Customer Reviews

La Fille du Pharaon (The Pharaoh's Daughter) [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Bolshoi Ballet Company is known as one of the greatest company of dancers in the world, as can be seen by the performances in this wonderful Ballet. If there is any shortcoming, it is the sky camera which often seems so far above the performers. However, it was apparent that they were dealing with a very large stage, and through this method could capture the entire company at times. The performances and the sets were magnificent. The music is beautiful!

History sometimes plays strange tricks on musical opuses....some fare badly during the lifetime of their creators and then became established standards posthumously, others, like Marius Petipa's ballet La Fille Du Pharaon began life with a magnificent fanfare in the 1860's and then virtually disappeared from the repertoire by the turn of the last century. Lacotte's adaptation of Petipa's lavish Egyptian fantasy should be warmly welcomed by ballet aficionados jaded by the umpteenth performance of a Swan Lake or a Giselle. Granted, Cesare Pugni is no Tchaikovsky and his music for this ballet, albeit with some passages of brilliance, is for the most part not memorable. I can't imagine anybody wanting to listen to this music on its own. But in the context of the wonderful choreography of this opulent ballet,it is more than passable, even enjoyable really , as one gets carried away by the grand spectacle of the whole production. And indeed this is ballet on the grandest scale, ballet as an epic of spectacular dances, exotic sets, and extravagant costumes, and this blu ray disc from BelAir captures the riot of colours and textures with stunning clarity with the audio DTS HD 5.1 up there with the best of them. This is arguably one of the lushest audio/video recording for a ballet that I've seen. But lest you get the impression that this all but eye candy, let me hasten to add that the Bolshoi Ballet is the Bolshoi ballet and my goodness, what performances their corps de ballet are capable of....the ensemble pieces are many and enthralling, especially the 2 grand pas d'action in the Pharaoh's palace, the grand pas of the huntresses, of the fishermen and of the rivers...Petipa's genius as choreographer shining through. Zakharova as the lovely Aspicia is captivating and the scene where she is underwater in the realm of the King of the Nile is simply wonderful while her male partner Filin is also very impressive. Superlative dancing from the soloists of the Bolshoi, great choreography, fantastic sets and gorgeous costumes and a love story or dream with a happy ending. What more do you want ?

OK, I don't know a whole lot about ballet. I've seen a couple live, and I've owned a couple on DVD for a while. But that, and reading some stuff here and there, is about the extent of my knowledge. So, now that we've got that out of the way ... :)

I got this based on the reviews I read here and elsewhere. And I agree with most of the reviews, in that this is light on story and drama, but heavy on spectacle and really wonderful dancing. The sets are beautiful, the corps seems to dance wonderfully, and Zakharova is amazing. Sometimes, it really does seem like she's floating just above the floor. I know that people have said that she isn't the most "perfect" dancer in the world, but her movements and grace are stunning.

The image just pops off the screen in HD. Wow. I couldn't believe how bold the colors and how clear the details were.

This is just a lot of fun to watch, and while I also agree that the music is a bit repetitive (let's face it, it's no Tchaikovsky), it makes the story move, and gives all the dancers a good deal to work with.

The lead dancers are stunning. The production is lavish. The music is good. The dancing is divine. The blu-ray production is technically very good. The supporting corps dancers are excellent. I would say that even the POB would be proud of such overall perfection. This is of course a classical ballet with classical music. Although the title sounds egyptian the themes are in the main mostly greco-roman classical. The Neptune undersea dance is gorgeously done. This blu-ray can be watched once a month without getting repetitous.

Arguably the greatest ballet company in the world, even the Bolshoi Ballet can be boring, as is demonstrated by this revised warhorse. A young Englishman in Egypt, Lord Wilson, goes to sleep in the desert and finds himself transported to pharaonic antiquity. He saves the pharaoh's daughter, Aspicia, from a stuffed lion, and gains her undying love. But Aspicia has been betrothed for political reasons to the King of Nubia, so the two must be separated. Rather than marry the king, Aspicia would jump into the river -- so she does. There ensues a nice blue-silvery scene with the god of the Nile and his entourage, after which Aspicia returns to the court just in time to save Lord Wilson (now aka Taor) from being executed. Her father relents, the two are united, and clouds envelop everybody. Lord Wilson wakes up and is astonished to find it was all a dream. Aspicia is danced by the lovely, elegant ballerina Svetlana Zakhorova, ably partnered by Sergi Filin (now Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet), and the corps is splendid. But why waste their time and ours?

As to my understanding the Bolshoi Ballet in my opinion the best ballet companys at this moment. The Pharoah's Daughter has an amazing scenario, costume and best of all the ballet dances. The audio and video are perfect for the pleasure for those who have the opportunity to see this superb dvd.

I think the other reviews here are pretty much on the mark. It is a 5* production of a 3* ballet. Adding a bit to that, this is more fun than I expected. It is a complete story which holds interest, and there is something beyond pleasant, almost delightful about watching this. There is such depth in the sets, costumes, stagecraft and dancing that makes this a most pleasant evening of viewing. The performers seem to be having a good time, a showcase for revealing what the Bolshoi is all about. If the music had been of higher quality, and more fitting with the story and settings, this could have been among the top ballets in the classical repertoire. Although, saying great except for the music about a ballet, is damning with faint praise! It's hard giving an accurate review about something that is fundamentally flawed, yet at the same time delightful and worth seeing!