| | |  | Dance DVDs | Home » » Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake / American Ballet Theatre, Murphy, Corella | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Marcelo Gomes, Gillian Murphy, Angel Corella | | Format:
| Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Image Entertainment | | Run Time:
| 117 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| October 04, 2005 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 38 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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2 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Swan Lake visits Hollywood?Jun 28, 2009
Having seen numerous versions of this work I bought this one on the basis of the many positive reviews, missing that it had been a tv performance transferred to dvd.I should also have picked up on the negative reviews because my perception is that they were accurate, and that those well experienced in this dark work will see too many shortcomings to want this version added to their dvd library.As a record of the principals' performances yes, but little else as the structure is flawed and the work as a whole suffers.
I never like to be critical of a production that involves so many people working hard,and if I had seen this on tv would have enjoyed seeing it as another take on the piece but when it comes to paying for a performance by professionals then objectivity rules.E.g.,the introduction by JFK and explanation of the story by Caroline Kennedy was clearly for an American tv audience and is superfluous otherwise,while the 'intermission' breaks the flow with its interviews of the principals which cuts across the roles they are playing.Both were better left to a dvd bonus features category. The added prologue contributes little except to reveal how silly Rothbart (A) is going to be,while running the end of Act 3 straight into Act 4 rushes the conclusion which is exacerbated by the cuts that have been made. These and the other major cuts in the piece are very disappointing and if the reasons were due to tv constraints as has been suggested, then as a consumer buying a dvd of a major four act ballet (and not viewing it for free) that is unacceptable.
In that context the experienced viewer looking for an integrated convincing and emotionally engaging performance will find more complete and better versions elsewhere.The leads are very talented dancers and go through the steps precisely, but in this work fine technique is never enough and only Rothbart (B), Marcelo Gomes,lit the stage with the emotional charge that should complement each principal's role. The interpolation of a dance for him in Act 3 was a notable highlight (in spite of his costume) but also a reminder of what we were missing otherwise.The naturalistic sets (apart from the Act 3 throne room) were not good, but tolerable if you were focussing on the dancers,as on the occasion when I saw the Bolshoi entrance an audience on a bare stage with only an accompanying piano and cello. But the element which did the cast no credit at all was the stage being starkly over-lit with no attempt at atmospheric mood changes (probably again for HD recording purposes).Given that stage lighting is an art form in itself this was a major flaw which was too hard to ignore, exposing as it did a welter of unnecessary detail that broke the theatrical illusion essential to any stage production,especially in closeups.The dancers deserved better.So my summary would be- this version is pretty,brittle,over-bright,badly cut,precisely performed if un-engaging and another fiddled with for little added value-verging on being a Hollywood musical without the songs.Mention has been made of generic costuming which is colourful but much of it better suited to the Kingdom of the Sweets scene in The Nutcracker.Certainly notable for the most heroic dives ever into the lake at the end,and the surround sound is excellent but the conclusion with sun ascending is pathetic (and a relationship to a particular national flag hard to ignore) so in retrospect no matter how much I enjoy this work I would have passed on this version.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 I like this version best.Mar 29, 2009
I watched many clips on youtube performed by more than 30 different schools, I like this one best. I bought one from amazon and love it.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
This Lake SparklesFeb 18, 2009
This American Ballet Theatre production of Swan Lake is thrilling, even for someone who has seen at least fifty Swan Lake productions in her life! Corella and Murphy are emotionally and technically brilliant - the pas de deux in Act III is breathtaking. Highly recommended for all ballet fans.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
My favorite performance of Swan LakeFeb 17, 2009
This is my all time favorite performance of Swan Lake. The dancing is flawless with many great stars in this one rendition including Murphy, Angel Corello, Marcelo Gomes and Herman Carnejo. Just watching Carnejo's jumps with the loft he gets is reason enough to get this DVD, but add in Murphy's exciting dancing with her energy and twists and it is unbelievable. Angel Corello with his handsome physique, graceful dancing, well acted facial expressions and incredible charm is an added treat. And then there is the tall, dark and handsome Brazilian star, Marcelo Gomes, in his beautiful purple and gold princely costume with a strong performance of his own. I loved the entire DVD, and have gone back to watch several parts of it over and over many times. In addition, the beautiful music, the richness of colors of the costumes and the majesty of the sets in the Kennedy Center really give this DVD a fresh appeal that sets it apart from older versions of this ballet. There are also revealing interviews with Murphy and Carnejo which really show how humble, charming, and polite they are, which are not qualities you see in many of today's stars in Hollywood. Add to this the pointent and bittersweet remarks of the late President JFK in the opening, and you have a Swan Lake performance that must be added to your collection, even if, you have enjoyed other Swan Lake DVD's previously.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A common man's point of view.Feb 06, 2009
I've had this ballet for quite a while, meaning to write a review on it, but just haven't gotten a "round tuit". If you have never gotten a "round tuit" (There is such a thing), you have not missed a heck of a lot. One of the most important things I wish for you to "get" is, that you should NOT believe everything you read in these reviews (even mine), because they are ALL debatable opinions. Some people give poor reviews because of meanness, I think. One reviewer gave this production a one star rating, then admitted that it included three of the greatest ballet stars "in" this planet. (Statement found in his comment on J. Erickson's review of Swan Lake by the ABT)
A lot has been said about how short the last act is in this version (10 minutes). It IS short, but everything is said (in the the last act) that needs to be said. The whole story of the last act is there, and it has some of the most heart wrenching music Tchaikovsky ever wrote.
You will not find more beautiful sets and costumes in ANY other ballet DVD. The resolution on this DVD is superb, not to be a HI-DEF DVD. Color and lighting is spectacular, but someone did complain about the lighting being too bright in the lakeside scene. I thought it was good. I like to SEE my ballerinas. Gillian Murphy (Odette/Odile) is one of the most beautiful females "on" this planet. Using her own words, she IS soft and vulnerable as Odette, she IS wickedly beautiful, seductive, and completely dynamic as Odile. I have eight versions of Swan Lake, and this is my favorite, even with the short fourth act. In my three Russian versions, none use mime, except when the Prince's Mother tells him he has to get married and pick out a bride. This version uses mime to great effect, and the arm and hand movements are a beautiful art form along with all the other body movements of ballet. Mime helps tell the story. For instance Odette tells Siegfried (Angel Corella) that her tears (and those of the other Swan-Maidens) formed the lake they inhabit. Since the lakes all seem to be quite large, one wonders how long it took to fill them, and since Siegfried went hunting swans with a crossbow, one wonders how many beautiful Swan-Maidens have been slain over the years. We really get involved in our fairy tales, don't we?
A lot of experimentation is found in Swan Lake, and this one is no exception. Yes, people even complain about the use of dance in the prologue, which in this version shows our beautiful Maiden being abducted by a horrible swamp ogre who can transform himself into a suave and debonair Von Rothbart, who transforms her into the Swan-Maiden Odette. Another innovation in this version is the use of a May-Pole in the first act. The girls dance around the May-Pole using ribbons which get so tangled up it's hard to believe they would ever get them untangled, but seeing is believing. Also seen in the first act is the fabulous Fredrick Franklin who is over ninty years old but, still on stage in ballet, playing the part of Siegfried's Tutor. You can see him in the great documentery, Ballets Russes......Ballets Russes
Von Rothbart, played by Marcelo Gomes really mesmerizes all the women in the third act, even including the Queen Mother, played by Georgina Parkinson (formerly with the Royal Ballet). She plays Roseline in Romeo and Juliet......Romeo and Juliet (Royal Ballet)- Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn........ Von Rothbart is very suave and handsome, so I suppose it's normal that all the prospective brides swooned over him. The Russian Dance was a great piece of music for him to dance to, and he was very good, but didn't steal the show, as some have inferred. If anyone stole the show, it was Gillian Murphy, as the Black Swan Odile. She was absolutely magnificent, with those long beautiful legs, and a beautiful figure as well. She said it herself, she was wickedly beautiful.
In the last act, your heart goes out to Siegfried as he tries so desperately to get to his Odette to seek her forgiveness. His desperation is written all over his face. When Odette reaches the lakeside and is about to jump to her death, her heartbreak is also apparent, but she rushes to Siegfried to ask him how he could break his oath. She is so disappointed that she cannot look him in the eyes, so she hides her face from him. He asks for, and receives, her forgiveness but it is too late, so using all the normal mime gestures, she tells him she must kill herself. By then it looks like the curse has already been broken, because the other Swan Maidens have quit obeying the sorcerer, and have begun trying to protect their Queen, but still Odette sacrifices herself with Siegfried following her, to celebrate their love together in paradise.
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