Customer Reviews

Adam - Giselle / Bessmertnova, Lavorovski, Kozlova, Bolshoi Ballet

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me say that Giselle is one of my favorite ballets; I love Adam's music, the choreography and the story.

I really wanted to like this Giselle; I could hardly wait to get the DVD home and in the player. However, this shortened movie version of Giselle starring Natalya Bessmertnova and M. Lavrovski was disappointing to say the least.

I have a several areas of concern with this DVD production... to mention a few

- The sets are "barebones" with flat color tones and meager drop back curtains; there is little or no "scenery" to give one the feeling of the rustic quaintness that seems to be the norm in other Giselles. The cast almost looks lost on this huge stage.

- The music/audio is flawed: there is an annoying high pitched tinny quality to a lot of the higher notes throughout the entire performance: this is very distracting and although I could diminish this effect by tweaking my audio system, I could not get this problem to disappear entirely.

-With the entire ballet only 82 minutes long, they decided to leave out the Peasant Pas de deux at the end of the Act I.... Need I say more.

-And finally, to me, Giselle has always represented ballet at its emotional best: with Adam's haunting melodies and the beautiful choreography taking the audience the full gambit between initial happiness and gaiety to final sadness and grief. In this production, although the dancing is technically good, it lacks any arousing impact; the performers went through the dance steps,but they didn't seem to be very convincing or committed in their acting. For instance, Bessmertnova tends to look very serious most of the time in the opening scenes where she is suppose to be flirting and falling in love with Albrecht; any rare smile seems forced and unnatural. (Then again, the camera settings were often so far back, that it was difficult to see the faces of the participants.)

-On a positive note, however, the Wilis' costumes in Act II were stunning; the skirts were sheer, moved beautifully with the lifts and generally enhanced the impression of them being apparitions .

All in all a disappointing DVD, with poor audio, devoid of any real beauty in the stage sets and lacking much emotional punch.

P.S. If you were looking to buy a Giselle on DVD I'd highly recommend the La Scala version with Alessandra Ferri and Massimo Murru. ( the sets, costumes and emotional content are all 5 stars)

I have this performance on a Kultur VHS, and I absolutely love it. I was very excited when a DVD version came out, and immediately bought it. But ... this DVD is just awful. In the VHS the first act scenery has fall colors, the prince has a deep dark blue costume. This DVD shows everything in various shades of grey and brown. On the VHS second act had dark blue background with willis in shimmery white dresses. On DVD the background is dark grey, and the willis are dull white. Sound quality is even worse than on the VHS. I love the performance, but until a better DVD version comes out I'll watch the 15 year-old VHS.

I should have read the other reviews before I bought this. Horrible sound and poor picture quality. Very fine dancing, but I haven't been able to watch it through to the end, the production values are so poor.

This is not a "real" performance from the stage of the Bolshoi. Rather, this was filmed (taped?) on a sound stage rather than in a theatre. I assumed I would be getting a "real" performance from the Bolshoi.

All-in-all, avoid this

The present DVD release of this historical film, highlighting two great Bolshoi dancers Natalya Bessmertnova and Mikhail Lavrovsky at their peak, is a gross insult. The producers of this hideosity have succeeded in proving the unthinkable: DVD can after all be far worse than VHS - in sound as well as in image.
To be avoided at all costs.

I agree, the video and sound quality is underpar, but the dancing is very good. it's stll worth it for the price.

I pretty much agree with everyone else here, though I admit I am curious as to the color wash-out on DVD, I can readily understand how the VHS might be more enjoyable if the visuals are more strikingly transferred. The sound transfer is not very good, not horrible, but the very first chords are attenuated and it sounds like someone upped the volume than and was too lazy to do it over. It is filmed on a huge stage, so the dancers are given lots of room to strut their stuff, but a filming of a live performance might have been, well, livlier. There is an emotional flatness about the whole endeavor, though Act Two emerges more effectively in that regard than Act One. The score is cut rather significantly, yup those peasants are gone in Act One.

If you want a GISELLE at a budget, this isn't the world's worst choice, but I'd save a few pennies and go elsewhere.

The dancing in this historic performance is stupendous. Bessmertnova and Lavrovski are both Bolshoi jewels, embodying the athleticism, grace, power and artistic interpretation that exemplified the tradition. While the colors are washed out and the set is minimal, the quality of the dancing far more than compensates for any visual inconveniences. Everything is clear and the camera work is ideal for ballet. The Bolshoi had a renowned tradition of great dancing, and here you see a perfect example of the beautiful artistry that made them legendary throughout the world.

While the affect of the dancers may be more reserved and dignified than some viewers might be used to, the emphasis is on dance as the vehicle for expression, not mime, which may be more exaggerated in other cultures. The corps is as disciplined and unified as one could want. All the dancing if superb. And at this price, it's literally a gift of treasured art history from the USSR. If a new DVD is released with improved color, all the better. But this is a valuable historic performance and my favorite Giselle. By the way, this performance of Giselle was posted by the Bolshoi Ballet on YouTube as an example of their greatest artists.