Giselle

Rating:
Summary: MISCAST, YET INTERESTING
Review: Having been a true balletomane for the past 45 years, I have, I think, seen many of the greats. Three of them are starring in this studio version of GISELLE.
Nureyev is, well, Rudi. Remember this was 1979 and he was truly at his heights, but I always thought that he was always, well, Rudi. His acting is ALWAYS the same, his (lack of) emotion is ALWAYS the same. Gratefully there's only one rondejambe in the whole piece.
Seymour was one of the great dramatic ballerinas of all time, but short and had a stocky torso. This killed it for me. Her line was beautiful...but short. She seemed more "stage-born" than air borne and was a tad, dare I mention it, long in the toe-shoe for the role.
The best, by far, was Monica Mason as the Queen of the Willis.
What dancing! What drama! What a face! She is an exquisite woman and I remember her dancing leads in SWAN LAKE as well as ROMEO and JULIET. She made this viewing more than worthwhile.
She joins the "Myrtha" pantheon of Toni Lander and the beyond spectacular Martine Van Hamel as one of the greatest Myrta's ever.
For the novice I think this is a lovely introduction to the ballet. It is abridged and the "friends pas de deux" is eliminted completely in act one. For the "maven" one is better off w/the ABT or Royal versions. Sorry.Jeff

Rating:
Summary: A True Classic In Mint Condition
Review: If someone wanted to know what a classic performance was, this would be a great example. This performance and presentation is nearly perfect. The image quality is great and the sound quality is excellent. The only flaw is that the color intensity is a little weak, which gives it a slight sepia appearance, which is not really a bad thing for a period piece. The orchestral version used here is a little unusual. It may be the edition they used. It has a very clear chamber orchestra quality enhanced by excellent microphone placement and good engineering.
The peasant pas de deux is actually danced by Seymour and Nureyev, themselves, typically Nureyev. The choreography he uses for this part is quite interesting. Nureyev is in classic form here and he looks like he's enjoying himself, as is the rest of this excellent cast( the corps, too!). Nureyev was a very fine ballet actor and his mime(which includes all non-dance modes of expression) is great here. In the beginning of the first act he is very amusing in the way he tells his servant not to worry about his little adventure to come. Because this is in such great condition and a great performance, it is a fine choice for all audiences.