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Summary: I want to see this
Review: I want to see this movie, because this is a wonderfull movie
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Summary: Swan Lake
Review: I was able to see swan lake in NYC on broadway and fell in love at once with it. After i got back home i missed the magic i saw on stage. I was so glad to see that they had put it out on video and dvd. I bought and now am able to atch it over and over and it only gets better with time
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Summary: A Brilliant Re-Intrepretation
Review: I was amazed when I saw this preformance in NYC and I'm so glad it has been preserved on DVD. I'm equally impressed that the way in which it was filmed really makes you feel like you're still in the audience watching it and not just watching a music video. Close ups and camera movements are used but I never felt like I was missing something happening off camera. Also, audience applause, coughs and laughter can be heard throughout. That's right, you read that correctly, laughter in a ballet. There are many instances where comedy has been inserted into the piece and I couldn't be more delighted. It's handeled effrotlessly by the cast and story and adds to the human connection I feel for the production. It never feels forced. And comedy is not the last ime you might be caught off guard durring this ballet. There are political overtones, fantastic sets, an outrageous bar scene, and of course, the male swans.By changing the swans to males, Mathew Bourne has infused this tale with overtones never imagined. The swans here are very athletic and much more bird-like in their movements. It's a daring move and one that adds many new overtones and a raw energy to the story. It's the single most daring element in a production that's all about taking risks and trying new things. The DVD comes with a small bookett that includes, credits, a synopsis, an interview with and biography of Mathew Bourne. I can't imagine someone who likes dance not being completely swept away by this incredible production. Watch it once and you'll want to see it over and over again even though it's magic will stay with you forever.
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Summary: Not the standard 'Swan Lake' - but that's a good thing!
Review: If the usual ballet corps in productions of 'Swan Lake' are about the poise and gracefulness of a swan's movement, then this version is certainly about the virility, strength, and - to be honest - obnoxiousness of wild birds (this is coming straight from someone who's been attacked by ducks while throwing crumbs!). I am in full agreement with Matthew Bourne when he says that swans can be a very masculine and aggressive animal. This corps portrayed it quite well, especially toward the last two scenes.
Adam Cooper makes a magnificient Swan and a dangerous, sexy Stranger. The ball scene reeks of virtuousity and should have been a debilating dance. Instead, he smokes at multiple points while the scene is still going on! Quite impressive.
While watching the Prince, I felt a dreadful sense of loneliness, explaining his wretched behavior. Unloved by his mother, forcing an unexpected and emotionally-laden pas de deux, used by his courtiers and abused by a tramp...poor man, small wonder he would be enchanted with visions of a Swan!
If you get hung up on the fact that two men are dancing the pas de deux, you're missing the point. It's not unreasonable to assume that the Prince is gay, and you'd be hard pressed to miss how affectionate the Prince/Swan interactions are, or even the brutal sexuality of the Prince/Stranger scenes. But the ballet is more, much more, about the power of 'touch', and how big a role affection can, and should, play in one's life. For my money, that's far more entertaining - and accessible - than the concept of princesses under enchantment.
I recommend this version to anyone - especially those who are burning out on the traditional Swan Lake.
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Summary: A Perverted Parody of Swan Lake
Review: In my time I have seen hundreds of performances of Swan Lake by many different companies. Bourne's version is by far the worst rendition of Swan Lake I have ever seen. It is a perverted parody and any resemblance to Swan Lake is purely coincidental. It must be shocking to any true lovers of ballet. Unlike performances by the Royal Ballet or the Bolshoi or Kirov which fit the music like a glove, the music in this ballet is only incidental. There is no grace or precision in this performance. Just a bunch of unsynchronized apes prancing and at times just stumbling around. The filming is a disaster. The camera does not stay focused on the "dancing." Perhaps that is because the "dancing" is so bad that Bourne wants to divert the viewers attention away from it.. People have a good taste in music and particularly in ballet should avoid watching this sickening and disgusting version. I wish I had.
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Summary: a modern masterpiece
Review: Its an honor, and many thanks to amazon, that a masterpiece of such wonder can be found and purchased. This title is not availble in stores anywhere nearby..and it is absolutely the greatest dance work of the second half of the twentieth century! Im so pleased that amazon has given me an opportunity to have this in my library.
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Summary: Incredibly imaginative reworking of the traditional story.
Review: Matthew Bourne is an absolute genius in reimagining the classic story of Swan Lake. He is absolutely faithful to the original storyline, but gives it an imaginative twist that casts new light on the basic plot. I saw this on stage in London and Los Angeles; the video captures the performance very well. You'll be startled at how this version of the story and the artful choreography give a dynamism and thrust to the score that traditional versions can't approach.
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Summary: A brave new Swan Lake
Review: Matthew Bourne transformed this beloved antique of a ballet into a parable for our times. Set in the early 1960's (I think; judging from the costumes, anyway) it follows a little prince as he grows up surrounded by the paparrazzi and discovers his own sexuality in the form of a swan prince. Just the fact that Swan Lake was given an involving storyline is a vast improvement over previous versions, but the complex themes of the prince's homosexuality, his relationship with his mother, his failed relationship with a "bad" girl, and the constant presence of the media add multiple dimensions to what was once a loosely structure story. The costumes, the sets, and choreography are all amazing--the DVD gives a scene-by-scene synopsis of the new version, but it really isn't necessary because of the creative use of pantomime and focus on the dancers' expressions tells the story for itself. And although it does contains more false endings than the third Lord of the Rings movie, it is definitely worth watching. It is certainly not your grandmother's Swan Lake, but this is surely for the better.
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Summary: An amazing, powerful reworking of an old favorite
Review: My husband and I saw this when it was first broadcast on PBS. We were both in complete awe, and I immediately tried to track down a copy of my own. Adam Cooper is truly amazing... sensual and sexy as the Black Swan, loving and protective as the White Swan. Yes, the story has nightmarish, Oedipal overtones... this is not your mother's (or grandmother's) Swan Lake. The poor young prince and his uncaring mother; the fumbling, alienated older prince seeking warmth and affection...it is a very dark fairy tale, in the manner of the original tales of the Brothers Grimm, but I think that it is still true the the idea of the original story. As for the homosexual "overtones", well, given that Tschaikovsky himself was homosexual, I find it an ironic and touching homage to a great composer and troubled man. If you are open to a modern production, if you are looking for dance that goes beyond the same old standard, "traditional" choreography, check this one out. It is a moving, powerful, and sensual work. I will certainly buy the DVD.
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Summary: A Sacrilege
Review: Swan Lake has suffered a lot in the past hundred years. Few productions, with the exception of the act 1 pas de trois, the second act, and the Black Swan pas de deux, use the original choreography. However, there has never been such a vulgar, tasteless prodcution as this. Not only is the score and libretto butchered into a pretentious quasi-homoerotic, quasi-Oedipal fantasia but the choreography is boring, ugly, and cold. Anyone who loves Swan Lake (or just good art period) should steer clear of this monstrosity. Frankly, I can't possibly think of enough bad things to say about it.
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