Ballet Talk > Jean-Claude Van Damme in Swan Lake

Full Version: Jean-Claude Van Damme in Swan Lake

Ballet Talk > Ballet Discussion Forums > Everything Else Ballet

Alexandra

Jul 24 2003, 09:17 AM

This one's too good to languish on Links (thanks, Ari, for finding it):

QUOTE

Well, it survived Matthew Bourne. But is it tough enough for Jean-Claude Van Damme? The star is considering a film version of Swan Lake.

From the article:

QUOTE

The limber Belgian who, lest we forget, made his bones with projects like Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Streetfighter and Universal Soldier - may take the Billy Elliot route to appear in a film version of Tchaikovsky's classic. According to Sunday's Observer, the film - featuring the English National Ballet - is an attempt to bring ballet to the masses using the effects team behind Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

...Van Damme is one of a number of stars being considered for non-dancing roles. The man behind the film, Jonathan Shalit, declared his casting wish-list to be as follows: "For Swan Lake I have been thinking of: Von Rothbart - Jean-Claude Van Damme or Ewan MacGregor; The Prince's Mother - Dame Judi Dench, Angela Lansbury, Glenn Close or Jane Seymour. As director, l have in mind the likes of Stephen Daldry, Sam Mendes or Nicholas Hynter."

This would be the famous Swan Lake in the Round, I take it? Will Siegfried fight the good Baron a karate?

Estelle

Jul 24 2003, 12:51 PM

Oh la la!

Well, if it's a talking role, then it will really become a comical film (I don't know if Van Damme is known for that too in the US, but in France there even have been books making fun of his interviews and quotes, because every time he opens his mouths it's a real festival of grammatical mistakes, English words mixed with French ones, and complete nonsense which himself seems to consider as deep philosophy.)

Alexandra

Jul 24 2003, 12:58 PM

QUOTE (Estelle @ Jul 24 2003, 01:51 PM)

A new take on Von Rothbart! The stupid, not-quite-bilingual big owlie guy.

glebb

Jul 24 2003, 08:30 PM

If Mendes directs I'll see it in a second.

Hans

Jul 24 2003, 09:00 PM

I have this awful feeling that if I go to hell, there will only be two "ballet" videos that I can choose from: Barbie Swan Lake or Van Damme Swan Lake. :mondieu:

Mel Johnson

Jul 24 2003, 09:11 PM

I think we'll be all right if they rule out Jackie Chan for Siegfried.

carbro

Jul 24 2003, 10:30 PM

QUOTE (Hans @ Jul 24 2003, 10:00 PM)

I have this awful feeling that if I go to hell, there will only be two "ballet" videos that I can choose from: Barbie Swan Lake or Van Damme Swan Lake.

:shhh: As long as it's not "Swan Lake," starring Barbie and J-C VD. :speechless: This production really, really needs a Jester, for which I nominate Jackie Chan.

Mel Johnson

Jul 25 2003, 05:53 AM

Or, in a nod to the Russian background of the ballet, then maybe Yakov Smirnoff.

"This country is like my mother -- she searches my room, she reads my mail, she investigates my friends...come to think of it, this country IS my mother!"

dirac

Jul 25 2003, 12:24 PM

glebb, if Mendes directs and we have "Swan Lake Meets the Road to Perdition" I shall leave the country to avoid it, if need be.

You know, this project doesn't have to be awful, although it probably will. Putting aside the silly "for the masses" rhetoric, if you found a director with a genuine visual imagination and gift for shooting movement (none of which I've yet seen from any of the directors mentioned in their work for film), you might have something interesting, although it wouldn't be a real Swan Lake.

Ewan McGregor is too short for Rothbart. At least van Damme would be scary (in more than one sense).

pmeja

Jul 25 2003, 03:11 PM

I can see Van Damme to the hapless Siegfried now:

"CROSSBOWS??? We don't need no stinkin' CROSSBOWS!"

Alexandra

Jul 25 2003, 03:19 PM

One wonders if the Swans will also be trained in the martial arts? That could make for some interesting choreography..... not to mention feathered bicycle shorts.

piccolo

Jul 25 2003, 04:14 PM

Suddenly, a scream eminated from an office building in San Diego and to this day the people of this Great Town wondered what was the cause of the disturbance...

GWTW

Jul 27 2003, 01:26 AM

I notice that noone has been considered to play Odette/Odile and Siegfried - Oh well, maybe the prducers are planning an American Idol audition tour to find some unknowns

Maxi3D

Jul 27 2003, 10:02 AM

Not to take this off topic but I wonder if there is a dramatic version of Giselle, in both book or film form? If not, could it be done.

Mel Johnson

Jul 27 2003, 12:08 PM

Remember the 1987 film Dancers? It was the story of a company rehearsing Giselle and the movie plotline was supposed eerily to parallel the ballet's. It wasn't very good, except for the dancing.

dirac

Jul 28 2003, 11:53 AM

If you rent or buy "Dancers" I'd also recommend that you hit the mute button every time the fair Miss Kent appears within camera range.

This venture may be misguided, but I still think it's a Good Thing that people are still interested in bringing ballet related projects to the screen minus the participation of any Russian defectors. Good luck to them.

Maxi3D

Jul 28 2003, 12:18 PM

QUOTE

If you rent or buy "Dancers" I'd also recommend that you hit the mute button every time the fair Miss Kent appears within camera range.

Oh, that is not true Dirac. I think she have a wonderful voice and her acting was much better than some other actresses that I had seen on screen.

Amy Reusch

Jul 28 2003, 11:36 PM

Considering some of the von Rothbarts that already exist on film, Van Damme might be an improvement. I could never quite stomach that short black wings costume that looked like it had been filched from the ice capades, or was it water ballet? As long as they leave the "dancing" parts to dancers, who cares. Perhaps we should be casting Siegfried's mother?

carbro

Jul 28 2003, 11:50 PM

Amy, I read your post in my e-mail alert and instantly saw Glenn Close. Then, reading the opening of this thread, the article (ahem) which we are now discussing also mentions her :3dnod: -- along with Dame Judi Dench, Angela Lansbury and Jane Seymour. Of course, there's always Madonna, too! :speechless:

Amy Reusch

Jul 28 2003, 11:59 PM

That's wierd, I had been picturing Angela Lansbury, but couldn't come up with a good reason for her. It must have lodged there when I first scanned the article, but I was so focussed on Van Damme that I didn't notice. I could see Glenn Close as Odile, character-wise, but can't bring myself to picture her doing fouettes! Now now now, this is just getting out of hand.... an image of Cher attempting the split-character role has popped into my head and is obnoxiously refusing to depart.

salzberg

Jul 29 2003, 05:40 AM

QUOTE (Amy Reusch @ Jul 29 2003, 12:59 AM)

an image of Cher attempting the split-character role has popped into my head and is obnoxiously refusing to depart.

Sort of like Cher herself.

Alexandra

Jul 29 2003, 07:08 AM

It's a Jeff

Good to see you!

Cher might be a little bit old for O/O, yet perfect for the Princess M.

dirac

Jul 29 2003, 02:10 PM

Cher is ageless, O thou unbelievers.

silvy

Jul 29 2003, 03:42 PM

What about Glenn Close "en travesti" playing von Rothbarth? Like a sort of male Cruela de Vil, without the dalmatians, of course!!!!! or would they be the swans?

silvy

pmeja

Jul 29 2003, 04:53 PM

well in that case, is this a could-be cast or a should-be cast? because in the spirit of travesti, then i could cast, say, robert helpmann as the queen mother...

wait! *harvey fierstein*!!!!

Hans

Jul 29 2003, 11:17 PM

QUOTE (dirac @ Jul 29 2003, 03:10 PM)

Cher is ageless, O thou unbelievers.

Her music seems to be, at any rate, between "I got you" on the Oldies radio stations and "Do you belLEEVE in life after love?" on the Top 40 stations! Yet the eternal question remains: with a voice like that, how did she get on the radio in the first place?

Silvy, I think Glenn Close could play Rothbart as a woman--genders get changed around rather a great deal these days, and besides, if she was made out to be a lesbian, people would flock to see the movie.

Mel Johnson

Jul 29 2003, 11:23 PM

Or maybe she could play it as a giant robot and we would get all the anime kidfans in.

Ari

Jul 30 2003, 08:09 AM

Harvey Fierstein as the Queen is brilliant, pmeja. And of course we'd have to have the Trocks as the dancers.

Hans

Jul 30 2003, 12:37 PM

That's it, Mel! Pokémon Ballet!

Mel Johnson

Jul 30 2003, 05:01 PM

Shhh! Not so loud. Things like that have an awful way of coming true!

dancepig

Jul 31 2003, 03:45 PM

Thank you all this entertainment! I loved the reply about the "stinking crossbows". It's too bad this group can't get on a stand-up comedy show, you're much more amusing than anyone currently on t.v.

This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.