Carmen (4th Act from Balcony)
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Ruth Page has staged at least 4 versions of Carmen, all set to Georges Bizet's original opera music. The first version was choreographed and performed in 1926 at the Ravinia Opera. The second version, in which "Carmen" is transported to Civil War Spain, was choreographed by Ruth Page and Bentley Stone and premiered in Chicago at the Great Northern Theatre on February 1, 1939 by the Page-Stone Ballet. The version depicted in this film is likely the second or third version, as the film canister label describes it as an "old" version. Unfortunately, the entire film is out of focus.
Credits
Ruth Page (choreographer)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Ruth Page Collection
Notes: The film opens with a blurry view of a stage from a balcony. Several groups of dancers enter stage, each moving aside to make room for the next. One, clearly men in large puffy shirts, dance a brief allegro containing large jumps. Another consists solely of women on pointe; the fourth is made up of two couples partnering. The film then cuts several times to show one couple, then just a man doing turns à la seconde, then a woman turning, then back to two couples. Eventually it returns to the group of men in large shirts, who continue their ensemble dance until the film whites out and ends.
Subjects: Dance; Performances
Language: English
Cfa elements: Reversal Positives, 70 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/8663
Notes: The film opens with a blurry view of a stage from a balcony. Several groups of dancers enter stage, each moving aside to make room for the next. One, clearly men in large puffy shirts, dance a brief allegro containing large jumps. Another consists solely of women on pointe; the fourth is made up of two couples partnering. The film then cuts several times to show one couple, then just a man doing turns à la seconde, then a woman turning, then back to two couples. Eventually it returns to the group of men in large shirts, who continue their ensemble dance until the film whites out and ends.
Subjects: Dance; Performances
Language: English
Cfa elements: Reversal Positives, 70 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/8663
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:11