Rating: 
Summary: A historical recording
Review: I had the great thrill of seeing this performed in London. They certainly were two of the centuries greatest, and this ballet was was known to be their greatest. They show too many closeups where age and make up spoil the illusion (they do that with opera video recordings too) however this is a great classic performance, and it is lucky that we have it on tape to see now after both performers are gone.
Rating: 
Summary: Fontayne could dance forever
Review: I saw this movie in 1966 and found it wonderful. It was the only opportunity I ever had of seeing Nureyev dance with Fontayne, who was certainly the main motivation for his defection. The strength of the movie is in the fact that Fontayne is in her 40's when she dances this Juliet, but her wonderful dancing captures the lightness and youth of Juliet. I agree with Malkin, too many zoom-in shots prevent you from appreciating the "blocking" of the scenes (in ballet one creates a full picture for the audience), and it shows every wrinkle in Dame Margot's face. One kept wishing the cameramen had "backed off" so that the audience could appreciate the full impact of this performance. A film for those who prefer Prokofiev's score to Tschaikovsky's music.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely great performances by Fonteyn abd Nureyev!!
Review: I want to add to my earlier review. I suggested that this DVD is worth having since a live performance of this ballet by this company and Dame Morgot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev is not longer available. While this is true, it is also true as far as I am concerned that it would be more than worth having even if it were still possible to see the performance in person, not instead of, but in addition to, it. Furthermore, there is much to be said for seeing the performance on film as such that should not be overlooked, as well as for having one's own DVD of it. Also, it had been suggested by another reviewer that Rudolf Nuryev defected because of his partnership with Dame Margot Fonteyn, I think, - I said I'd check that and I did. His biographical information on the DVD says that he asked for asylum in Paris on June 17, 1961 while he was on tour, and defected. Subsequently, in 1962, he partnered with Dame Morgot Fonteyn. Also, I would like to add that great as it was, it did not last that long. I'm glad that their Romeo and Juliet is on DVD and available at this website.
Rating:
Summary: Nureyev and Fonteyn in a perfect union of dance and drama
Review: In 1965 I saw Nureyev and Fonteyn dance 'Romeo And Juliet' at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago (I still have the program) and can attest to Maltin's comment that "zoom lens is a poor substitute for live performance". While those gorgeous moments will remain forever with me I would not forgo for an instant the pleasure of viewing what Czinner captured in his 1966 film of this ballet. This is dance drama as only Nureyev and Fonteyn could create it, and I don't believe it has ever been surpassed.MacMillan created his 'Romeo And Juliet' not for Nureyev and Fonteyn but for Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable, and Gable was bitterly disappointed when his role was given over to Nureyev who didn't hesitate to inject his own changes into the choreography. Nureyev was perfectly cast as a randy Renaissance playboy suddenly entranced by Juliet's demure girlish innocence so perfectly projected by Fonteyn. She was forty-six at the time yet through her dancing she transformed herself into a romantically inspired teenager. The experience of this in the theater was stunning, as one is not diverted by camera close-ups, but even in the film I find myself thoroughly convinced by her portrayal. Of all the ballets that Nureyev and Fonteyn danced together this one most perfectly captured the contrasts in their personas that made their partnership so unique. He has been described as "fire", she as "light", and the synergy between them was unforgetable in this ballet. In his choreography MacMillan does a masterful job of characterizing Romeo who in the opening scene makes a play for Tybalt's girlfriend, Rosaline, dances in abandon with the harlots of the town, and then pursue Rosaline to the Capulet's ball. In contrast we meet Juliet playing with a doll in her anteroom and shying timidly away from her suitor, Paris. But at the ball Juliet plays the mandolin and Romeo, intruding himself, dances for her generating a spellbinding attraction between them that flowers into the balcony scene. Juliet gives herself to him, timidly at first but then freely in an exquisite pas-de-deux by which all subsequent performances by other dancers must be judged. Czinner's film of this ballet is filled with memorable moments; Desmond Doyle's outstanding portrayal of the menacing; treacherous Tybalt; David Blair's rendition of Mercutio's death; Romeo and Juliet's parting pas-de-deux filled with tenderness, longing, and grief (Shakespeare's words, "Oh thinkest thou we shall ever meet again?" fill the moment). But of all it is perhaps the tomb scene that remains the most vivid. Hearing of Juliet's death Romeo invades the Capulet's tomb, dispathes Paris, and mourns over Juliet's body. In Nureyev's lifts of Fonteyn's limp body he recreates a semblance of their balcony and bedroom trysts, pathetically trying to dance life into her once again, until overcome at last he takes poison and dies. Juliet awakens and now it is Fonteyn's turn to match Nureyev's sorrow and desperation as she realizes the tragic consequences of her failed plan. The poignancy of their deaths is so well realized the one felt a sense of relief when at last Rudi and Margo materialized before the curtain to take their tumultous curtain calls. This ballet is a perfect marriage of Prokofiev's sumptuous score, MacMillan's evocative choreography, the exquisite dancing of Nureyev and Fonteyn, and we are most fortunate to have it all preserved in Czinner's film, a "must own" for every lover of dance. One might indeed believe that Rudi defected in June 1961 to dance with Margo but the truth is that he was about to be arrested by the KGB in Paris and sent back to Russia. He threw himself upon the mercy of the French police, escaped, danced with the Cuevas company in Paris, and then with the Royal Danish Ballet. He didn't dance with Fonteyn until February 1962.
Rating:
Summary: This is a better DVD than I expected
Review: Kultur is producing DVDs! This is a title I put off buying on VHS, and hoped would come to DVD, but didn't expect quite so soon. Happily, this DVD is not as bare-bones as you might fear. There is a chapter selection (separate pages for each act), a written "Synopsis" of R&J, as well as some "Music History" on Prokofiev's ballet, and biographical information on Prokofiev, Nureyev, and Fonteyn. Sound and picture are not the best, but as far as I can tell with my equipment, both are perfectly acceptable. If I want to listen to just the music, I would prefer a more recent recording. The film is from 1966. The DVD is very nice to have, and the only DVD of this ballet available (so far very few DVDs are available of ANY ballet). Thanks, Kultur!
Rating:
Summary: See what the magic was all about
Review: Sometimes, first impressions are misleading. When I saw Fonteyn and Nureyev in Swan Lake, I was appalled by the weird ending, Nureyev's interjected solos, the reshuffling of Tchaikovsky's score, and the radical reworking of the Petipa/Ivanov choreography. I didn't see any of the famed Fonteyn/Nureyev chemistry.
But don't make the same mistake I did. Avoid the muddled Swan Lake, and order their Romeo and Juliet today! It's Kenneth MacMillan's production, and the romantic score by Prokofiev is of course beautiful. The corps, unlike the underreheased, cramped Swan Lake corps, have it together. The costumes are lovely.
Most of all, you finally see the Fonteyn/Nureyev magic. Fonteyn is much more suited to Juliet than Odette/Odile, which requires almost superhuman athleticism from the ballerina. As Juliet, Fonteyn's grace and charm more than make up for the fact that at age 46, her leaps aren't as high and her turns aren't the fastest. Except for a few unflattering closeups, she still exudes a remarkable girlishness and wide-eyed innocence. Nureyev is also excellent -- unlike Fonteyn, he was at his peak and his turns and leaps are a sight to behold. He got a late start in ballet (17!) and was often criticized for his "unfinished technique" and sometimes in the film you can see why. For one, he can't seem to control his pirouettes very well -- he can start them, spin, but can't neatly end them turned out in 4th position (a la Baryshnikov). Rudolf sometimes overrotates and "cheats" by quickly putting down his free leg. Nevertheless, the warmth and ardency he exudes more than compensate for technical defects.
But when Margot and Rudi dance together, they are greater than the sum of their parts. For those used to the idealized aloofness of classical ballet, you will be stunned by the intimacy and physicality of Fonteyn and Nureyev. When Nureyev recalled that the two danced with "one body, one soul" it wasnt an exaggeration. It seems like we're peeping in on a private relationship, not a performance. One particularly beautiful moment is when Fonteyn and Nureyev at the very beginning of the balcony scene run around onstage and bump into each other. Their hands touch, and both shake visibly, as if jolted by electricity. Later on, Nureyev lightly brushes his face in Fonteyn's nightgown. I dare say it's hotter than any porn film.
The *only* drawback is the visual quality of the film. There doesnt seem to have been any remastering, and a lot of the film has a grainy look.
Rating:
Summary: Blue Romeo, White Juliet and Red Tybalt
Review: The music of this ballet is brilliant, delicate, extremely expressive and dramatic. Every moment in the show finds its strength and its emotion in the music itself. All the scenes where a crowd occupies the stage are enriched with popular dances, be it on the market place or during the ball at the Capulets. But we are waiting for the more intimate scenes with Romeo and Juliet and those scenes become dainty, light, but never joyful, because we feel under the surface the drama that is coming and will find its full expression in the vault at the end. The fight scenes on the other hand are first of all and above all sombre and dark, bleak and full of shadows, the shadows of our memory and of our inherited culture : we know that playing with such a fire is deadly, fatal and lethal, and the music is there to make that hellish fire of hatred burn anew and burn ablaze. But it is a ballet and The Royal Ballet of London makes a miracle with a gorgeous setting, with superb costumes, with delicate and light dancing, all the time. Naturally Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev are the stars, but stars in a sky very well staffed and packed with smaller stars, but stars all the same. And the gleaming light of the main stars is enhanced by the twinkling lights of the others. They do not dominate. They are carried to the top by the magic carpet of all the dancers that fly high and swift in the sky of the music. And this classical dancing is also enriched with the expressivity of every movement, of every bearing of the heads, of every look in the eyes, so much so that we do not even know where to start looking, watching, admiring and satiating our desire of beauty. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating:
Summary: Great but not always believable
Review: There are already lots of superlatives used by other reviewers for this performance. Indeed, the dancing is superb and it is probably difficult to see something like this one in our days. However, Margo F. is desperately and hopelessly old here, and although her dancing is perfect, I could not totally believe her interpretation because she was playing a 14 years old girl. She is well over 40 when this was filmed and it showed. Somehow, I also noticed some rigidity in her movements. I agree with some critics who say that she reigned in Royal ballet for too long and was careful to destroy all competition. The result is this, although technically perfect but not very believable performance. Nevertheless, it is still a great one.
Rating:
Summary: Great but not always believable
Review: There are already lots of superlatives used by other reviewers for this performance. Indeed, the dancing is superb and it is probably difficult to see something like this one in our days. However, Margo F. is desperately and hopelessly old here, and although her dancing is perfect, I could not totally believe her interpretation because she was playing a 14 years old girl. She is well over 40 when this was filmed and it showed. Somehow, I also noticed some rigidity in her movements. I agree with some critics who say that she reigned in Royal ballet for too long and was careful to destroy all competition. The result is this, although technically perfect but not very believable performance. Nevertheless, it is still a great one.
Rating:
Summary: Expected to give it four stars, it gets five!
Review: While I thought that this DVD of Rudolf Nureyev's and Dame Margot Fonteyn's performances of Romeo and Juliet in the 1966 Royal Ballet production would be good, I did not expect it to be this good! While I appreciate Leonard Maltin's saying (above) that a DVD is a poor sustitute for a live performance, it is now 2000, this is a DVD and it's all I've got of it, not having had the opportunity to see it live, and I am thankful to have it. I must say that regardless of what was taking place in the ballet at any particular time, and regardless of how dimly lit the stage was at any particular time, I did not find somberness and bleakness at all. On the contrary, but I lack the right words to express this in the way that it should be expressed and to the extent to which it should be expressed. Also, I was pleasantly surprised, after having read some comments about it , by the fact that while of course Dame Marot Fonteyn did not look extremely young, she did not appear to me to be much too old to play the part and I disagree that somehow she was not up to the demands of her role and that, in contrast to her, Nureyev was. I think they BOTH were...and that they did beautifully. Also, although I have minimal (but adequate) equipment on which to see DVDs, I do not think that the Audio somehow rates only a 4/10 as another reviewer suggested, I think-I would give it a 8/10. Additionally, I don't know what was meant by the fact (one rewiewer said) that you will see scan lines and other video artifacts (etc.), I didn't see anything of the kind. Also, I did not think that the close ups made anything less of the whole and should somehow not have been included because they somehow destroyed the illusion because they did not. I suppose that it does depend on what kind of screen you are viewing this DVD on and I must be the first to say that mine is not large, but not only did I not see every one of Dame Margot Fonteyn's wrinkles at any time, I didn't see ANY of her wrinkles. While I thought the costumes were excellent, I would not describe them as "dazzling", but simply appropriate. Finally, I must not have read Rudolf Nureyev's biographical information carefully enough because I do not remember reading that she had anything to do with his defection-I thought that their partnership occurred afterwards, but I'll check that out. In any case this is a beautiful production of the ballet Romeo and Juliet (if I am not mistaken, Prokofiev's ballet, I may have read elswehere, is quite faithful to Shakespeare's play scene by scene)and I highly recommend it!
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