Product Details

• Actors: Natalia Bessmertnova, Irek Mukhamedov
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Arthaus Musik
• DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Run Time: 136 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002TXSSA
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,078 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bolshoi at the Bolshoi, March 14, 2005

By	Kevin Lew (sf,ca) - See all my reviews

The leading roles are given their well deserved accolades. It would be a disservice not to acknowledge the superb performances by the dancers protraying Mercutio, the best friend; Tybalt, the angry young man, with their respectively powerful death scenes; and the nurse. One cannot help but see how well the dancing is matched to the music. Very energetically charged and at the same time emotional and heart rending. Apparently very demanding both for dancers and orchestra.

As a high school student, I visualized the story through the music without the benefit of seeing the ballet dancers. As such, imo the orchestra is a bit sloppy with quite a few errors. That took away the fifth star.

I am going to look at other performances with the music true to its original form and make my own comparison. Hope this helps.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For serious students and balletomanes only, June 26, 2006

By	kaream - See all my reviews

Having seen most of the available DVD versions of Romeo and Juliet, I still greatly prefer the more traditional MacMillan choreography, which sticks closely to Prokofiev's original conception in his scoring, to either Nureyev's idiosyncratic 1995 Paris National Opera, with Loudieres and Legris, or Grigorovich's radically revisionist 1988 Bolshoi, with Bessmertnova and Mukhamedov.

I'm not a dancer, and leave appraisals of technique and skill to other reviewers. For all I know, this late-Soviet-era Grigorovich Bolshoi production might be a dancer's delight, but it's performed bare-stage with dim lighting, uninspired costumes, acting which -- unless you count a lot of stern looks -- generally ranges from poor to nonexistent, little comprehensible story line, and a musical score frequently so pushed, pulled, and twisted out of shape (and at times simply badly played) that the film's middling audio quality and inattentive camera work are the least of its problems.

Of the three productions based on MacMillan that I know, the 1984 Ferri/Eagling Royal Ballet is the least desirable, but not at all bad. The 2000 Ferri/Corella La Scala is superb in all respects -- dancing, acting, 'chemistry', sets and costumes, orchestral conducting and playing, and filming -- but my personal favorite remains the 1966 Fonteyn/Nureyev Royal Ballet, despite Kultur's failure to bother with a needed remastering. Fonteyn at 46 shows some ravages of age for a 14-year-old, but she remains a strikingly beautiful woman, and she inhabits, rather than 'plays', the role of Juliet, with utter conviction. In this same 1966 production Paul Czinners' film direction is flawless, David Blair as the mocking Mercutio is the best on film, and Desmond Doyle's depiction of Tybalt's cold haughty rage, in his every stance and expression, is a wonder to behold. The entire fight scene is a major highlight of this production, putting all other versions to shame.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romeo & Juliet, March 18, 2007

By	Gilles de Rais (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

Of a half-dozen Bolshoi performances from the 1980's that I've seen on DVD so far, I give this one the most points in all categories. You can't get better than Bessmertnova & Mukhamedov working as a team, with Mikhail Sharkov and Aleskandr Vetrov in large supporting roles. The chemistry across the entire cast, as well as the artistry, is superb. It also has some wonderfully inventive choreography.

I thought all the dancers acted out their roles very well (Vetrov is shamelessly hammy here, but it works), and the plot line was laid out very clearly with no wastage on the type of interminable filler scenes that you get in many other ballets. The black background allowed them to do the frequent scene changes (by suggestion) without distraction or interruption. With good colorful costumes and effective lighting, I didn't miss the scenery.

A terrific performance, and a must-have for anyone who's a fan of any of the principal dancers.