Nutcrackers Movie Reviews

This version of the nutcracker is an old design by Julia Trevelyan Oman but has been re-done for the recently modernised and enlarged Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Taking full advantage of the new machinery, the Transformation scene is masterly, and the resultant "miniaturisation" of the cast is magical.

Of course, any ballet stands or falls by its dancing and in this performance Alina Cojocaru and Ivan Putrov as Clara and Hans-Peter are exemplary. Jonathan Cope is a wonderfully noble Prince. The whole production is a feast for the eye and comes as near to perfection as can be hoped for in this world. Sir Anthony Dowell plays Drosselmeyer and looks uncannily like Dame Ninette de Valois in his powdered wig! The sound quality is excellent. The disc also includes interviews with Dowell and the choreograher, Sir Peter Wright, and includes a fascinating demonstration and explanation of how the special effects are achieved. Buy it now!

A glitzy "Hollywood Musical" version of The Nutcracker.The children take the spotlight and they are basically a self-conscious bunch.The beloved Nutcracker without a soul.

The first act of this is completely boring, with no good dancing or acting. Macauley Culkin is (as always) blah, and since he is not a ballet dancer, he doesn't fit the role. Jessica Lynn Cohen is also boring as Marie.

However, the second half is very good. Darci Kistler is incredible at her age, and Damian Woetzel does some magnificent jumps and a superb turn section. Kyra Nichols' triple pirouettes are perfect, and Tom Gold radiates energy as the candy-cane.

Worth buying, I would say, but I always fast-forward through the beginning.

I can easily give this DVD four stars- maybe even five in time. This tale is interesting to dissect, because there are apparently two camps for this very famous, 110 year-old ballet: those who like it as a children's story and those who like it as an adult's. It's been staged both ways in the past, as others have already mentioned (and I won't repeat here, I promise). This version, which allows the kids to be front and center, has some stellar 'adult' moments in it: the Act 1 finale dance of the snowflakes, while not adult in content, is the personification of sophistication and beauty with its ice-blue lighting and costuming and multiracial corps de ballet. A beautiful sequence of dance which stands on its own, and which you'd enjoy replaying. The other moment comes in the second act, when the relatively innocent dances of various sweets give way to the Arabian solo of Wendy Whelan. The pink-and-purple lighting, the floating camera work, and the dancer's sexy, serpent-like movements (jeeez!!) do not resemble any other moment in this already polished film, and one can't help but think that either the director or the choreographer wanted it that way. (It's like watching Ann Reinking, Vicki Frederick, or Carol Haney on the Broadway stage.) As far as Macaulay Culkin- it didn't bother me since he was the right age (12) at the time of filming, and, frankly, he looks bored in *most* films he's in. What're you gonna do?

After watching this movie (actually I watched 45 minutes of it then turned it off) I was purely disgusted and shocked. This is NOT the real Nutcracker. I was also insulted and embarassed too. When the rock monster came up my two three year old daughters screamed and ran under the covers. All in all buy the REAL Nutcracker.

When my daughter was three this DVD mesmerized her. It was the first full-length movie that captured her complete attention. Today she is four years old and she still loves it. I have used the model of Barbie to explain what is gbeautiful princess-like behavior.h I say, gsit up straight so you sit like a princess does.h This DVD is important for making it fun and interesting to teach etiquette and beauty to my impressionable young girl. My daughter also loves "Barbie as Rapunzel" but I think this one is better.

I loved this movie and and the little faries that are in it. I am a huge barbie fan. I recoomand this movie to all girls

This movie look interesting in it preview, however it did not hold my 3 year old attention. I thought he would like it because it was full of color and great singing. What really turn him off is that he did not like the interruption of the cartoon character mix with the muppets. He perfer just the muppets characters.

First, let me say that I ordered this movie by mistake.
I wanted to order more movies but I got this instead.
How are you supposed to get the movies you want?
Now I have the movie I want so I watch it. It is called the
World's nuttiest nutcracker. Which is why I bought this movie
because it's about world records for who is the nuttiest of all.
Let me repeat that I hate cchristmass. But I love movies about christmass. I dont have to deal with my own family because I hate them. So now I watch this movie and I like it like 4 stars out of 5, it is insane. There are all these people in the movie
that look like cheap plastic, but wait they are not real, they are realtime 3d people/fruit. So that caught my Eye and I loved the fact that this was a good choice to buy and then watch this
awfull film

I saw the trailer for this movie on a rental and couldn't get it out of my mind. When I went to order it, I was pretty leery of purchasing it after reading the reviews. However, considering its cost and potential use in my daycare, I decided to give it a try. The kids LOVE it. This one is NOT for adults. Many of the children I care for love this movie so much their grandparents HAD to purchase it for them to keep in their homes! Do your kids a favor and try it. You have very little to lose!

I bought this ballet because I wanted to round out my Nutcracker collection. I already own the Baryshnikov/American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet versions and, of the three, this is by far the weakest and least interesting. The party scene is way too busy, and the costumes for the adults are unattractive, to say the least. The adults lack personality, and the children are underplayed. The NYCB production comes off much better here, even with the presence of Macauley Culkin. Real children appear in that ballet; the ABT version uses some of its younger corps members. But both of the other versions have lots of color. The party guests also appear to be having fun! Robert LaFosse and Heather Watts (NYCB) and Gayle Young and Sallie Wilson (ABT) are much better as the party's hosts.

The Kingdom of the Sweets falls way short. It is lavish, and the costumes are lush, but everything is colorless. The various dancers are almost indistinguishable from one another save for occasional touches like Russian boots and Spanish headscarves. Where are the candy canes? Where are Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles? Missing and very much missed. The dancing, however, is excellent, although Dowell is a fine danseur noble and excellent partner but does not have the good feet of Baryshnikov or young Ethan Stiefel. However, it could be Sleeping Beauty as far as anyone could tell who would be watching it without the music. The NYCB version is FAR superior. ABT's also is more watchable, although the ending is a little bizarre thanks to Baryshnikov's new interpretation. Unless you are a collector, do not buy this.

"The Nutcracker" was first staged for the Russian Czar's Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg by choreographer Lev Ivanov (choreographer of the famous 'lakeside scene' in "Swan Lake") in 1892. The ballet was originally meant to be choreographed by the great 19th century ballet master Marius Petipa (creator of "Don Quixote", "La Bayadere", "The Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake" among others), however he fell ill before rehearsal began and the responsabilty of the dances was given to his assistant, Lev Ivanov. Petipa commissioned the ballet from Tchaikovsky in 1891 after thier earlier success with "The Sleeping Beauty". Petipa wrote down detailed instructions in a 'bar for bar' manner. Tchaikovsky fullfilled his task with one of the ultimate master works of theater. The ballet was not a phenominal succes at its 1892 premiere, like its predecessor was, due largly in part to the un-dramatic libretto, not typical of the time. It was revised countless times in Russia, though it has never become the staple it is in the West.

Here we have the Royal Ballet's revival and restoration of the original staging, as close to it as possible anyhow. The principals are exquisite: Leslie Collier as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Anthony Dowel as her Suitor. Collier is precise and quite the little powerhouse. Dowell is Noble and beautiful as her elegant suitor. The staging is great, and the choreography is well done with much taste. The national dances in the second act are obviously not true to the original (Im sure the original creators would have done a better job!) in many respects they do not fulfill their potential. But over all this production is a good interpretation of this ballet. For a more impressive second act, the New York City Ballet's production of Balanchine's "Nutcracker" (with Mcauley Culkin) is a great companion. Four Stars!

...I think that this ballet posesses all the elements, which make it, in my opinion, a quality performance. To begin with,the dancers posess both exceptional technical dancing skills and great acting ability. I have seen many ballet performances on video (by other ballet companies), where the dancers posess good technical dancing skills, but when it comes down to their acting ability, they couldn't act if their life depended on it. An example of the royal ballet's superb technical dancing skills, can be seen, when the sugar plum fairy (Lesley Collier) dances her famous pas de deux with her cavaliar (Anthony Dowell). Both dancers posess exquisite grace and at the same time,an immense amount of confidence. You get the feeling watching them dance, that they feel very comfortable dancing with one another. In addition to the great dancers, this production also has quality sets and beautiful costumes. Another element which stands out in regards to the Royal Ballets production of the Nutcracker, is how the theme of the ballet is presented. In most Nutcracker performances, ballet companies use the common theme of a young girl(Clara) on the verge of adolescence, who one christmas eve, is given the Nutcracker doll by her godfather Drosselmeyer. What results from that encounter, is a night of magic and adventure. In contrast, the royal ballet takes this basic theme, and uses it , but adds to it, the element of romance. The girl is not a mere young girl, but an adolescent on the brink of womanhood. She loves her Nutcracker doll, which is really drosselmeyer's nephew, who was turned into a nutcracker, by the evil mouse queen. Once the nutcracker is transformed back into Drosselmeyer's nephew, he falls in love with her, and she falls in love with him. The viewer gets the sensation, at the end of the ballet, that both Clara and Drosselmeyer's nephew are destined to be together. Why? In addition to their mutual attraction and affection for one another, they both share a common bond, and that bond is Drosselmeyer, who is responsible for bringing them together.

This nutcracker is an exhibitionistic display of Béjart's onanistic preoccupation with and admiration for himself.

Some individuals have an ungratified need for the approval of others and embark on an endless search to obtain it. These individuals come in various varieties. One of them is the seemingly pleasantly grandiose type that operates under the pervasive assumption that everyone likes them because they are so irresistible that it is impossible not to succumb to their charms. It is as if they say to the world: "suspend all judgment and adore me because c'est MOI!" This is basically a massive denial of the fear of rejection in the service of maintaining a narcissistic equilibrium.

Maurice Béjart is such a cultural icon in Europe that he has his own entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica: "pseudonym of MAURICE-JEAN DE BERGER, French-born dancer, choreographer, and opera director known for combining classic ballet and modern dance with jazz, acrobatics, and musique concrète (composition by tape recordings)". His productions are known for their "flamboyant theatricality and their innovative reworking of traditional music and dance materials, often in an unusual and controversial fashion". Béjart's highly non-Balanchinean approach has been neglected and critically savaged in the United States. This nutcracker will do little to appease his American critics.

The ballet features the master talking directly to the viewers between the dancing scenes that take off from the themes he introduces. He starts with his father, continues with his mother, his childhood and seems bound to develop a loosely structured personal story dedicated to the memory of his mother. The best way to describe the way one theme flows to the next is free association. As this was unfolding I began to experience a creeping suspicion of being duped. The other shoe dropped when Gil Roman appeared on stage at the act II divertissement to announce that "the choreographer did not want to change the classical choreography of the grand pas de deux so tonight it will be danced in the original version of Marius Petipa". However, Petipa wrote the libretto, but not the choreography, which was created by Lev Ivanov because Petipa was ill. I therefore assumed that this was some kind of joke. This ironic expectation was sharpened when the two dancers, Christine Blanc and Domenico Levrè, appeared both inexplicably dressed in black. Their technique and so-called style in the grand pas de deux was so inept that I thought this was some kind of parody. But no, that was not meant as a joke but rather as a statement of Béjart's claim for some special indirect connection to and reverence for Petipa.

This ballet does not have much to do with Christmas, Tchaikovsky's nutcracker or even the obsession of the young Maurice with his mother who died when he was seven. It seems that what this ballet is about is Béjart's infatuation with himself. Many artists are narcissistically involved. What sets this work apart is the embarrassingly self-indulgent quality of this artist's preoccupation. There is no sense of irony here or any artistic distance from the subject. When an artist uses his own life and memories as material for his work, it is usually the result of a complicated process that involves wisdom, insight and perspective. In order to see something in perspective you need both empathy and distance. Judging by this material it seems that Béjart's mother died before he had the chance to develop the capacity to perceive her as a separate individual other than in the context of his needs. In other words Béjart never really knew his mother and therefore doesn't have much to say about her or about his relationship with her.

Unlike his deceased mother, Béjart's grandmother is painfully available to comment on petit Maurice. She informs us what a wonderful little boy he was and how she was not at all surprised at his fame, as he had always been so special. Initially I was shocked by the absurdity of this. Surely this must be ironic. But apparently not. Béjart seems to assume that anything relating to himself is bound to infect us with the kind of unconditional adoration and approval that only children and lovers claim as their God-given right.

Béjart has a masterly sense of theatre and he knows how to bring out the best in his dancers' personalities. They have to know how to talk, sing and dance. His weakness lies in his manipulating sensational theatricality at the expense of thematic coherence. As René Sirvin put it so well, his "Casse-Noisette" has "un peu de tout, et même parfois de trop". This disjointed mishmash is at best kitsch. With the exception of a few brilliant numbers it does not rise above the banal. On repeat viewing I felt that the major element that was missing in a work dedicated to a mother lost at the age of seven was the emotion of sadness. Children cannot conceptualize death and loss in the same way as adults, but even they can feel sadness. Béjart exposed his artistic shortcomings as an extension and expression of his own infantile self.

L'Orchestre Colonne's playing is the highlight of this performance, hardly a compliment as they enjoy a growing reputation as one of the worst orchestras in France. There seems to be a constant lack of proportion between Tchaikovsky's lush score and Béjart's rehearsal-room esthetics. His style becomes at synch with the music only during the added modern pieces when the orchestra is joined by an ageing music hall accordionist, Yvette Horner, bedecked in Jean-Paul Gaultier. This amounts to Tchaikovsky abuse.

Picture, sound quality and lighting are almost perfect.

A beautifully danced and beautifully filmed ballet. A great addition to any Nutcracker collection.

I bought this DVD of Tchaikovsky's Nucracker because of its beautiful score and Nureyev's reputation. I was really looking forward to the great climax of the pas de deux, I cannot believe that anybody would think of removing this important number.

Save your money for a better production.

Very, very disappointed.

Rudolf Nureyev's production of "The Nutcracker" with the Royal Ballet is entertaining and edgy. It was recorded at a live performance at Covent Garden in 1968, and it chronicles Nureyev's outstanding dancing skills at the age of thirty. The ballerina is not Dame Margot Fonteyn (Nureyev's famous partner), but rather Merle Park. Not to be disappointed, Park is a worthy successor to Fonteyn, and her grand pas de deux in the second act with Nureyev is a highlight of this performance. In many productions, the roles of the Nutcracker and the Prince are combined, but in this production Nureyev has combined the roles of Herr Drosselmeyer and the Prince (which he performs), while the Nutcracker is danced by Wayne Sleep. Park dances the role of Clara, and the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy has been omitted. Many children from the Royal Ballet Junior School are also used in this production.

The ballet begins with the typical street scene where the guests arrive at the home of Dr. Stalbaum for a Christmas eve party. Nureyev has added his own twist here, as many of the pedestrians are hassled by four pugnacious street punks. Conventional wisdom has it that this is social commentary on inner city life, but I suspect that it is more likely a reflection on his childhood in the Soviet Union, where he was routinely beat up by his school mates. The next scene occurs inside the Stalbaum house, where the children are equally boisterous, and there is even a fist-fight during the puppet show. One of the highlights of the first act is the dancing of the mechanical dolls, and out of the seven different productions of "The Nutcracker" that I have seen to date, this is the most memorable. Later in the first act, Nureyev has added some good comedic touches to the "Grandfather's Dance." The "Waltz of the Snowflakes" comes at the end of the first act, featuring the Royal Ballet's corps in all of their averageness. They lack the precision of the Kirov corps, but the waltz is still pleasant because of the excellent music and wintry scenery.

In the second act, Clara and the Prince arrive at the Kingdom of the Sweets. In many productions, the two would be greeted and the Prince would tell his hosts the story of how they vanquished the Mouse King. This is called a "mimelogue," but Nureyev has edited it out. Instead, they reach the Kingdom, where Clara is troubled by bats, but the Prince calms her fears. Many critics interpret this as being a Freudian twist to the story. I have never heard why Nureyev made this change to the ballet, but I am aware that many Russians dislike mime. Trying to put the best face possible on the change, the Prince's calming of her fears serves to reinforce her confidence in him. Nevertheless, I think that the original "mimelogue" is more effective in creating a cohesive libretto.

The real highlight of the performance comes in the second act grand pas de deux. The partnering work is excellent, and a couple of the lifts are thrilling--so much so, that during my first viewing of this performance, I found myself wondering what they could possibly do for a big finish at the close of the andante maestoso section. But, Nureyev had one more trick up his sleeve. I'm not sure what the technical term for the lift is, but Nureyev basically does an arabesque ouverte while supporting Park horizontally in a joined-at-the-hip fashion; her legs are held closely parallel to his working leg, while their arms form a crown (bras en couronne). When I first saw that, I exclaimed, "Holy Cow!"

Their variations are also quite nicely performed. Nureyev's double tour en l'air looks effortless. Park's dancing is also nice, but the choreography becomes too repetitive during the celesta number. This is really Nureyev's fault, though, as he did the choreography (most of which is excellent).

In short, this production chronicles Nureyev in his prime, dancing with prowess. Nureyev's production features some interesting choreography and new comedic touches. In some ways, this isn't the most innocent of "Nutcracker" productions. It seems to push the boundaries of what is allowable on the Royal stage at Covent Garden, but it does seem tame compared to what Nureyev reputedly staged for the Royal Swedish Ballet. This production is probably more suited for adults than children, but there is some excellent dancing on display here.

(The Gravedigger's dead nutcracker)

This Berlin 1999 "Nussknacker" followed the successful 1997 "Schwanesee" (reviewed separately). It was received indifferently by the public, for good reason. Berlin critics were not only content with trashing it viciously, but mounted a focused, politically motivated attack on Patrice Bart and the value of his work. Horst Vollmer called him a potential "Totengräber" (gravedigger), meaning he was killing off the tradition of classical dance in Berlin.

Despite this the ballet starts promisingly enough. Scene one seems to indicate that Bart solved the two main issues Ivanov's choreography poses: use of mime vs. dancing and that of dancing children vs. experienced dancers posing as children. He employs mime side by side with dancing as well as children mixing naturally with experienced dancers. However what follows is a fascinating flop.

Like his Swan Lake, Bart pushes the limits of his miniscule intellect in an ill-conceived pseudo-Freudian face-lift of the libretto. This 'dernier cri de Ballet-Psychanalytique' mutilates the original work. Instead of clarifying or adding to the performance it is presumptuous to the point of ridicule and distraction. Marie is now a "traumatized" child. She was abducted and separated from her mother. She grows up unhappily as the adopted daughter of the Stahlbaum family. Drosselmeyer gives her a nutcracker similar to the one she had before the abduction as part of his therapeutic endeavors to undo the repression that keeps it away from her consciousness. She holds on to it as a transitional object invested with the repressed memories of the trauma. 'Dr. Siegmund Drosselmeyer' uses it to induce hypnotic like acting-out of fragments of the repressed memories. The booklet attached to the DVD explains: "She is not a 'normal' child, playing with toys carefree and happy on Christmas Eve; the trauma will not leave her...the wooden puppet, whose uniform awakens memories of her father, is the catalyst for Marie's renewed confrontation with the gruesome event in the dream - therapeutically speaking it is the first step towards becoming aware, towards healing. Drosselmeyer leads Marie back to her mother in her land of ice and snow, which in the end reveals itself as the land of love: the Nutcracker changes into a Prince."

Dragging this piece to the psychoanalyst's couch creates expectations for an aesthetic language informed by "psychological realism." However, the abducting revolutionaries in the prologue appear like Turks from a Mozart or Rossini comic opera. This sets a lighter fantastical fairy-tale tone. The audience needs to know from the outset which stylistic language a production will use. Usually it will be receptive as long as the language is consistent. What follows here, though, is an unmethodical confusion of styles with an arbitrary choice of costumes and décor by Luisa Spinatelli, which are ugly, uninspired and point in conflicting and incongruent directions.

These difficulties weaken the basic premise of the new libretto, which collapses under the weight of its own implausibility. Patrice Bart and artistic and organizational manager Christiane Theobald wove this banal story around the concept of abreaction as a cure for traumatic neurosis. Freud introduced this idea about a century ago. It reached its peak infiltration into popular culture around half a century ago and has been considered outdated and simplistic for decades. There is by now a significant clinical and scientific body of knowledge, which indicates that it is preferable NOT to make victims talk about past traumas that were overwhelming and consequently became partially repressed. Encouraging patients to relive these experiences is emotionally detrimental for the short term, with absolutely no long term benefits and possible long-term mental damage in some cases. This common-sense concept, that what is forgotten (repressed) is better left forgotten seems to have escaped Bart and his ilk.

The dancing is technically breathtaking. The achievements of the individual dancers are almost beyond belief. The star of the evening is Malakhov as the Prince. He is a first class 'danseur noble.' The Grand Pas de deux, which was left intact, gave me goose bumps. Unfortunately, the choreography pushes the limits of what is humanely possible, occasionally blurring the line between ballet and circus acrobatics (e.g., in the Danse Arabe). Bart pushes the dancers at a hectic pace. Each number is an excuse to extract every possible geometrical-acrobatic combination in space ad absurdum. The result is hollow because the convoluted choreography does not add up to anything emotionally meaningful. Rather it is a showpiece for the dancers. The last straw is Generalmusikdirector Barenboim. He conducts this piece as if he were Karajan conducting Parsifal. He manages to transform the Flower Waltz into a funeral dirge. Under his baton, Tchaikovsky's light and delicate score assumes the grace and charm of a military drill. Barenboim was harmless enough as a conductor until he became a regular at Bayreuth. The ex-wunderkind kills anything he touches by reducing it into a cerebral construct. The act II divertissment should be at least what its name implies: a relaxation of the structure defined by the plot, which hopefully provides a sense of fun. I did not observe this anywhere. Bart and Barenboim deserve each other--their divertissment is as stiff and joyless as their respective egos.

This mésalliance is symptomatic of an artistic void. Classical ballet is about magic. For the magic to work you have to believe in it. In order to believe in it, you need to be able to exercise a certain naïveté. The ambience on this stage on the other hand smacks of cold, highbrow and jaded refinement of the kind that is "above" taking a work at its face value. Among the three Berlin ballet companies, the Staatsoper is the most academic. They provide excellent technical training but that is all. Great tradition loses its soul when you stop believing in it.

Picture quality suffers in much of act I from inadequate lighting designed to express Marie's progression from clinical despair to therapeutic bliss. The stage suddenly lights up in the divertissment. Excellent sound.

I have been trying to find a suitable production of "The Nutcracker" ballet to entertain my (adult) children when we gather here at our home for the holiday season. The word tradition has crossed my mind. I have a very good home theatre set up.Upon viewing the Kirov version of this ballet, I was both pleased anddisappointed. The sound was okay and the picture quality was so so.What shocked me was the blatent emission of several key scenes from this production.The "growing" Christmas tree, The woman who hid all those children under her extra large dress and the "Sugar Plum Fairy" episode were very annoying.While the two featured artists were quite talented, I think, given all the talent of the Kirov, other dancers should have been featured in more scenes.

This very traditional version of the Nutcracker is stiffer than the tutus in it! It has some redemption as a document of the vast size of the stage in the Bolshoi Theatre; but lacks imagination in sets, choreography, and costumes. One wonders how many decades the costumes have been reused, and what a more current production might be like. It was a chore to get through it.

Having been in many Nutcracker's, this version, while very Russian, paints a portrait of what the Bolshoi must have been like in the 70's. Overall, the choreography was very simple, the colors drab, and the lighting dim. The only shining standouts in this version are Maximova herself as Masha (we know her in USA as Clara or Marie), and Vasiliev, who truly is a prince. Their elevation and line are incomparable, despite the rather plain stage settings. If you're looking for choreographic ideas, this is a nice ballet to "steal" from, particularly in the Spanish and Indian variations. It is clear that the dancing is the thing to watch from this version, but a brighter set design might have been nicer. There are better Nutcrackers, however, such as Royal Ballet's, Pacific Northwest Ballets, Rudolph Nureyev's, and the 1977 Baryshnikov/Kirkland version, which is shown on public television religiously almost every year.
Versions such as this one make it nice to compare and contrast, which is the joy of Nutcracker. I am only familiar with the VHS version, I have yet to see a better "print" on DVD. Anyway, you may adore the music, and pick which version you like best!

"The Nutcracker" is such a popular ballet, with so many different versions available, that it can be difficult to choose between them all. There is one compelling reason to give serious consideration to this particular title: ballerina Yekaterina Maximova. Graceful and joyous, her dancing stands out as exemplary. Her partner is Vladimir Vasiliev, and they are wonderful together.

The choreography is by Bolshoi Artistic Director and Ballet Master, Yuri Grigorovich. His overall work has been influential, but one of its peculiarities is his rejection of mime. In a typical "Nutcracker" production, act two begins with the "mimelogue" section. Marie and the Prince arrive at the Kingdom of the Sweets, where they use mime to tell their hosts about how they vanquished the evil Mouse King. Grigorovich has omitted the "mimelogue," and this change to the libretto makes it slightly less cohesive.

It is also helpful to contrast Grigorovich's choreographic style with others. In many Western productions of this ballet, the roles of the mice and the Nutcracker are primarily theatrical, but Grigorovich's choreography contains a greater emphasis on pure dancing. Furthermore, some Western productions contain comedic touches, but there are none to be found here. One interesting feature of Grigorovich's choreography is that Marie marries the prince during her dream. The choreography takes advantage of some of the Bolshoi Theatre stage machinery: the Mouse King appears out of a hole in the floor, and some of the lead characters fly. Many people enjoy children in a "Nutcracker" performance, but there are none used in this production. These things can be good or bad, depending on your individual tastes.

Grigorovich has amended many of the traditional corps routines to also include the ballerina and/or the premier danceur. The camera gives preferential treatment to Maximova during many of the early corps numbers. Later, both Maximova and Vasiliev participate in the "Waltz of the Snowflakes," where they do various big leaps, while the corps dancers strike a pose. Maximova's jump is indeed very graceful. Particularly impressive is her bucking grand jete (reminiscent of the signature "Don Quixote" leap). Her aesthetics are very admirable. The tall Vasiliev gets to do a tour jete around the huge Bolshoi stage on a number of occasions in this ballet, but his jumping seems especially noteworthy during his variation in the grand pas de deux.

This video was recorded during a live performance of the Bolshoi Ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. This is a "one-off" performance--meaning that there are no double takes to correct small mistakes. At one point, for instance, the curtain comes down, and one of the dancers is on the wrong side of it, in plain view of the audience. Tchaikovsky's musical score is undoubtedly a masterpiece, but there are some imperfections involved with the sound recording. During the "Waltz of the Snowflakes," the brass instruments are a little too blaring and not well mixed with the other instruments. Despite some minor imperfections, the overall performance is strong and noteworthy. The video contains short credits in English, and some even shorter ones in Russian. A libretto is provided on the VCR jacket, but not on the tape itself.

In conclusion, there is some top quality dancing by the leads in this production. The performance ends very strongly, with an interesting corps routine to "Waltz of the Flowers" and the majestic grand pas de deux by Maximova and Vasiliev. Out of the seven different versions of this ballet that I have seen to date, this is one of the more compelling ones. Those of you who enjoy my writing are invited to click on "rss28" above to visit my member page, where you can read reviews of other "Nutcracker" interpretations to compare with this one.