Rating: 
Summary: A total success
Review: Swan Lake is one of the most representative pieces of the ballet. With wonderful music by Tchaikovsky and a good story it is one of the great pieces of ballet in the IX century.In this new version of Swan Lake Matthew Brooke gives it a few new touches,the main one is off course the fact that the swan are males.This is, in my opinion, a refreshing touch to a classical with one of the best dancers of ballet in the UK,that is Adam Cooper, the great performance by Scott Ambler and one of the best choreographies I've ever had the fortune to see. The other cast is also great, Fiona Chadwick is not a bad dancer at all, Emily Piercy play the girlfriend very well and gives an amazing turn to the story later on. Barry Atkinson fit perfectly for the part of the cynical old man and the company of swans give a touch of humanity to the swans, making them not just a decoration. In this production there's also the change of time,as the story is now presented in a modern era and not in an old time with carriages, crossbows and old-fashioned castles. This is also a good change, its a touch of delicacy in the way of making this a sort of "fairy tale" in a modern time,in a modern city,among the "jungle of metal". So what I'm trying to say is don't be a fool, master works like this are not produced in every generation, and the chance to see Odette/Odile perfom 32 fouettés,I bet Cooper is still cursing Pierina Legnani, is not seen everyday. So buy it,you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible re-interpretation of the classic ballet
Review: Swan Lake with male swans? Don't be put off by the idea - it works brilliantly. Matthew Bourne has kept Tchaikovsky's music and re-done the ballet as a modern fable. Adam Cooper is astonishing in the lead role. I was lucky enough to see this production in the UK, and to be present at the recording of this video. For anyone interested in dance this is an essential purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Swan Lake
Review: The information provided by this page is too limited. Starring: P.I. Tchaikovsky, et al. Is it a joke? Please at least list the name of the ballet troup.
Rating: 
Summary: Swan Lake (Matthew Bourne)
Review: The music is wonderful, the sound quality on the surrond sound is
great, but... The new "modern" version of this beautiful ballet
is just plain crud! If you like the music, buy it.
If you like ballet, stay away!!! That funny whirring sound when you watch this is Tchaikovsky
spinning in his grave!
Rating:
Summary: Look for the social commentary in this wonderful version
Review: There were so many reviews of this version of Swan Lake that I had to really make a bold decision when purchasing this item.
The music is not good. Be warned. Something to do with the actual recording I suspect because on my system at least, the orchestra sounded like it was playing in a cardboard box at the back of the room. No amount of adjustment seemed to help, apart from winding up the treble to gain brilliance and winding up the subwoofer to gain presence. But the poor quality of the music was soon forgotten as the performance moved along, then brought back as the audience applauded from thier coffee can - somewhere near the orchestra.
I dont particularly like ballet - nor do I dislike it. But I love a story with substance and I love new versions of old works which provoke thought. And this version of Swan Lake certainly does that. It could have been 10 minutes shorter, but then opinions such as that tend to be subjective.
The performance was iniitially a little heavy handed/footed. The prince almost seemed to be having problems dancing in the boots provided for him. He seemed flat footed and a little clumsy. But this too seemed to come right as the performance warmed up. And there was the obvious problem of seeing all those male swans when you have been used to the normal cast of female swans. I guess it was more of a change than I expected to see - the normal graceful performance translated into virile stregth. But it worked for me. The makeup was well thought out and so were the costumes. Both worked superbly.
The story is strong - the undertones of two societies unable to forgive that "something different" about thier leaders. The tenderness, passion and strength are all there - in abundance. It is a tear-jerker for those of us who are tender hearted. The performance was sensual and provocative.
Will you like it? Who knows? I am not privy to your likes and dislikes - I am only giving an opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I suspect it is something I will tend to watch alone rather than share with friends. It will probably end up being one of those discs I will play infrequently on a rainy Sunday afternoon. But having said that, my collection of nearly 1000 discs is made up entirely of discs which I play infrequently and many I have never played at all.
My suggestion - try it. If you dont like it you can give it as a birthday present, albeit with some though as to who you give it to.
Rating:
Summary: The Swan as Animus
Review: This is a filmed version of a widely-acclaimed production of Swan Lake done by London dance company Adventures in Motion Pictures, as staged in both London and New York. It was filmed at a live performance, but other than moments at the curtain calls, and during one specific scene in the ballet, where the live audience can be seen (appropriately in all cases), it could easily have been filmed in a studio. The camerawork and editing are the best I've ever seen of a live performance, coming as close as I can imagine is possible to conveying the sense of being present at the performance. The soundtrack, a slightly edited version of the full ballet score, is full-blooded, well played, and of studio quality. (It is identical to the sound on the separate audio CD release of this version of the ballet.) The packaging contains extensive liner notes, including an interview with Matthew Bourne explaining how he came to this re-visioning of a classic ballet. High marks for technical quality of this DVD. It is fair to warn people of the content of the performance: this is *not* the traditional ballet most people would be familiar with, and does not contain the original Petipa choreography. Instead, it is a wholly new ballet, retaining the Tchaikovsky score. Bourne has abandoned the traditional "beautiful maidens trapped in a spell by an evil magician desperate to be saved by the handsome prince" scenario. Instead, we have an exceptionally moving depiction of a young man, a prince -- in an unidentified land, though its monarchy, class structure and mores suggest a 1930s Britain, albeit one with jazz-den waterfront dives -- who is forced to live a life for which he is ill-suited and who finds himself increasingly unhappy, until the spirit of the life he could or should have had, the one that was denied him by the fate of his birth, bursts into his consciousness in the form of a vibrantly-male swan, smashing his equilibrium. A note here: just ignore the alarmists who gasp at the fact that all the swans are male; there is a reason for them being so, and this is not a gay love story. It is a powerful depiction of a man trying to come to terms with his own true self, and it contains wit and beauty, some remarkable dancing and often breathtaking imagery. It owes a great debt to Jung and is better suited to a modern world far more oriented to psychotherapy and internal vision than to the romantics of Tchaikovsky's time. I found the ballet intensely moving and quite beautiful, and I rate this DVD highly.
Rating: 
Summary: AMAZING!
Review: this is a great production of Swan Lake! the reason that attracts your attention is the fact that the story line has been changed (from the classic myth of the swan and the prince), and the fact that the swans are male swans instead of the ladies in tutus' we've been used to! the second act (where the swans dance) is a unique choreography! i honestly must say that i'm facinated! the dancers move as gently as you would expect swans to move, yet rretaining their masculinity.. Adam Cooper, in th role of the male swan, is fantastic! the only problem is the story line, and maybe acts 1,3,4 aren't as good as act 2... but still it's more than worth it to own this tape! the second act is something no one should miss!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is a unique and stunning production that anyone who loves music and dance would enjoy and remember for many years. I will purchase the recording only when it is available on DVD- which I hope is soon.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating (Mostly Male) Version of Swan Lake Ballet
Review: This is a very odd but very interesting version of Swan Lake that played in London and New York two or three years back. The ballet uses the original Tchaikovsky music but is set (in London?) in the mid 1930s or so. The story is set so that the Prince falls in love with a MALE swan. The switch in plot works pretty well in terms of story telling -- the male swans are tremendously athletic in their dancing -- the royal family reminds one of the current crop of British royals. The video is taken from a stage performance and the music is well recorded. On whole, a successful record or an unusual but interesting Swan Lake.
Rating:
Summary: Best dancer, worst diretor!!!
Review: This is one of the best shows I ever seen and meanwhile the worst of all!!!
Matthew Bourne¡¯s choreography is daring and marvelous. Adam Cooper is simply irresistible. What a super star!
One man just ruined everything - the edit and director of this movie ¨C Peter Mumford.
This man obviously knows nothing about ballet. Half of the times, you can¡¯t see the dancers¡¯ legs. The director seemed more interested in focusing on their facial expressions! He missed the white swan¡¯s first entrance just for the prince¡¯s thoughtful eyes. He used several cameras for the shooting and enjoyed switching from one to another every 3-6 seconds! So, everything was broken into thousands of pieces. There¡¯s nothing to enjoy at all.
Actually I think this director was obsessed. Every time when there was a body contact between two dancers, he zoomed in to their faces, then again you missed everything. Should he go see the shrink?!
The other strange thing is that the show was performed on an awkwardly small stage. So small that you keep wondering how the dancers managed to avoid kicking each other. Why?
The only good part didn¡¯t affected by this man was the music. It¡¯s great.
The end of the show was so moving that even with this director¡¯s distraction it¡¯s still that great. But you will not cry for it. You cry for Matthew Bourne and Adam Cooper and you pray for someone else to shoot it again. How about Alexandre Tarta? That director knows how to make a ballet movie.
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