When the British choreographer John Cranko was appointed director of the Stuttgart Ballet in 1960, nobody could have guessed that in just a few years he would turn an insignificant provincial troupe into one of the world’s leading ballet companies. Cranko was considered the brains behind the “Stuttgart ballet miracle”; he was an exceptional artist who was as obsessed as he was uncomfortable and who died far too early. Now the German director Joachim A. Lang, whose previous film “The Leader and the Seducer” has just been shown in cinemas, has made a feature film about John Cranko. It will be released in cinemas at the beginning of October.
“I want to say with dance what you can’t say with words,” says Cranko in the film at one point; he soon manages to win the audience over to his side. He is celebrated like a pop star, but at the same time he offends people with his unconventional lifestyle, his homosexuality and his numerous affairs. The leading role is played by the British actor Sam Riley (“Maleficent”, “The Dark Valley”), who lives in Germany. He will present the film at its premiere in Munich together with its director.
Cranko, D 2024, Director: Joachim A. Lang, premiere on Sunday, 22 September, 7.30 p.m., City CinemaSonnenstraße 12; further preview: Tuesday, 24 September, 8.30 p.m., New ArenaHans-Sachs-Strasse 7