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Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Nutcracker
Review: Despite it's missing some important bits from the original, I am compelled to embrace this Nutcracker as my favorite - I watch it throughout the year, not just at Christmas time. The casting is perfect, with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland taking the lead. Alexander Minz is perfect as Drosselmeyer, and the ABT company members portray the peripheral roles with skill and elan. Particular variations that stand out to my mind are that of Columbine and Harlequin, the Spanish dancers, and Dance of the Mirlitons. Why they left out the Arabian variation, I'll never know...but that doesn't ruin the viewing experience. I actually prefer this plot to that involving the Sugarplum Fairy - this, which I believe follows closer to the traditional Russian storyline, focuses moreso on the dream of Clara, and her adolescent awakening. Rather than planting her on a pillow (to stay from then on) upon her arrival in the Land of the Sweets, she remains involved, dancing a yearning pas de deux with the Nutcracker Prince. It makes the ballet far more interesting, and not such a little girls' fantasy (which can get a bit mawkish after a short while). The frequent involvement of Drosselmeyer throughout the ballet reinforces this, and creates a magical effect. The sets and costumes are glorious - not a weak moment therein. The ladies' gowns in the opening party scene are just spectacular. Also, the musical performance is beautifully handled.
Rating:
Summary: Baryshnikov's Great, Yes, but This Triumph is Kirkland's
Review: For years this performance of the Nutcracker was the only one I knew (thanks to annual presentations by PBS). After all, as my mother (who lived her young adulthood through the Great Depression) would say, why pay big bucks to sit far from a stage when television gave such glorious closeups. I have since been disappointed in live Nutcracker performances after this version was imprinted on me! Gelsey Kirkland will always be the quintessential Clara to me--an adolescent on the verge of womanhood, experiencing the beginnings of her sexual awakening, torn between her childhood attachment to a beloved father-figure/uncle and a more mature sensuality with the prince. Kirkland's autobiography helped me to understand her unusual appearance (an eating disorder, drug use, plastic surgery) but she physically and dramatically conveys the emotions of an adolescent awakening the likes of which I've seen nowhere else in theatre. And her use of her body in the ballet moves is a physical ideal few dancers can match. I'm so glad to find this film available at Amazon. I've searched video catalogs for it with no success. This last & other recent Christmas seasons were incomplete without a view of this exquisite presentation.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest renditions of all time
Review: From that night in the winter of 1988, when I was three years old and first watched a recording of "The Nutcracker" starring Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov, I was spoiled for almost every other rendition of the ballet. Never mind that, during the recording, someone must have changed the channel and replaced Harlequin's dance with commercials and a small segment of an episode of The Munsters, but it is still a timeless, ALMOST flawless interpretation. My main qualms with this version, though I did not perceive of any flaws at the time given my tender age, had to do with content. In an effort to fit the broadcast into a 90-minute format including commercials, some portions of the score, some minor routines-and, most glaringly, the Arabian dance "Coffee"-had to be omitted. The reinterpretation of the Pas de Deux between the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier to a Pas de Trois between Clara, Drosselmeyer and the Prince-a fight between fantasy and reality over a girl who dared to dream-was well done and reestablished a plot line where previously there had been a Divertissement of mostly ethnic dances. "Tea," the Chinese Dance, stands out in my mind as one of my favorites. I wanted to give this four and a half stars, but unfortunately that is not possible. But all in all, this is a magical interpretation of a magical ballet, and is an essential purchase for any fan of the Nutcracker.
Rating: 
Summary: Distinguished Dancing, Perplexing Pas de Deux
Review: I originally started out planning to write a frivolous and patronizing review of this title that would be sure to receive a lot of helpful votes. Here is how it went, "This is the best production of 'The Nutcracker' ever! There happens to be some distinguished dancing in this production! Baryshnikov's dancing of the battle scene with the Mouse King is far and away the best I have ever seen! Gelsey Kirkland, who plays Clara, is a gorgeous dancer, and she is excellent at portraying her emotions! All of the divertissements are quite well done (except that the Arabian dance has been omitted)! Plus, Tchaikovsky's music is wonderful and is some of the best ballet music ever! Everyone should buy this video! I LOVE THIS VIDEO! " While most of those things are true (all except for the first and last two statements), there is a lot else that should be said about this title--things that Baryshnikov's many zealous, partisan fans will not appreciate--and I'm too honest not to bring these things up. So, here is my amended review for those who desire objective commentary: For most people, "The Nutcracker" is a charming holiday ballet with wonderful music. It is by far the most popular of ballets. The basic story is explained in the editorial reviews published by Amazon.com, so there is no need to reiterate it, except to point out what they (and all other customer reviewers to date) have failed to mention: namely, that there is a perplexing adult theme involved in this particular production by Mikhail Baryshnikov that is problematic to explain to a perceptive child. This troubling theme starts early in the first act during the music entitled "Petit Galop des Enfants" (translation: Little Gallop of the Children). In a G-rated version of this ballet, such as George Balanchine's interpretation by the New York City Ballet, the innocent little children all dance together by the Christmas tree. In Mikhail Baryshnikov's production, however, he uses it as an opportunity to have Clara dance with her eccentric, mysterious godfather, Drosselmeyer. By the end of the first act, there is no doubt how much Drosselmeyer cares for Clara. As the story progresses, Clara falls in love with the Nutcracker Prince and they are both taken to the Kingdom of the Sweets. There are a number of dances performed in their honor, because the Nutcracker Prince has defeated the evil Mouse King. Finally, Clara gets to dance with her newfound love in the romantic "pas de deux" (dance for two). But, something unusual is happening here: Godfather Drosselmeyer is interfering with and participating in the dance, making it a "pas de trois" (dance for three)! Drosselmeyer's facial expressions and gestures indicate very clearly that he does not approve of Clara's affection for the Nutcracker Prince. Now, just try explaining that one to your kids! Thank you, Mr. Baryshnikov, for your new interpretation of "The Nutcracker." Come to think of it, I'm sure that's what Tchaikovsky and Ivanov really had in mind when they wrote it. The work was getting stale after all these years, and we really needed a new angle to keep us interested. In the video "Footnotes: The Classics of Ballet" (Vol. 3) by Kultur Video, there is an interview with Celia Franca about "The Nutcracker." She states: "What I think must be very difficult for some of the more recent choreographers of 'The Nutcracker' is that they get, what do you call it--kinky over it--and they try to find a new psychological angle and sometimes the result is really quite sick; and you've got this little girl who is at a party, who is suddenly a sex object of somebody or other, you know. And is she having a private affair with Doctor Drosselmeyer, this evil man, you know? Well frankly, it makes me vomit....If they want to do these deep profound psychological things, let them do a new ballet. I mean, I think it is just laziness that they'll take an already accepted ballet, they'll call it 'The Nutcracker,' they know that the people will come, it will be box office because it has the name 'Nutcracker,' and they go and do these kinky things; and then you get people who have taken their little children and they thought, well, if this is 'The Nutcracker' I'm not going anymore." (The "Footnotes" video is also for sale by Amazon.com.) And so, I cannot recommend this particular production for parents with children. Suitable choices for the entire family include "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker" by New York City Ballet with Darci Kistler and Macauley Culkin (1993), and "The Nutcracker" by the Bolshoi Ballet with Ekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev (1978). Nobody is doubting Baryshnikov's dancing skills (well, at least not his soloing, anyways), but it is his artistic judgment that is so perplexing. Consequently, I have taken two stars off from my rating of this title for the questionable and unnecessary adult theme.
Rating:
Summary: Dancing and Costuming- 5- But Orchestra-0
Review: I really love the costuming here. Gelsey Kirkland,Mikhail Baryshnikov etc. all look gorgeous but I have a whole bunch of problems with this video. The orchestra sounds terrible including the percussion section, it seems like every other note has been cut down for certain numbers, if not all of them, and that they don't have a Sugar Plum Fairy. The Clown Dance and the Russian Dance sound pathetic and the orchestral quality simply drowns out the percussion section ands ruins the dance. The costuming in the divertissements looked good too. Kenneth Schermerhorn should respect Tchaikovsky's music if he wants to be a conductor. The only part orchestral-wise I liked was the part when the christmas tree grew enormous and the mouse king and his subjects appear toward that climax. There are better orchestral performances of The Nutcracker available. A more complete one would be the New York City Ballet with David Zinman conducting. The percussion section there is much larger than on here, and the Royal Ballet in Covent Garden with Evgeny Svetlanov conducting the orchestra. Svetlanov's orchestral section is really enormous there. This Nutcracker performance is only for people who like dancing and costuming and don't care much about the orchestral quality. Well, it's not for me!
Rating:
Summary: Magical . . .
Review: There is no other word for this production. Each and every moment of it is filled with awesome and stirring interpretations of Tchaikovsky's legendary music. The story is fresh and fascinating, much more than a framework for successive 'pas de deux's', and considerably more interesting than the traditional take. I have watched this since I was a very small child, and every time I see something I hadn't noticed before. For those of you who shudder at the costumes commonly seen in ordinary productions of 'The Nutcracker,' the ones used here are gorgeous. The staging is excellent. And the dancing . . . Baryshnikov, as the Prince, meshes the character into his dancing so skillfully that it is breathtaking. The power with which he dances, even if you've seen him before, is freshly devastating. Gelsey Kirkland, opposite him as Clara, dances with heart-pounding perfection, and her interpretation of the role matches it. To have both of them together is simply incredible. Minz's dancing is also excellent, and he vanishes into the role of the mysterious Drosselmeyer. Watching him in the ballet, he seems to travel between two worlds; the real world, in which he is merely an old man, and Clara's dream world, into which he must follow her to bring her back. It is never quite clear whether he is a villain or a benefactor - although it is clear that he loves Clara and believes he is doing what is best for her. There are no words for how I feel about this awesome ballet. It is truly magnificent. A chance to own it is a chance of a lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: Ballet Star
Review: This IS the best Nutcracker ever. Despite the other reviews siting it's faults, I find this Nutcracker to be an adult version, lush, romantic and actually, the choreography is very sexy, filled with longing.I DID not miss parts that other's complained about (I actually hate "too much" kid stuff. You cannot even compare this film to the New York City Ballet's version which seems stuffy. I LOVE this film and Christmas would never be the same for me without it. I am happy that it finally came out on DVD. This Nutcarcker is spectacular and will be a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!!
Review: This video is probably the best ballet video I've seen. I showed it to my ballet teacher who often refers to it. For people who don't know the story of the Nutcracker, A girl, Clara, gets a nutcracker from her Uncle Drossielmier (droz-ill-myer), for Christmas. The nutcracker transforms to a prince after a battle with the rat king. The prince then takes Clara to the land of sweets, where she sees all the royal subjects, with food names, (i.e. coffee, tea, marzapan.) She soon gets transported back to her home, by her uncle. this video, all though without narration, is wonderful. The casting is fabulous. F.Y.I.= people who don't understand ballet will think it drags on in bits, not for little kids who like changing atmosphere, to the little kids it will seem all the same, even though it is changing constantly. Plus there is no sugarplum farie, for those who are great fans.
Rating:
Summary: Seasoned Professional ballerina's opinion
Review: This was the first video recording of a ballet presented on television. Baryshnikov received great criticism for bringing a classical ballet to television for review. Considering the time frame in which it was produced, and the dancers and orchestra performing this masterpiece, this revolutionary ballet presentation deserves far more than a mere 5 star rating.
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