Vanessa Williams Movie:

		List Price: $29.99		Label: BBC / Opus Arte Salesrank: 29139 Released: November 20, 2001
		Our Price: $21.07
		Used Price: $29.13
		MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: DVD

The Nutcracker/ Cojocaru, Dowell, Royal Ballet Reviews:
Excellent Production and Dancing
2008-12-29 - This ballet is incredibly well done. The sets and costumes are amazing and very ethereal, and the choreography is excellent. Yoshida as the Sugar Plum Fairy is excellent, and although she's partnered with a rather tall man, they keep time together beautifully. Their pas de deux is executed beautifully and passionately. Their chemistry is palpable. I agree with the reviewer who mentioned that the insertion of Clara into every possible dance was a bit of overkill, and I have to say I recognized her star quality but didn't fall in love with her as I did with Yoshida's Sugar Plum Fairy.

Overall, I would recommend this version to anyone interested in the ballet.

Yet Another Nutcracker-Oh Why Not?!
2007-11-30 - I agree with some of the assesments made by reviewer Ivy Lin, above, however, I disagree with others. This production of the beloved Christmas classic by the Royal Ballet does indeed incline more to the older Russian than the later Balanchine interpretation, which is more familiar to American audiences. I happen to prefer the former. I also agree with Ms. Lin that the dancing of Alina Cojocaru is one of the chief pleasures of this very traditional and pleasing production, which is everything a Nutcracker ought to be, including the obligatory boring turns by parental figures in Victorian clothes and tiresome little boys. Cojocaru is particularly gorgeous to watch once she takes off the little-girl dress and earmuff hair-do at the end of the first act, and gets to really, REALLY dance. Cojocaru's technique IS beautiful. Yes, she is all long etheral limbs, big jumps, arched back, beautiful feet, and expressive hands. Curiously, and here is where I disagree with Ms. Lin, Cojocaru shares another trademark that sometimes accompanies all those wonderful characteristics of Russian-school training (Cojocaru is Romanian): a bit too much awareness of just how appealing those extravagant extensions, that back-arching, and those gamboling, coltish limbs are. In fact, all that coltish, ethereal, arched-back, long-limbed gamboling got to be a bit tiresome for me at some point, especially as Anthony Dowell, attuned no doubt to the wishes of his audience vis-a-vis his new star, allowed Peter Wright, the choerographer, to insert Cojocaru into every single place in the choreography that he possibly could, including places where Clara traditionally doesn't dance: the dance of the Snowflakes, the Chinese Dance, the Russian Dance, the Waltz of the Flowers, etc. I'm sure the soloists in those pieces were just THRILLED to find their brief moments in the spotlight dimmed by the omnipresence of Cojocaru, whether she belonged there or not. I found myself muttering, "Enough already!" There WERE other dancers worth watching on stage, notably the chief Rose Fairy, Zenaida Yanofsky, in Wright's verision of the Waltz of the Flowers. A tall, elegant dancer with beautiful legs, a huge jump, and outstanding technique, Yanofsky was a great pleasure to watch - I would have preferred to watch her go on dancing rather than to see her coyly bringing Cojocaru back to center stage. By the end of the Waltz of the Flowers, it was, in my opinion, rather a pleasure to turn from the adorable, ethereal,coltish, gamboling Cojocaru to the more regal dancing of Miyako Yoshida, the Sugar Plum Fairy. In response to Ms. Lin's criticisms, it certainly wasn't Ms. Yoshida's fault that the tall Darcey Bussell pulled out and the short Ms. Yoshida was called upon to substitute for her, and dance with the very tall Jonathan Cope. Both are compleat professionals: they did their jobs and did them well. Yoshida IS a bit too short for truly great line, but she nevertheless turned in a lovely performance, with beautiful phrasing and great security, and her solo in the big pas de deux was faultless. For me, far from being a painful contrast to Cojocaru, Yoshida's more womanly presence was just as pleasurable to watch; there is room in the world for accomplished dancers who are not ethereal, long-limbed, back-arching, gamboling, coltish wonders (whose style would have been inappropriate as Sugar Plum Fairy, anyway). Ivan Putrov, the Nutcracker and Clara's dream prince, is worth st least as much attention as Cojocaru. He was wonderful: his technique blended power and elegance, with high jumps, crisp turns, and gorgeous legs. He was a sympathetic dramatic presence and a fine partner. As one expects from the Royal, all the set pieces were well-danced and expertly mimed. As for Anthony Dowell's cape-waving as Herr Drosselmeyer, really, it's "Nutcracker" and Drosselmeyer - what do you really expect in the way of character development?! The sets are beautiful, as are the costumes, the Christmas angels, the special effects, and all the soloists. This is just what a Nutcracker should be. I enjoyed it immensely and rewatch it at least twice each Christmas season.

Es un clásico muy bonito.
2007-09-16 - La version es antigua, pero es muy bonita, el vestuario, los bailes, las variaciones. La disfrutamos mucho.

great ballet!
2007-08-12 - I love this DVD! I have loved The Nutcracker story since I was a kid, and was pleased with how this story unfolded. Despite other reviews, I did not find that Drosselmeyer waved his cape around too much, I thought that it fit his role, and without it he would have been lacking something. I also thought that the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince went together well, and showed a lot of chemistry. I thought that they each fit their roles wonderfully! I have already watched this ballet several times, and my two daughters (ages 5&2) have even sat and watched a good portion of it with me. I am very pleased with my purchase.

Beautiful and Enchanting Nutcracker
2007-01-20 - This is one of my favorite versions of the Nutcracker. Unlike the opinion of the previous reviewer, I was totally enchanted with Miyako Yoshida as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She is my favorite in this role and is simply breathtaking. She gives this role more grace and life than many who have danced this role. The set and costumes are lovely and, in the usual style of the Royal Ballet, the overall performance is superb!