Cinderella

There have been several performances of "Cinderella" available on disc, and I think they own them all. They have all had problems: poor production values, poor camera work (in the Frederick Ashton version), poor direction, etc. Thus, when I attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet's wonderful version last year, with Carla Körbes in the lead role, I thought that just maybe I would never see a better Cinderella. The person with whom I attended the PNB version still likes that one better, but I would have to go for this BRB blu-ray. The main reason is Elisha Willis. She is the ideal Cinderella. She really comes across very well as an "everygirl." Her acting is very convincing and not even all that stagy...which makes the way she lights up at the ball even more amazing. Anyone watching this production sympathetically, male or female, will kind of fall in love with Cinderella. And Willis's dancing is first class, worthy of any great ballet company. Iain Mackay as the Prince is adequate. I think he was picked mostly for his princely looks, but that's OK. Cinderella is the one who really matters.The choreography is mostly perfect: a kind of abridged, playful, sometimes speeded up version of the more serious Petipa classicism. It makes the whole work seem like something of a ballet in miniature. In one of the Prince's solos, a few mazurka steps are added at the very end where you don't expect them, which adds a feeling of lightness. One of Cinderella's solos is something of a summary of one of Aurora's in Sleeping Beauty-which I don't take as plagiarism but rather as a clever tribute. It's as if Cinderella were Aurora's little sister. My friend who preferred the PNB version cited the superior choreography given there to the ball dancers, and I don't think I can argue with that.One of the reviewers criticized the sets, and I suppose I can agree that the kitchen set is awfully dingy. However, in this version the stepmother and her daughters do come off a bit more like pretentious hillbillies with a bit of spending money, especially at the ball, so maybe the shabby kitchen is dramatically appropriate after all. Be that as it may, I absolutely loved the sets for the ball and the finale. Their lack of realism was perfect for making the whole story seem like a dream: the way the night sky blends into the architecture of the palace...and especially the finale set's spectacular abstract sunrise combining many colors but centering on gold...and the highly color-blended lighting that bespeaks ecstasy. If you want something totally literal, then don't go for this. If you want a dreamlike ballet, then this is for you.

If I could rate this production a 10 I would. I bought this production after the lame production my wife and I saw this year at Ballet West in Salt Lake City. The ballet is one of our favorites and we were extremely disappointed with the Ballet West production. I went to Amazon and found this production and it sounded great. We finally watched it and there are no words to describe this creative, elegant, energetic, well acted and danced production. There is magic around every corner and many surprises that I haven't seen in previous productions. Act One serves up an energetic and well edited 30 minute scene with a very cruel step mother and step sisters who are actually played by young ladies who are fabulous dancers. The Fairy Godmother does little dancing, but great moving on stage. She captures the stage with her presence. Magic is plentiful when the sets move to reveal a magical night complete with mouse and lizard dancing and preparing a most compelling Cinderella for the ball. Just when I thought there couldn't be more magic, Act Two presents magic from the first note to the last. The sets and costumes blend well together using the night's sky and stars on the pillars of the castle and the costumes reflected the magic of the night in blacks, purples, dark blues and silver. The pillars keep changing according to what is happening on stage. The step mother and sisters are excellent in this energetic and well edited scene. But the magic doesn't end there. It proceeds until this massive clock appears with working gears as Cinderella is pulled between her promise to the Fairy Godmother and her love for prince. Well danced, romantic, sensitive and very hilarious, but never over the top. Act Three combines magic, comedy, and finally the young couple dancing together in a Jane Austin romantic feel among clouds and golden stars. Amazing. There are no words to describe this perfect production. There will never be another production as wonderful. If you love ballet and love Cinderella, you will love this. Buy it NOW!

First of all, this is from 1961 and is a very fine example of the Russian cinema from that period. It is in color with beautiful camera work, special effects of the period, and great acting. The camera gives us many closeups to show facial reactions. The image and sound quality are very good and typical of movies from that period. If you have been spoiled by the technical perfection of image and sound quality of today's digital products, you may not want this. I have met many people that tell me they refuse to watch any of the older movies for this reason! I, for one, am very glad to have these classics available to me(as I was growing up, I only heard about classic movies, but could never see them!). The performance, itself, is quite good with very interesting choreography. All the female parts are danced on pointe, including the ugly sisters, the mother and even the fairy godmother. We are also given the fairies of the seasons here with solos for each of them. The famous ballerina, Yekaterina Maximova, dances the role of the Spring fairy. The Prince is played by Gennadi Lediakh and he gives a very impressive performance with some extremely challenging solo variations(his opening solo includes an eleven-turn pirouette!). This was the period at the Bolshoi that was strongly influenced by Asaf Messerer(Maya Plisetskaya's uncle) who helped bring the Bolshoi into the modern age of classical technique. Cinderella is danced by Raisa Struchkova and she shows us a very convincing and spirited character. Keeping in mind that this is from a bygone era, I highly recommend it!

Magnifique ballet, une belle interprétation, de très beaux costumes et une chorégraphie intéressante et inventive. J'ai beaucoup aimé cette version de Cendrillon, les danseurs solistes sont très bons et émouvants

It was great - much clearer than I expected.Louise

Una bellissima rappresentazione sulle musiche di Prokofiev. Bravi i ballerini e tutta la produzione per aver realizzato una versione d'incanto di questa celebre favola.

Dürfen alle Ballett Fans. Klassisches Ballett ist einfach fantastisch und diese Eleganz beim tanzen. Wer nicht ins Theater gehn kann, dann schaut man sich gerne das Ballett zu Hause an.

I have always found the music of Cinderella as one of Prokofiev's fascinating compositions, although the general opinion decades ago was that it was more of a Children's thingy. The ballet too, was relegated to the realm of slapstick and in some cases, experimented with to the point of Eurotrashy type of approach.(I have had the Fredrick Ashton choreographed version starring Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell for some time and enjoyed it tremendously - The Paris version disappointed horribly - The Monte Carlo version is Morose).I would rate this one even better than the 1969 Royal Ballet production and many others for a few reasons:1. Prokofiev's music points to a work that is complex. It is a mixture of fantasy, comedy, romance and quiet desperation. This production has less of slapstick and more of substance, quite unlike the Ashton production portrays in its approach.2. There is some slapstick in this one too, but of the more subtle and difficult kind that Dumpy has brought out so well that she is really my star of this production....Skinny and stepmother are not too far behind...3. They did not cast men as ugly sisters to make them look ugly. The ugliness brought out by Skinny (Gaylene Cummerfield) and Dumpy (Carol-Anne Millar) are those of their 'mind and attitude' - which makes them ugly rather than their physical attributes... The faulty footwork of Dumpy needs a lot of effort and work, and she has pulled it off brilliantly (Something like Alain in La Fille Mal Gardee)...Marion Tait as the stepmother is a wonderful actror which does a world of good for the ballet as a whole... her meanness is beautifully portrayed.3.Elisha Willis dances the role of Cinderella and Iain Mackay portrays the Prince. Both are really good in their roles, nothing to complain....4.Choreographer David Bintley shows far more maturity in his approach towards this work than any others I have seen. The sets, by John Macfarlane, are excellent and go well with the ballet and thankfully, they both have refrained from trying to make the ballet fit a different period and is thankfully devoid stuff and nonsense from the 22nd century or eurotrash. (The Paris version locates the story in Hollywood ...The Prince is a movie star and the Fairy Godmother a producer!)5. The music is well performed and the recording and video are superb.Well done, Birmingham... far better than was probably expected and certainly trumps most other productions of Cinderella by quite a few yards, although some music, therefore dance, has been deleted in this version. I did not miss those too much.A Blu Ray that satisfies beautifully.... recommended highly.