Customer Reviews

Bizet - Carmen Ballet / Mikhail Baryshnikov, Zizi Jeanmarie

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

 

 

First of all - it's a good ballet. Very nice music, some examples of virtuosity Baryshnikov style, nice corps, and some very nice pieces of choreography . However, there are some flows: The choreography - Petit does it sometimes. you see great variations , original movements, and suddenly, out of nowhere , something weird and off-putting , that leaves you wondering what t'hell happened just now... . There are several examples of this phenomenon in this ballet. Baryshnikov - is young , arrow sharp (check out the first act solo ) , and if it was another dancer I would write he was very good. However, he is not your ordinary dancer , and should answer to a higher (probably the highest) standard of criticism. The main problem is that he is just too boyish, and a certain lack of authority is evident . when he grew older Baryshnikov has improved considerably in this respect . So it's a shame we ca'nt see him about 6-7 years older. carmen herself - is just too old. she ca'nt keep up with the others. besides that - I do'nt like her (somtimes cabaret like) style of dancing.

For Baryshnikov fans, this particular ballet does not showcase Misha's virtuostic gifts. Roland Petit's choreography is over-the-top throughout the ballet. In some of the dance sequences, the corps de ballet speaks (in French, of course). This makes a serious story come off silly which was probably not Petit's intent. For such a natural dancer as Baryshnikov, he looks somewhat uncomfortable in the choreography although the role of Don Jose fits him quite well. Zizi Jeanmarie does not make a convincing Carmen at her age and the chemistry between Baryshnikov and Jeanmarie is lacking. For Baryshnikov fans, "Don Quixote" or "Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra" will more likely please you.

Carmen is a great ballet with the talented Roland Petite as choreographer. I first watched ZiZi dance it in The Black Tights when I was a teenager. I thought she was fabulous then -- sexy, sultry and seductive.Her technique was flawless. Now decades later, when I watched her again dancing with Baryshnikov, I couldn't help sighing sentimentally,' Ah, the cruelty of passing time!' Faded is her beauty,gone is her vibrancy and allure, missing is some of the difficult and fancy footwork which makes the ballet so pleasing and exciting. Why did they put her opposite the golden Adonis? The age disparity is made more obvious. There is a lack of spark or passion between them. It is unconvincing that he is madly in love with her.It makes sense that The Paris Opera Ballet makes 40 the mandatory retirement age for their ballerinas since more or less they will lose their stamina. If you had watched the video 'Ballerina: Karen Kain 'in which are excepts from Carmen, you would understand what I mean and would not think of me as being harsh and unfair. There are so many productions of Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote ...etc in Video and DVD. Why is there only one Carmen? I really look forward to seeing more.

This five scene ballet, based upon Bizet's 1875 opera, was choreographed by Roland Petit for his dance partner and wife, Zizi Jeanmaire, who premiered the character of the Spanish gypsy in 1949, Petit partnering her as Don José. In this film made 30 years after for Canadian television, ballet buffs will enjoy a 56 year old Jeanmaire as she reprises her part, while in this instance her partner is Mikhail Baryshnikov, artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre, who fills the role created by Petit, supported by the latter's troupe, Le Ballet National de Marseille, an organisation that he helmed for 26 years. Some critics have expressed disdain for Jeanmaire's essay here, obviously having persuaded themselves that she was too old to play Carmen, specially when she was paired with an ebulliently callow Baryshnikov at the height of his terpsichorean powers. Howbeit, the part is vested in her, and she fluently segues between the emotional plums that Petit has cleverly constructed, switching from one mood to another, all the while having complete command of the impassioned character, her favourite to dance. There have been past a score of Carmen ballets formed upon Bizet's ever-popular work, a census of these revealing that each is married closely with the original. In any event, this meridian of Petit's choreographic career has consistently packed the greatest punch for a good many audiences, and although he and Jeanmaire had filmed CARMEN elsewise, this concise (44 min.) production must be ranked near the top of the entire assemblage. For it is here that Petit utilises that to which he has referred as his own "ambience", a blend of skills that includes more than dancing, as his well-drilled performers are trained to both sing and mime. Petit has long wished to popularise ballet and, while episodes within this film are frankly erotic, they are yet not vulgar. Although jazz-flavoured CARMEN is highly sensuous, it also is notably reflective of the irrational as well as pungent tone that Bizet creates for his musical melodrama. At least as significant as contributions from the two leads are the dancing and acting of the corps, along with other soloists of the Marseille company, in particular Denys Ganio as the Toreador, rival of Don José. Petit's determination to film one final performance of his most famous work will be welcomed by a majority of the film's viewers. Visual and audio quality are excellent and of a piece for both VHS and DVD formats.

I consider Barishnikov the greatest male dancer of our time and there is unfortunately very little by him available so I will get anything with his name on it. This is from his early days in the US but he is marvellous - graceful and masculine at the same time. Zizi Jeanmarie is also marvellous, I cannot fathom how old she was but since I saw her in movies in the 50sh she must have moved on a bit. And the work of Roland Petit, although perhaps slightly dated, is still innovative and breathtaking.

If you are a fan of Post-War French Ballet, you will love this rendition of Carmen. This is a 1980 performance of choreography, first presented by Roland Petit, back in 1949! Zizi Jenmaire was a smashing success opposite Petit, in the original. She is fabulous in this version, opposite Baryshnikov. This is probably the best available production, of this lengendary ballerina, in one of her most endearing roles. A must-have for Jeanmaire/Petit, fans.

While any ballet featuring Mikhail might be reason enough to watch it, this work might be the exception. Very little of the choreography is appealing and the sets are very bland. This is the drabest Spain I've seen pictured in a good while. Mikhail acquits himself nicely, but sadly Zizi does not. While perhaps an expressive and talented dancer in her heyday, here she appears to be afraid of injury and never really stretches herself. You can see the concentration on her face as she prepares for simple back attitudes. She has an adequate port-de-bras, but her shoulders, so pivotal to Spanish dance, barely twitch when they should shimmy. Carmen was a vivacious gypsy, but Zizi gives us a merely brittle, hesitant gamine with a toothy smile. She is acting like hell, but it is not enough to cover her flaws.

I just love this DVD and Baryshnikov, he is just beautiful. Carmen is such a moving ballet it is just wonderful. Also this beautiful little Zizi Jeanmarie, what a wonderful dancer. She is just great to watch. Many thanks for such great entertainment. Patricia (Aussie)

The video was fair enough... I've seen better versions and choreography for Carmen... but definitely Mikhail makes it sort of worth it... but Zizi didnt convince me at all...

Explosive ballet with no wasted motion. Petit packs the action into the minimum of time with two first rate performers to provide intensity. The Lovemaking is unmistakably orgiastic; the fury of rejection and emotional response vividly portrayed. There are moments which fail to register properly but, with an excellent cast, these hardly mar the 44 minutes of superior dance creation and performance.