Theatrical Release Date:1953 Release Date:July 29, 2008 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:International shipping available Condition:BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
Product Description We will never see dancers quite like this again. Clive Barnes
The first part of this film features Galina Ulanova in excerpts from Tchaikovsky s Swan Lake. Utilizing dazzling special effects, this production takes full advantage of the artistic qualities of the cinema, rather than merely recording the event. This is truly an historical film document, for it is the only extant tape of Ulanova as Odette.
The second part of this three-part ballet film contains a most unusual event, a one-of-a kind sequence in which two of the world s greatest ballerinas, Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya, dance together in a memorable performance of B.V. Asafiev s ballet, The Fountain Of Bakhchisarai. This is the only filmed record of these two great dancers performing together and it provides a unique opportunity to compare their different styles.
The great Russian dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani, is featured in the third part of this film in a performance of B.V. Asafiev's The Flames Of Paris, which is a colorful homage to the French Revolution. This film also features the soloists and ballet troupe of the Bolshoi Theatre, and soloists, ballet troupe, choir and orchestra of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Swan Lake
Odette...Galina Ulanova
Odile...Natalia Dudinskaya
Prince...Konstantine Sergeyev
The Fountain Of Bakhchisarai
Maris...Galina Ulanova
Zarema...Maya Plisetskaya
Girzi...Peter Gussiev
Vaclav...Yuri Zhdanov
The Flames Of Paris
Philippe...Vakhtang Chabukiani
Jeanne...M. Gottlieb
Customer Reviews:
First Magnitude StarsJuly 11, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one of the greatest DVDs I own. The three selections on this DVD give us a glimpse of the magnificent talent that was hidden behind the Iron Curtain in the early 1950's. Fortunately, the film maker Gebbert Rappaport thought to preserve some of the work of these phenomenal artists.
These are compelling excerpts from the Russian repertoire. The first, Swan Lake, features the supremely gifted Galina Ulanova, whose grace, delicacy and beauty of form awarded her the title Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi. There's a bit of predictably silly Soviet animation tacked into Swan Lake, but it's irrelevant. Ulanova must have had the most gorgeous feet in the world. It's a pity there isn't a complete Swan Lake with her.
The second feature, The Fountains of Bakhshiserai, based on a Pushkin poem, is the only time Ulanova and Plisetskaya were filmed dancing together. This segment has some of the marvelous legendary Russian male power dancing that had its roots in the folk arts. Plisetskaya, who was given the title Prima Ballerina Assoluta upon Ulanova's retirement, bares her flawless midriff in an erotic dance that is so hot my television started steaming. One of factors that contributes to the splendor of the Russian dance tradition is the quality of the acting. All the participants in Fountains are fabulous actors as well as very great dancers. The scene between Ulanova and Plisetskaya is perfection.
The last segment, The Flames of Paris, is a Soviet homage to the French Revolution. It is one of the only videos I can find with the tremendous Georgian dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani. What a pity he is not well known in the West. His speed and strength are miraculous. The speed with which he spins around the stage seems to defy the laws of physics. It was as if the editor fast-forwarded the film, but he didn't - Chabukiani had superhuman velocity. There is also a wonderful dancer I had never heard of - Musa Gottlieb, a beautiful, graceful artist who knocked of 32 fouettes like it was nothing at all.
This DVD, along with Ulanova's Romeo and Juliet, Plisetskaya Dances and Plisetskaya's Swan Lake are among the crown jewels in my collection of dance videos. Most highly recommended if you are interested in historic dance, Russian ballet, or just want to see some of the greatest dancers ever captured on film.
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