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Rating: 
Summary: A disgraceful release of a legendary performance
Review: First of all, the low rating is entirely for this particular DVD issue, NOT for the performance. The legendary Maximova-Vasiliev/Bolshoi "Nutcracker" has seen various VHS and now DVD releases over the years. This is undoubtedly one of the worst I ever came across. The editing is simply a disgrace. In the first Act white spots start appearing all over the screen and on a couple of places entire seconds of footage are missing. The sound has never been much to write home about and nothing has been attempted to improve it for this DVD. (Don't believe it is dolby surround, as the cover pretends.) The presentation is zero. The same performance has also been released by Kultur Video on VHS and DVD, and has to be preferred to this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Old but great performance
Review: I bought this DVD for my parents who used to live in Moscow and frequently attended performances in the Bolshoi Theater. I was not sure what to expect from this DVD since the other Nutcracker DVD recordings were more recent (this one dates back to 1978), yet the Bolshoi is world famous. As it turns out, the performance itself is great. The sound quality is good and the picture quality is typical for color recordings from the seventies: the screen is permanently covered by a slight blue haze. Also, every five minutes or so the sound stalls for a split second. Moral of the story: if you're looking for something nice for the kids then you are better off buying George Balanchine's Nutcracker. If you are looking for a great classical performance by the Bolshoi Theatre and don't mind the slightly inferior picture quality and the periodically stalling sound then this DVD is for you.
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