Ballets Russes The scandal caused by the premiere performance in Paris of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" has been partly attributed to the provocative aesthetic of the costumes of the Ballets Russes. Alexandre Benois had been the most influential member of The Nevsky Pickwickians and was one of the original founders (with Bakst and Diaghilev) of "Mir iskusstva". His particular interest in ballet as an art form strongly influenced Diaghilev and was seminal in the formation of the Ballets Russes. In addition, Benois contributed scenic and costume designs to several of the company's earlier productions: "Le Pavillon d'Armide", portions of "Le Festin",
Rite of Spring (film) also remembered for "a furious apocalyptic montage that links Christ's death to the violence and lunacy of the Vietnam era". Rite of Spring (film) Rite of Spring (Portuguese: Acto da Primavera) is a 1963 Portuguese film directed by Manoel de Oliveira, his second feature. The poet and director António Reis was the film's assistant director, and his influence can be felt deeply throughout it. (The film was included in the film program "The School of Reis" in 2012.) The inhabitants of Curalha, a small village in western Portugal, perform the Passion of Jesus every year according to text from about