Rating: 
Summary: ...a brisk and handsome Swan Lake...
Review: ....this is a lively and lovely Swan Lake. It is historically interesting, as it captures Nureyev and Fonteyn at the apex of their unique popularity. It is handsomely mounted and the tempos move right along...technically it may be lagging behind the standards of today...but it makes up for it by being glossy and professional in every way. Very enjoyable...
Rating: 
Summary: 5 Stars Nonetheless
Review: 4 Stars? Well, when Margot Fonteyn danced, every single motion or gesture of hers was a poem of utmost beauty and she herself was the embodiment of supreme elegance. In view of the duration of her part here, she herself alone deserves 7 stars! Nureyev himself also deserves 6 stars as a dancer: there is hardly anyone either from Kirov or any other place who could seriously challenge him. The rest, especially by today's standard, are all 5 star ballerinas, and there are masses of them here. For most ballet music, the composers tailor made their music to the requirements of the choreography. Tsaichovsky was an exception, his musical imagination was given a free hand: the original choreographist accommodated him and changed some of his part in accordance with his music. That partly explains why Tsaichovsky's Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty was such great music outshinging any other ballet music. Anyway, music and choreography in ballet should go either hand in hand or as glove befitting hand. Here lies the main drawback of this DVD: the choreography doesn't tie in well with the music and was often at odd with it! Nureyev, however great a dancer he was, didn't have good ears for music, it could also be seen from the conductor of the accompanying orchestra he preferred (?) whose treatment of Swan Lake is so out of line. Nureyev introduced some new and novel elements in his choreography, notably the use of properties, say the roses, the bow and arrow, and the large clothes representing waves on the stage that at last engulfed the prince. He also mobilized masses of ballerinas to create various shapes, making them as scented as flowers. Even when they are only some simple geometric matrixes, they are equally spectacular especially when seen from a height. The stage settings are great, the costumes too and there are numerous of them. Of course, viewers must bear in mind that however brilliant the photography was, it was filmed in 1968 after all. Furthermore, there are at times some makeshifts, however brief that may be, they are quite prosaic or even static: Nureyev was by then not as matured a choreographist as he later was, as could be seen from his "Sleeping Beauty with Ballet De L'opera De Paris".
Rating: 
Summary: Good performance but poor reproduction
Review: A good performance by renouned ballet stars. However the video and audio reproduction is relatively poor. Video compression is low quality (trails of movement visible, static objects apppear blocky, overall picture sharpness fair), audio missing the subwoofer channel.
Rating:
Summary: This book should be in every child's home library
Review: Ballerina Margot Fonteyn's Swan Lake is a beautifully retold classic. The text is enchanting and the illustrations only add to the magnificence of this book. I highly recommend this book for all children.
Rating:
Summary: Fonteyn-Nureyev: Swan Lake - sine qua non
Review: Dear Margot and Rudlof -- Wherever you are in the magnificent beyond, thank you for the gift of Swan Lake - in those precious moments you made a thing of rarest beauty - Keats would weep.
Rating:
Summary: Margot Fonteyn is Wonderful!
Review: I take ballet 5 times a week, and I decided it would influence my dancing, if I watched other ballerinas dance in other ballets. I looked all over amazon.com, and finally I decided, who could influence me more than the enchanting Margot Fonteyn dancing Swan Lake? I bought the DVD, and I love it! Fonteyn is amazing. Simply put, this is the most inspiring ballet I have ever seen, and it has greatly changed my dancing for the better, and has set my goal to strive to perfect my dancing as Margot Fonteyn had!
Rating:
Summary: Be Observant!
Review: Many people have seen the ballet of Swan Lake performed. Most people who do are not quite sure what the story is behind the expressive music and dance. Even more people have only heard the music. This delightful book makes the ballet and music more accessible for children and reflects a loving feeling for dance. If you have a young ballet dancer or ballerina (or aspiring ones), this book will be treasured by her or him. You will undoubtedly inspire their continued interest in ballet and classical music as a result. Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute. To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Swan Lake was one of her picks. From quite a young age, our daughter loved the ballet and would watch it on television or on videos. She studied ballet, but found that it was too difficult for her to do well. But she has retained her love of the art, and will be a devoted fan for life. The great strength of this book is that it simplifies a complex story down into a small child's version. A two or three year old can enjoy it, and a four year old will be riveted by this book. The romantic ten year old will still be charmed. A great part of the appeal comes from the water colors done by the author (who was a ballerina), which give a dream-like quality to the story. These are bright enough to attract a young child, and subtle enough to lend an appropriate mood of the story. The range of emotion is very well expressed in the scenes of nature. You should be aware that the ending has been made into a happy one. I think that was a good decision for a children's book. It reminds me of the line from "Never on Sunday" where the Greek tragedies were described as comedies because everyone came to life at the end and appeared on stage for a bow. The actual story of Swan Lake would create many nightmares for young children. So I approve of the adjustment here. They can graduate to the more adult version when they are older. The story emphasizes Siegfried's lack of caution at the ball when he mistakes the counterfeit appearance of Odile (induced by a magic spell by her sorcerer father, Von Rothbart) for his promised, Odette. That is a wonderful lesson for children in the importance of paying attention to detail. I suggest two activities with your child after reading this book. One would be to play the music or watch a video of the ballet. The other would be to talk about places where it makes sense to look carefully . . . such as before crossing the street. Check things out carefully to get the most out of life!
Rating:
Summary: Be Observant!
Review: Many people have seen the ballet of Swan Lake performed. Most people who do are not quite sure what the story is behind the expressive music and dance. Even more people have only heard the music. This delightful book makes the ballet and music more accessible for children and reflects a loving feeling for dance. If you have a young ballet dancer or ballerina (or aspiring ones), this book will be treasured by her or him. You will undoubtedly inspire their continued interest in ballet and classical music as a result. Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute. To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Swan Lake was one of her picks. From quite a young age, our daughter loved the ballet and would watch it on television or on videos. She studied ballet, but found that it was too difficult for her to do well. But she has retained her love of the art, and will be a devoted fan for life. The great strength of this book is that it simplifies a complex story down into a small child's version. A two or three year old can enjoy it, and a four year old will be riveted by this book. The romantic ten year old will still be charmed. A great part of the appeal comes from the water colors done by the author (who was a ballerina), which give a dream-like quality to the story. These are bright enough to attract a young child, and subtle enough to lend an appropriate mood of the story. The range of emotion is very well expressed in the scenes of nature. You should be aware that the ending has been made into a happy one. I think that was a good decision for a children's book. It reminds me of the line from "Never on Sunday" where the Greek tragedies were described as comedies because everyone came to life at the end and appeared on stage for a bow. The actual story of Swan Lake would create many nightmares for young children. So I approve of the adjustment here. They can graduate to the more adult version when they are older. The story emphasizes Siegfried's lack of caution at the ball when he mistakes the counterfeit appearance of Odile (induced by a magic spell by her sorcerer father, Von Rothbart) for his promised, Odette. That is a wonderful lesson for children in the importance of paying attention to detail. I suggest two activities with your child after reading this book. One would be to play the music or watch a video of the ballet. The other would be to talk about places where it makes sense to look carefully . . . such as before crossing the street. Check things out carefully to get the most out of life!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent ballet story!
Review: Margot Fonteyn and Trina Schart Hyman make a great team in this adaptation of Swan Lake. Fonteyn's balletic outlook and Hyman's artistic expression make this fable a great, valuable classic story. I especially love Hyman's drawing interpretation of Odile, known as the evil Black Swan, when she enters the palace to steal the Prince's heart. This would make a great gift for a child any age!!
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Introduction to Ballet
Review: My four-year-old daughter discovered this book at the library and has fallen in love with it. Even her older friends (7 and 9) enjoy reading it and acting out the story. Rachel Isadora has written a simple yet poignant story of the ballet Swan Lake which children from four to eight can understand and enjoy. Her beautiful impressionistic illustrations captivate children and adults alike and truly make both the story and the ballet come to life before your eyes. I highly recommend this book to all little girls, especially those interested in ballet.
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