22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Galina the Great, June 28, 2000
This review is from: Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet / Ulanova, Bolshoi Ballet [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The first time the Bolshoi Ballet came to San Francisco, my mother didn't buy me a ticket because she thought I was too young to appreciate it. When the company returned, Galina Ulanova was no longer dancing! Fortunately, videos such as this one exist. Ulanova was truly a great artist.
This 1954 film is a feast for the eyes, as the costumes are gorgeous and the indoor and outdoor locations are spectacular. Though there's no mention of it in the credits, it appears to have been filmed in Verona, Italy (or at least a city that looks very much like Verona).
A major flaw in the film, for those who are familiar with the Prokofieff score, is that there are many cuts in the music, some of them quite awkward, particularly in the market scenes. As a result (I believe) of the cuts, Romeo (Yuri Zhdanov) has almost no dancing except partnering Juliet. Despite this problem, I give this video five stars because of Ulanova's beautiful, moving performance.
The Bolshoi version is an interesting contrast to the Royal Ballet's 1966 version, starring Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. Both are excellent.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One more victory of the humanity, portraying a true love, April 27, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet / Ulanova, Bolshoi Ballet [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The eternity is not the destination for everyone. Galina Ulanova is one of the few who will always be livng in the people's hearts. Not because she was the most famous and celebrated ballerina of her time, but because of her purity, beauty and bounless dedication to the art.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More should be made of this production!, June 19, 2010
I feel a need to add a review to call attention to the amazing spectacle of this filmic version. Others have commented on fine points of Ulanova's dancing, on the charisma and natural exuberance of her personality. What isn't mentioned, adequately, is that this is a superbly directed, choreographed spectacle involving intricate, complex interactions of a cast of hundreds in naturalistic outdoor, as well as indoor settings.
This disc had sat on my shelf for a number of years, in a laserdisc version. After seeing the Blu-ray Royal Ballet disc recently with Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta (which is incidently superb) I was inclined to go back and see the Ulanova version again for comparison. Frankly, I was blown away by how well the Ulanova film holds up. More should be made of this very exciting production!
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