Put those dollar bills away…it’s not that sort of girlie show.

CRAZY HORSE is a documentary about the Parisian cabaret that has been an institution for sixty years. The club does things a little differently, with more of an emphasis on burlesque than stripping. The women are cast to be indistinguishable from one another (like a kick line) rather than flaunt their individual assets, and the numbers they perform are intricately staged productions of colours, costumes and curves.

The doc follows in interesting format as it never narrates the goings on, and instead just ushers us into the club and tells us to grab a booth. We begin primarily by watching one of the dancers do a recording session of suggestive  moaning (just in case you forget you were about to learn about a place that’s sexually charged). The film then moves on to show us a few complete numbers from the show. This decision is actually a little jarring since it takes us right down to the front row of the club…not that I’m complaining or anything, but you never expect to go to the movies and watch a close up of a woman’s bum doing a bump & grind for three solid minutes.

It takes a little while for the focus to shift on to those who make the show happen, but when they do it gets interesting to hear all of intricacies involved with putting on the titillating act. For instance there is a four or five minute conversation about the fabric used in the womens’ skirst, and how they went to a different material because the previous material was making their asses look boney under the stage light. Who knew, right?

The doc is a bit messy, and too long by at least twenty minutes. While I love the idea to include complete numbers, I do wish the directors had staggered them a bit more. The way it is, we get two or three numbers, then some behind-the-scenes, then two or three numbers, repeat. I think the flow of the whole thing could work a bit better if the numbers dot the overall narrative of the doc a bit more.

While I like the fact that the doc just roams the theatre, lingering here and there on what’s happening with getting the show together, I’m curious about why there’s never much attention paid to the women themselves. True, they are cast to be indistinguishable…but that doesn’t mean that they themselves are indistinguishable. The other thing that’s a bit odd is the order everything happens in. For instance there’s a scene where we watch a hopeful group of girls audition for the company, but it happens very late in the film. One would think that the auditioning process would make for a good starting point for this sort of documentary, no?

If nothing else, CRAZY HORSE is eye candy, and a way to get a glimpse at a part of Paris’ culture for those of us who haven’t been to Paris. Or if you prefer, a way to watch a girlie show and not feel quite so pervy about it.