Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker

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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: Exempt Binding: DVD EAN: 5050467093720 Format: PAL Label: Warner Music Vision Manufacturer: Warner Music Vision Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Warner Music Vision Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2003-12-22 Running Time: 88 Studio: Warner Music Vision
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Editorial Reviews: One of his earliest pieces of choreography, Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker is also one of his most charming and imaginative. Moving the Christmas party from a comfortable middle-class home to a Dickensian orphanage whose proprietors starve their wards to spoil their own children, it then shifts to a wonderland where sweets and sugar are a none-too-subtle metaphor for sexual awakening. In both worlds, Clara (Etta Murfitt) has to struggle to be heroine, or even a participant, in her own story and her struggle for the muscular, sexy Alan Vincent with her bitchy rival Sugar (Soranne Curtin) is not resolved until the last moments of the ballet. Along the way, Bourne finds charming and sexy ways to make all of the well-known genre moments of the score fresh and new--the Chinese dancers are a bunch of daffy marshmallow girls in pink, for example, whose dance is all strutting cuteness. There is a truly stunning transformation scene at the beginning of the waltz, which like much else in the score becomes a complex ensemble in which all the character dancers have their own things to do. Bourne's Nutcracker has become a popular favourite, and deservedly so. On the DVD: Matthew Bourne's Nutcrackercomes to DVD with no additional features. It is presented in a 16:9 anamorphic ratio and has sumptuous sound in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and L-PCM Stereo that does full justice to the Royal Philharmonic's eloquent performance of the score. --Roz Kaveney
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: What a cracker! Comment: Whilst I am a big ballet fan for some reason the 'traditional' nutcracker has always left me cold. I went to see this version on stage to fill a night when my mum was visiting-I have never been so pleasantly delighted in my life! We both loved it-there was so much more of a coherent engaging story with characters that you actually felt something for (something missing from the 'regular' version). Inventive, colourful, simply fantastic! Customer Rating: Summary: Not one for the children Comment: Bought this as my 4 year old loves her ballet lessons and the Nutcracker story...however she was disappointed and baffled at the new interpretation, despite the sumptous costumes and innovative characterisation,the "coming of age" imagery was lost on her(obviously)and her parting comment was "where was the mouse king?". One for e bay, I'm afraid and I'll be on the look out for one that remains faithful to the original story. Customer Rating: Summary: An unconventional Nutcracker, witty, charming and a little naughty Comment: There's more hip and tongue action in Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker than Tchaikovsky or Balanchine probably envisaged, but nevertheless the ballet is funny, touching, original and witty. More to the point, it remains charming and innocent while Bourne brings a whole new look and style to the old perennial. This time there is no sumptuous family Christmas celebration or crowds of cute dancing tykes. We're in a dim, cold orphanage which Dr. Dross (Scott Ambler) and his wife, the matron (Emily Piercy), run with an unsmiling strictness. Their two children, Sugar (Saranne Curtin) and Fritz (Ewan Wardrop) are spoiled, snotty monsters. One of the orphans, Clara (Etta Murfitt), longs to escape. Magically, after a sad little Christmas party, a nutcracker doll (Alan Vincent) comes to life, rescues Clara and punishes Dr. Dross, the Matron and their children. Clara finds herself in an enchanted winterland. Then, with the help of two cupids in striped pajamas, she makes her way to Sweetieland, where everything, including the people, are made of candy. And here Dr. Dross is the smiling King Sherbet, the Matron is the beautiful Queen Candy and their two children have become Princess Sugar and Prince Bonbon. The Nutcracker, to Clara's wondering eyes, has become a handsome young man who looks much like the shy fellow who gazed longingly at Clara in the orphanage. After all the great Tchaikovsky dances, the party in Sweetieland comes to a close, and Clara finds herself back at the orphanage. It hasn't changed. It's as cold and barren as before. But then she sees waiting for her the young man. He ties a sheet to a bed, they toss the end out the window, and escape together. Most people, I hope, will find themselves able to do two things: First, to greatly enjoy Bourne's take on this ballet; and second, also to treasure the more conventional and superb versions by Balanchine and Baryshnikov. Bourne not only uses classic ballet, but Broadway, jive, sports and even burlesque. He's also not afraid to be a little scary. When the Nutcracker comes to life at the orphanage he has a frozen face that looks like a cross between Howdy Doody and Chucky. He lurches across the stage. In Sweetieland, however, everything that was unhappy and threatening has been turned to warmth and gaiety. The three helmet-wearing gobstoppers strut around like football stars in the end-zone, swiveling their hips and pumping the air. The licorice Allsorts do a tempestuous Spanish stomp that has Clara looking twice at where their hands land. Since everything is candy in Sweetieland, there's a lot of finger sucking and face licking, which might startle the grownups but would probably make the kids give a delighted "Eeuww." The whole thing is funny and a little naughty, but never so much that anyone other than the most prudish would be offended...certainly not kids. This is Matthew Bourne in a playful mood. For a darker look, watch his "Swan Lake." Either way, he's an immensely gifted and original choreographer. Customer Rating: Summary: Contemporary Classic Comment: Another fine contemporary offering from Matthew Bourne and as you would expect the dancing is a long way from the typical “en pointe” offerings but wonderful non the less. Clara (Etta Murfitt) is expressive, Fritz (Ewan wardrop) comic, Sugar (Saranne Curtin) sweetly spiteful and the Knickerblocker Glory is fluidly decadent and they all deserve special mention, although there are no poor performances at all. This is an excellent and beautifully danced version of a well loved ballet Customer Rating: Summary: A new and better Nutcracker Comment: I enjoyed the whole ballet enormously. The dancing, and the acting, is superb. Etta Murfitt as Clara is delightful and the supporting cast are first-rate. The ideas are fresh, funny and inventive, particularly in the orphanage scenes. I have only one small reservation: Alan Vincent, as the Nutcracker, is wonderful in the first part but, once arrived in Sweetieland, seems to lose some of his verve and to become, as a previous reviewer has remarked, just a tad 'lackluster'. I don't think people should be put off by the fact that it is not a conventional ballet, danced 'en pointe'. Personally, I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone, whatever their age, and whatever their taste in dance. More Reviews