancers of the Paris Opera are “superhero” like in those big Hollywood films usually shown in IMAX theaters.
Directed by Isabelle Julia who had already worked with the Bolshoi for Pathé Live, this 2 hour 20 film, without intermission and without applause, required four days of filming, in June 2024. Two days in the presence of spectators from the Opéra Bastille during the “real” performances and two others without an audience in order to allow the cameramen to film on stage, as close as possible to the dancers.
This technology also requires significant post-production work on light, colors and contrasts. According to Thierry Fontaine, it took all summer to edit and finalize the film and six additional weeks of post-production for IMAX.
Seeing it for the first time on the big screen, he says he felt “the excellence of the dancers of the Paris Opera, including in their acting and their emotions”. He also noted “the precision of the images which allows us to see the details that we do not see when we are in the room, for example the skin of the dancers, their sweat, the quality of the costumes created by the Opera workshops, the look of the dancer Pablo Legasa in the final scene”.
An overhead camera placed overlooking the stage allows you to admire the lines formed by the corps de ballet in this work characterized by its multiple geometric figures. The director of Pathé Live finally mentions “the purity of sound and the perfection of the orchestra“. According to a now overused formula, the aim is to propose “a total immersive experience” highlighting all the professions of the Paris Opera. Two previews will take place in Paris and Seoul, on Monday, November 4, in the presence of the dancers, stars and stars of the film.
Broadcast of the ballet in cinemas for a limited period from November 8 to 12.
Previewing in IMAX theaters from November 8 and Sunday, November 10 at 4 p.m.in IMAX theaters and traditional theaters.
