Customer Reviews

Cinderella [VHS]

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Raisa Struchkova dances the role of Cinderella. While she is not as famous in the West as some other Russian ballerinas of her day (e.g., Plisetskaya, Maximova), she was very respected and loved in Russia. I saw first saw this movie when it was new and I was about 12. I loved it then, and despite my usual criticisms of old Russian ballet films (outdated/corny special effects, not the best filming, sometimes melodramatic acting), I was very happy to find this version of the ballet on video, as I think Struchkova's dancing is underrepresented on video. She radiates such warmth and love of dancing that it always makes me just feel good to watch her.

Her prince is Gennadi Lediakh, who, typical of his generation, displayed more virility and power than refinement of technique. However, he is a dashing and believable prince and an excellent complement to Struchkova.

Besides Struchkova's performance, my favorite part of the ballet is the dances of the Fairies of Spring (the lovely and future great Ekaterina Maximova), Summer, Fall and Winter, with their beautiful costumes and set.

Look for other productions of Cinderella by the Berlin Comic Opera Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet.

I belived that this ballet was made into a wonderful movie. The technique was excellent and would be a great movie for children to watch to see a story they can realate to put into a ballet.