Rating: 
Summary: The Enchanting Nutcracker- Balanchine's Masterpiece
Review: The Nutcracker, is indeed the most enchanting ballet I have ever seen. It boils down to pure talent, as shown by the students of the School Of American Ballet. The students are by far the most talented and so are the company memebers. It is overwhelming to see such talent. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars Despite Macauley
Review: The one time that I've seen the George Balanchine production of 'The Nutcracker' in New York, I was standing at the back of the top balcony. I obviously couldn't see much even with the pair of 7x50 binoculars I brought, so I'm glad that this DVD has become available. The recording wasn't made before an audience but was nonetheless filmed on stage. It thus preserves the appearance and staginess of the original production, while the camerawork has more freedom and energy than it would have otherwise. The dancers of the NYC Ballet and the students from its associated school, the School of American Ballet, have performed the Balanchine Nutcracker every Christmas season since 1969 (the film was made in 1993). I prefer this production in great part because children and not adults perform the children's roles unlike most of the other tapes and DVDs available. Here the kids are delighfully energetic and enthusiastic; the only sour note is Macauley Culkin as the nutcracker-prince. He attended the SAB for awhile, and he looks thoroughy bored at returning to his old haunts. I don't know if it's his fault or the director's, but his disdainful expressions are rather off-putting. He was obviously cast to draw a larger audience, and he certainly looks the part, but his dancing skills aren't good enough for what amounts to the lead role. A recent article in the NYT said that the SAB has for some years been making a concerted effort to attract more boys (free tuition, no tights, frequent auditions, single-sex classes, etc.). The result is that all the boys' roles in this performance are filled by boys and not disgruntled little girls. I quite enjoy this DVD, and I highly recommend it. It has few extra materials; only some short biographies and some footage about making the film. I would like to have had some rehearsal and backstage footage since I'm not familiar with how a ballet is put together.
Rating: 
Summary: Who is that dork who can't dance? Otherwise brilliant.
Review: There is little to criticise the dancers in this beautiful production. The use of children, often absent in other productions, brings the brilliant show closer to an important audience: the children themselves. The music is good enough that it isn't distracting, although a little more rubato would have been appropriate, particularly in the waltz. George Luca's special effects are extremely well done, leaving the first-time viewers convinced that these effects can actually be done on stage (they weren't) I said there is little to criticise the dancers. Macaulay Culkin cannot be described as one of the dancers and he can't dance, walk, or even move in the manner dancers do. The producer deserves the bulk of the criticism for selecting him. He just can't dance. George Ballanchine must be rolling in his grave. If someone who can actually dance played the nutcracker's part, my rating would have been 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Balanchine's legendary Nutcracker probably still the best
Review: This is a filmed version of George Balanchine's legendary Nutcracker. In Europe, many Nutcrackers had been influenced by Vassily Vainonen's Soviet staging which views the story as a young girl's romantic awakening. Balanchine closely followed the 1892 Petipa original and refocused the ballet on the kids. Each year the NYCB chooses children from the School of American Ballet to dance much of the Nutcracker. It's always been a success.
The film is a fairly successful recreation of the staged ballet which I've seen. Macauley Culkin is the Nutcracker Prince, and he wears way too much lipstick and his hair is slicked back unattractively, but the Prince is pretty much a non-dancing part and I practically forgot he was there. Kevin Kline narrates the ballet, to make the storyline more understandable i guess. Otherwise the film sticks pretty closely to the stage. Jessica Lynn Cohen is a surprisingly serious Marie. The children in the party scene are all very fun to watch, and Balanchine charmingly choreographs the first act so the kids actually behave like kids, rather than dancing automatons. The fight scene is also wonderfully choreographed, and Balanchine in my opinion was wise in not making the mice overly scary. In some productions the mice are truly terrors, with red eyes and pointy faces and terrifying poses. Balanchine's Mouse Scene is funny, cute and clever. By far the best Mouse choreography I've seen in all the Nutcrackers. I didn't like the scene immediately after the fight. Having Marie lie on a bed during some of Tchaikovsky's most beautiful music seems anti-climactic. I much prefer productions where the Prince and Marie/Clara/Masha run around onstage, enthralled by the magical Christmas night.
The cast represents some of the best dancers of the post-Balanchine era at the New York City Ballet. Darci Kistler is the Sugar Plum Fairy, and I've never been particularly enchanted by this ballerina, but she dances very well here, and has the kind of gracious bearing that's needed for this role. Damian Woetzel is her Cavalier. I like Kyra Nichols better as the Dewdrop, and Wendy Whelan is shown in her sinewy, almost androgynous advantage in the Coffee (Arabian) solo. Watching the Mother Ginger number is always a treat, although I think in the theater it has more charm.
Balanchine's choreography is still the most crowdpleasing and charming of all the Nutcrackers. Everyone has his favorite moments (mine is the beginning sequence, when Marie and her brother Fritz are peeking through a doorway at the party) and the film is an accurate recreation of this holiday staple. Highly recommended for kids, IMO.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! I'll watch it over and over!
Review: This is the best Nutcracker out there! I just finished dancing in the Nutcracker last weekend, and I absolutely love this movie! If you have a young dancer like me, and you're thinking about what to get her or him, get this! She'll love it! I promise you she'll watch it over and over until it's ruined, and then she'll want a new one! Buy it! And love it!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: This is the best version of "The Nutcraker" that I've ever
seen. I highly recommend ii! It is a truly beautiful and colorful ballet.
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: This is truly the best version of "The Nutcracker" I have ever seen. The New York City Ballet is wonderful in it. From the dancing, to the whole performance. The sets and costumes were put together perfectly, and it's just all beautiful. I recommend this movie to anyone who has ever wanted to see "The Nutcracker" ballet live, or for anyone looking for a great movie to share this Christmas.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for families
Review: This movie is ideal to show for children and for family gathering as the first 10 chapters are talking about a Christmas party. Lot of children on screen aroused interest to my children as they pay attention to what's happening next. Once we would like our children to sit tight, we would show this movie to them. Other movie or even cartoon could not do such a good job. Of course good music from Tsak do help their concentration.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so Outstanding
Review: This was a dissapointment. When I first watched the movie, I almost fell asleep during the first act. If I was you, just skip the entire first half and go right to the dancing snowflakes. The first act had no interesting roles dance wise. The second half was pretty good(dance roles of the sweets....hot chocolate,candy cane,etc.)Any part with Culkin was a drag, in the fact that his dancing was horrible and the steps that he was given were horrible too. The girl that played Marie looked like she could have been a good dancer, but they flunked out when giving her a role with no ballet dancing. If you are a fan of ballet dancing like me, I would not recommend this version of the Nutcracker. The only good parts were the dances of the sweets and the snowflakes, the rest was fast forward worthy material. So give yourself a break, and get a better version. I wish I had.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Nutcrackers
Review: To the contrary of what many other reviewers have said, this is, in my opinion, one of the best of all the Nutcracker movies I have ever seen...and I've seen alot! If you forget that Culkin was just a star-vehicle (Culkin was the only set-back for this show. He appears to think he is 'above' ballet, which is, infact, quite shallow since he is prone to being seen in early-nineties camp family comedies such as *Home Alone* I don't think he'll ever get over that.), you can find a beauty of this production. Balanchine's Nutcracker is unusualy close to the original Petipa production. Here, children are cast in the roles which adds to the charm of this wonderful holiday classic. Balanchine's choreography (Another good aspect of this recording is the fact that, in spite of time, the choreography has atlast been captured on film. Many companies have lost their original choreography and have had to redo it. Now, all of the companies doing the show will have something to refresh their memories every year.) is riveting and fiery. The performances, one of the best! This captures all of the delight of the 'Nutcracker' and would be a treat to all who see it! Also, there is little difference from the stage production. (Except ofcoarse for the variation for the Cavalier which was not in the Balanchine production anyway.) I have seen the Pennsylvania Ballet perform this Balanchine production about two years ago and it is very true to the live show.
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