George Balanchine's The Nutcracker [DVD]

If you have a young child who wants to see the Nutcracker at home, this is the version to buy (I bought it for my 3 year old boy who loved the ballet): Here are its selling points and comments on some previous remarks1. There really aren't that many versions out there. Baryshnikov's is not a very child friendly version. Yes it's true, this does not have the precision of some of the other corps but this version is really geared to young children. And it's a great version for them to see.2. It is a plus that it features many child dancers. It allows children to see others like them dancing. Additionally, a big bonus is that there are acutally boys dancing male parts - parents of boys who love ballet like myself will appreciate this.3. Yes, Culkinis a bad dancer but as someone else noted - if it helps sell the movie, then it gets ballet out to more people which is a plus (I personally think it's better than a Barbie doll version of Swan Lake). Again, for parents of boy dancers, it's nice to see a boy with a real dancing part.4. The main character is called Marie because that's her name in the original book by ETA Hoffman (which by the way, is a VERY different story from the one we traditionally see in the ballet. It's a great book and for a special treat of the video performance of the real story see the Milwaukee Orchestra's Notes Alive: The Nutcracker: The Untold Story, based on Maurice Sendak's illustrations). In the original story, Clara is one of Marie's dolls.5. I did not find Culkin's expressions to be disinterested or bored. To the contrary, I was impressed with his focus and respect throughout the show. There is a nice photo text book that accompanies this video. The book explains that the expression on his face early in the show may be his attempt to show that he is different, more refined, than the other more boisterous boys at the party including Fritz, Marie's brother.

This is the best video to introduce young kids to the Nutcracker, in my opinion. It has an un-intrusive narration that helps children understand the story, especially all the "treats" in the second half. Clara (actually Marie in earlier stories, I think) is young enough for the kids to identify with her and be more emotionally invested in the story. It has drama, but is not too dark or scary. It also has Clara/Marie's love-interest-turns-Nutcracker as a boy roughly her own age (Macaulay Culkin, who, frankly does very little dancing and is just fine, neither here nor there to us). Having someone her own age works well, I think, and avoids the creepiness that is in some versions between Clara/Marie and the adult Drosselmeir. It also seems to be the version that actually stays closest to the original Russian folk tale, as far as I can tell. However, in the folk tales, the mouse king disappears when Marie hits him with her slipper, NOT when he is stabbed by the nutcracker-- the whole point is that SHE defends and protects the nutcracker, which she has vowed to do after her brother breaks it in the first act. I wish current ballet productions would go back to that important detail of a bit of empowerment for Marie/Clara; it makes the story make so much more sense.As an aside, our favourite picture book of the story is the Susan Jeffers "the Nutcracker", as it, too, stays closest to the original tale and has really beautiful pictures. It is a great one to give as a gift, if you are looking.

This DVD was spectacular. Neither my husband nor I had ever seen the ballet in its entirety. The story was very clear. We had read an article aboutBalanchine's Nutcracker with New York City Opera in Vanity Fair in December so we were curious and wanted to see it. Not living in NY, buying the DVD was next best. The scenery was absolutely splendid (I was afraid it wouldn't be the stage highlighted in the December article). The dancers were phenomenal, no exceptions. Videoing was also extremely well done. (We have a video of River Dance where every three seconds they changed the angle; what a pain, when you buy it to see the dancing). They did not do that with Nutcracker. Balanchine was a genius and I'm so glad we had a chance to see his version. Of course, the music was awesome, too. It's too bad Tschaikovsky did not live long enough to see it produced or know how the public loves it. We both wanted to stand up and clap when the ballet was over.

I purchased this movie for my daughters for Christmas. It was a family favorite when they were kids. The miracle of Christmas... the magic of togetherness and family reminds me of the Christmas I had when I was a child. I think it’s a classic and great viewing.

Kudos to the folks at Goodwill Books! Arrived by the due date and DVD was in original wrapping, as promised. As an elementary music teacher, this is one of my "gems" that I share with my students. Balanchine's choreography is presented in all of its glory. I live in B'ham, AL, and our ballet company is one of eight around the world, mind you, who have permission to present this classic. We take a field trip every year! (Well, maybe not "this" year).

Disappointed. The quality of either the recording was poor or the transfer to the disc was bad. Both sound & video were “fuzzy”. Also not the classic store with Clara most of us know. Didn’t show to my granddaughter. Didn’t want to confuse her. Disappointed.

A superb version of the famous Tchaikovsky ballet with Kevin Kline narration. It is basically a filming of the New York City Ballet production of the Balanchine version of the tale. A very good staging that kept the attention of my preschoolers and myself. I enjoyed Kline's gentle narration and the numerous skillful dancers.Features McCauley Culkin as the Nutcracker and Prince( and nephew) just as his star was rising. Be prepared for the part when he is transformed from Nutcracker to Prince in a blink of an eye without movie magic- just old fashion stagecraft.

CD case was broke and CD was moving around. Hope its watchable. We'll see.

This is not for the purists out there but nevertheless it is a good production with some great sets and costumes. I was a little put off when I discovered there is a narrator but, to my relief, the narration is minimal and not at all intrusive. In fact, it would help younger children to understand the storyline well. I bought this version despite my concerns about Mcauley Caulkin's role) because I had been searching for one that had Madam Pompadour in it - and she did not disappoint. If you can tolerate a young, none too talented (in dance) McCauley and are willing to let the minor narration go, then this is an enjoyable - and different - production that I would recommend.

It wasn't compatible with my DVD

Love it, super fast delivery

Bought this for my granddaughter(age 9) and it was perfect for her age level. The first part of the Nutcracker includes many children dancing while the second part in The Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy involves more adults. The music, scenery, and special effects are well done and the dancing is good. For the price I paid, I enjoyed watching it with my grandchild.

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