Customer Reviews

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At long last, "Nutcracker, the Motion Picture", Carroll Ballard's film of the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Maurice Sendak designed production is available on an official Region One DVD from MGM, the film's current owner. However, the disc is part of Fox/MGM's manufacture-on-demand "Studio Classics" series. What this means is that you will receive a DVD-R of the film that has been burned just for you based on your order. That's OK, as we shall see, but some may be taken aback by the paucity of extras on the disc. Also, be warned that the disc may not play in anything other than a stand-alone DVD player. Playback on a computer, for instance, is not guaranteed, and since a DVD-R disc remains photosensitive even after it has been burned, keep it out of strong light.

The first thing you see on the disc after selecting the feature is a warning card that states that the film was mastered from the "best materials available". This is typically studio talk for "we can't find the negative or a decent inter-positive, or it has been destroyed, or the producers won't let us have it, or we don't want to pay to take the film out of the vault and rescan it". Fortunately, what they did have on hand is serviceable. The 16:9 widescreen presentation seems to be taken from a high quality print, it is clean and exhibits good color, but is very slightly soft throughout and has varying contrast with considerable grain seen in the shadows. It is possibly the same copy that has been used for the various cable TV entities and streaming services that show the film, although compared against the download available from Amazon, the DVD's color seems more accurate. There is little in the way of digital artifacts present. The audio is clear and well balanced two channel stereo. So technically speaking, this is far from the best transfer possible, but it's still solid enough to make it worth obtaining if all you have been watching over the years is the 24 year old Paramount VHS cassette. If you can find the film on a good streaming service you won't be picking up a great deal quality wise, but you will get your own permanent copy and one extra thing: the movie's trailer, interesting to the film's fans because it uses alternate shots and sound effects that do not appear in the feature.

The disc comes in a standard Amray box but for some reason, the front photo is not the Sendak illustration and logotype that was part of the movie's original promotional materials, but instead is of a generic "Clara" and a ballet corps that seems to be stock photography. The back cover has a still from the actual film.

It's a shame that MGM has so little faith in this picture that it cannot see its way clear to a conventional release with better extras and a more polished transfer (the film screams for a Blu-ray disc). I would have loved to hear a commentary track with Sendak, Ballard, Kent Stowall and the principal dancers, and perhaps some other material. But it seems that this will have to suffice.

This Nutcracker, with Maurice Sendak visuals, is a hard act to follow. This Drosselmeyer is the one TRUE version - in my opinion. But then again: everyone is perfect in this version. If you want the ballet to come alive for as it never has before..............or if you have a child in your life whose interest in movement, music and classical style you'd like to ignite ( WITHOUT turning to some awful animation or off- the-mark hipster version of a classic) then, this is your film. It's hard to convey its excellence. But I highly recommend this as a gift for any one of any age as a holiday tradition. You'll be carried into another world - and you'll never regret it.

Just by accident, today I found Nutcracker: The Motion Picture available on Amazon's Video On Demand for under $10. Half the details and all the reviews there are for another film, but I bought the download and I indeed got "Nutcracker, the Motion Picture." Needless to say, I am thrilled to death because (1) I don't own a VCR, and (2) I watch all my DVDs on my computer anyway, so having the film as a digital download rather than a physical DVD is not an issue. Since I bought it, I can save it as a data file to a disc for storage, if I want to. I still hope it comes out on DVD someday, but at least I can watch it this Christmas. Last year, it wasn't even shown on any channel I have access to. The sound is good. The colors are bright. The picture is sharp. This is a great deal!

Despite the versions of this film not being high quality, that does not mean that this adaptation itself should be rated poorly. The dancing and production is flawless, set to the beautiful melodies of Tchaikovsky. I first saw this movie as a small child, and I will never forget it. The opening credits of the movie are in the workshop of Drosselmeyer, and the fantastic carvings and creations you see hint toward what will be happening in the remainder of the film. One of the things I love about everything that follows after this is that despite the lack of any dialogue, the emotions and thoughts of the characters are easy to discern from their behavior and body language--even their dancing tells you about them. Overall, this adaptation has a wonderful cast provided by the Pacific Northwest Ballet, amazing costumes, and of course, stirring and memorable music. It will manage to frighten, make you grin, awe with its beauty, and most of all entertain.

I highly recommend this! I wait excitedly for the day it comes to DVD.

Before now, the last time I saw "Nutcracker: The Movie", was when I was [probably] nine or ten years old, and I'm almost nineteen now. The "Nutcracker" I saw was on a Christmas special that my grandma taped off of television when I was about four or five. I used to dance around our living room in my "Clara" nightgown to the "Nutcracker" soundtrack that my mom had; I even had a wooden-carved Nutcracker that I danced along with to the music. When I found this childhood treasure on Amazon, I instantly remembered the music, the scenery, even the actors in the film. Now that I am growing up, I even more deeply appreciate the art of ballet combined with beautiful music! This is a joy and a treasure that I will keep for always. Thank you, Amazon, for allowing me to find this childhood delight once again!

The music, artistry, designs, and screenplay of this Pacific Northwest Ballet production of the Nutcracker are wonderful. Unfortunately, most copies of the original VHS tape release (Paramount Pictures /Atlantic Releasing, 1987) are now deteriorating (i.e. magnetic tape becomes brittle, lost of frame-sync, faded colors, distorted audio) and few if any of the original copies remain NEW (unbroken seal) or are in VERY GOOD or even GOOD condition. No DVD version has been released by the studio and the master tape no doubt still resides in the hands of Paramount. The point being that the version of Nutcracker: The Motion Picture described above by this product is a second-generation tape (a copy of a copy of the master) recorded in Extended Play (EP) Mode with degraded audio/video quality and generally poor VCR tracking. Alway query the seller prior to purchase to confirm that you are obtaining the ORIGINAL VHS release (Atlantic 1987) recorded in Standard Play (SP) Mode (full magazine of tape) and of its current playability condition. For the reason given above and my own viewing experience, not withstanding the excellence of the performance, I would award a single star to these inferior analog copies often sold, due to the continued demand, at high prices.

THE VHS VIDEO WAS ADVERTISED AS NEW IN BOX BUT DID NOT MENTION IT WAS A "GOODTIME HOME VIDEO" INFERIOR REPRODUCTION. BECAUSE WE WERE LED TO BELIEVE IT WAS A NEW AND ORIGINAL WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AS GOOD AS SEEN ON TV OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. I HAVE HIGH QUALITY SUPER VHS EQUIPMENT AND THE PLAYBACK WAS AWFUL!!! THE COLORS WERE SO FADED AS TO BE PASTEL. WE THOUGHT "ORIGINAL" MEANT THE FIRST RUN MOVIE VERSION. BUYER BEWARE!!! WE PAID AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE OF ALMOST $100

A family tradition has been to see the Nutcracker ballet performed live every year. But, the kids have grown and moved out of the house and the tradition is not followed as often as in the past. This verstion has always been the one to compare all the other performances against. The sporadic narration adds to the story without being intrusive. The camera work is a great mix of being intimate at times but still providing the feel of a stage performance. The costumes are excellent and match the stage scenery with a distinct artistic style. The music is spectacular and stands well on its own.

The DVD is in widescreen, which I had never seen before as the TV versions were in standard 4:3 when last I saw it. The widescreen format adds to the stage appearance of the film. The resolution was very good with vibrant colors and visible details free of any noticeable imperfections. The sound is crisp and clear with good depth. A much-enhanced blu-ray version would be needed for me to purchase another this again, which I would welcome. A recommended for lovers of timeless music, ballet, story, and holiday stories.

This movie is great. I have been looking for this version for a number of years. I am so glad Amazon had this one.

like all old VHS tapes, this one is a little fuzzy as expected. but it works and you get to see the whole ballet. since they filmed it as a movie, you don't get to see everything as it was on stage. i.e. you don't get to see the full troupe of dancers doing all their awesome moves as one as often as i'd like. there are a bunch of close ups that unfortunately don't allow you to get the full effect of actually being in the theater watching from the balcony, but it is worth it for me. i'll watch it each year @christmas for old times sake. we'll never get to see patricia barker dance in person again so this is the next best thing.