Award-winning actor Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in “The White Crow” the story of world-renowned dancer Rudolf Nureyev (played by Oleg Ivenko).
A dazzling Rudolf Nureyev arrives in Paris and makes a choice that changes his life forever.
A young man of just 23, dressed in a black beret and a dark narrow suit, is on an airplane flying from St Petersburg to Paris. It is 1961 and Rudolf Nureyev, not yet the imperious figure of legend, is a member of the world-renowned Kirov Ballet Company, travelling for the first time outside the Soviet Union.
Parisian life delights Nureyev and the young dancer is eager to consume all the culture, art and music the dazzling city has to offer. But the KGB officers who watch his every move become increasingly suspicious of his behavior and his friendship with the young Parisienne Clara Saint. When they finally confront Nureyev with a shocking demand, he is forced to make a heart-breaking decision, one that may change the course of his life forever and put his family and friends in terrible danger.
From Nureyev’s poverty-stricken childhood in the Soviet city of Ufa, to his blossoming as a student dancer in Leningrad, to his arrival at the epicenter of western culture in Paris in the early 1960s and a nail-biting stand-off at the Le Bourget airport, “The White Crow” is the true story of an incredible journey by a unique artist who transformed the world of ballet forever.
“An exhilarating gift! Part thriller, part meditation on life and art, part portrait of a man on a tightrope.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“Lovely, elegant, impressive. A classy — and respectfully sexy — night at the movies.” — Peter Debruge, Variety
“Riveting. The dance sequences are magnificent.” — Lindsey Bahr, AP News
“Bravo, Ralph Fiennes! Brilliant. Beautifully crafted.” — Nichol Hlinka, AARP