Customer Reviews

Prokofiev - Cinderella / Struchkova, Lediakh, Chadarain, Kolpakchi, Maximova, Bolshoi Ballet

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

 

 

First of all, this is from 1961 and is a very fine example of the Russian cinema from that period. It is in color with beautiful camera work, special effects of the period, and great acting. The camera gives us many closeups to show facial reactions. The image and sound quality are very good and typical of movies from that period. If you have been spoiled by the technical perfection of image and sound quality of today's digital products, you may not want this. I have met many people that tell me they refuse to watch any of the older movies for this reason! I, for one, am very glad to have these classics available to me(as I was growing up, I only heard about classic movies, but could never see them!). The performance, itself, is quite good with very interesting choreography. All the female parts are danced on pointe, including the ugly sisters, the mother and even the fairy godmother. We are also given the fairies of the seasons here with solos for each of them. The famous ballerina, Yekaterina Maximova, dances the role of the Spring fairy. The Prince is played by Gennadi Lediakh and he gives a very impressive performance with some extremely challenging solo variations(his opening solo includes an eleven-turn pirouette!). This was the period at the Bolshoi that was strongly influenced by Asaf Messerer(Maya Plisetskaya's uncle) who helped bring the Bolshoi into the modern age of classical technique. Cinderella is danced by Raisa Struchkova and she shows us a very convincing and spirited character. Keeping in mind that this is from a bygone era, I highly recommend it!

I was really scared to buy this after reading the other reviews. I bought it anyway and I don't regret it. The film is old but it has Struckova in it and that makes it worth it alone. Ekaterina Maximova plays the part of Spring in it and she is very young at the time of this production. Having Maximova is a bonus. Yes it is an old film,but for historic purposes alone it makes it worth it. Don't forget to buy Anyuta: Ekaterina Maximova with Vasiliev. It's fantastic.

This is a classic re-telling of Cinderella, with grimm brothers overtones. Everything from the decorative costumes and sets and creative dances are punctuated by professional traditional ballet performances. Wished there was a better version out there, but it still captures your imagination, my daughter loves the fairy dance, I love the ball scenes.

It is fair to say that this doesn't match today's standards for DVD quality video. There are some places where there are "bumps" in the tape, and the sound does have a noticeable hiss.

But...

This is obviously an important document of a very well done production concept that is truly moving. It took no time at all for me to be so carried away with the production that I didnt' even notice the obvious flaws. It is that good.

Everything about this production is enchanting--the costumes, the camera work, the stage design, and most of all the dancing. The dancing is spectacular. What takes all of this excellence to another level entirely is the absolutely wonderful acting. I would recommend this without reservations and consider it the best performance I own of the piece.

One can only feel pity for the fine dancers who got involved in this 'tacky' production with it's shabby settings ("let's put on a ballet in our barn, kids"), gaudy lighting (like a cheap carnival)mind numbing visual effects (wretched for ANY era) and confusing cutting (things appear and disappear at will) that is guaranteed to confuse both children and adults. All the best scenes are ruined by the incessant twinkling star special effects. Pass this one and (since there isn't really a good one on DVD) buy the audio CD and imagine a performance worthy of this fine score.

I could only take 5 minutes of the tape hiss before stopping the disk. The picture quality is sub par but at least watchable. But the audio is totally unacceptable. Kultur says it's a historic recording. Actually it's a Hiss Hiss recording. If I watch it again it will be with the sound turned off. There are other recording of Cinderella. Get them.

On the whole, this is a fine production, but the technical sophistication, from the Soviet Union in 1961, is about on the level of Hollywood in 1931. The camera work is weak, the film quality itself is sub-par (ours blanked out briefly), the sound track is poor to medium, and the special effects will astound absolutely no one. The box, from Kultur, gives little evidence of thought and actually proclaims that the ballet "has captured the hearts of young and old for centuries!" Centuries. In short, there are much better films available. This is recommended solely for the fine dancers and costumes.