Nutcracker

This has to be one of the best filmed adaptation of the Christmas classic! Talented people in front of and behind the camera, from director Carroll Ballard to choreographer Kent Stovall, collaborated to bring to life this immortal tale of magic and music.

Clara, a young girl, celebrates the holiday with her family. On Christmas Eve, her uncle Drosselmeyer gives her a Nutcracker. Unbeknownst to her, it's no ordinary Nutcracker and her normal home is transformed into a battlefield between toy soldiers and giant rats! I advise you to find a copy of this (if it's still available on video) or check your TV listings during Christmas. A film spectacle of this magnitude shouldn't be missed! It's amazing how this achieves telling a story without much dialogue, except for the narrator. The visuals are astounding, partly achieved by renowned children's author Maurice Sendak. This is worthwhile!

This is the version of the Nutcracker that I grew up watching, and fell in love with. I loved its dark undertones and its creepy aesthetic, and as an adult I can appreciate the psychology behind the production. It seems some people are put off by the darker aspects of this interpretation, but I guess it's all what you're used to; after becoming accustomed to this version, other versions made me recoil with their saccharine cuteness. If you are looking for a strict ballet performance, this might not be the film for you, as it is first and foremost a dramatic film--think of it as a fantasy movie with dance in place of dialogue. The attention to detail and the deliberate choices in the casting, costumes and props are all wonderful, as are Maurice Sendak's sets. Again, this is a somewhat off-beat interpretation of the story, and does not ever get very sugary, but its multifaceted, complex and provocative imagery is definitely pretty sweet.

We taped this off of television when I was very small, and since then one of my aunties taped over it and broke my Mom's heart. I was lucky enough to find an old library copy of it on ebay, and restore the Christmas tradition to my house. As an arts major, I'm sensible that there can't be too clean a transition from ballet to "motion picture." But I believe this film came as close as possible. It is, for the most part, a very well-taped performance of the Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker," with a few special effects and some narration. It's filmed on the Seattle Stage, and because of its movie-like qualities it can focus close on the dancer's faces and shows the great acting skills that many of them possess. I've heard a lot of criticism of the seeming obsession Drosselmyer holds with Clara, but I like it. It adds so much more the the scenes in her parent's party, and I don't think that he's got so much of a sexual yearning as he longs to connect with someone, and he loves his little niece. They shoot the family's congratulations with him when he presents the beautiful doll house, but then they all go off and leave him and, when he tries to join in conversation with Clara, she is afraid of him and backs away. Her fear of him and the sub textual sexual tension are what add to the somewhat erotic and sensual world of her dream, in the palace in Act II. Kent Stowell's choreography is the best I have ever seen in a production of this ballet, and the orchestra is amazing. I was always a huge fan of "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen," so Maurice Sendak's costumes and sets hold a very special place in my heart. And the passes des deuxes are some of the finest pairs ballet suites I've ever had the pleasure of watching. All in all, this is my number one favorite holiday film. And if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend you add it to your family's must-watch list this year. :-)

Of all the productions of the Nutcracker I've seen, this one would win my vote for best picture out of the batch. It's very well focused with regards to the actual storyline. Good thing I taped it while I had the chance.

PickMePickMe's commentary is almost three years old now, but it isn't too late to completely refute it. What was this reviewer watching? As far as the performers and dancing is concerned, this troupe has been 'fooling' the people of the US Northwest for over twenty years now with the Sendak Nutcracker. Tell it to the annual sold out performances!

As for the production itself, it couldn't be more cinematic without losing its balletic base. The Drosselmeyer toyshop background for the overture, for example, isn't even seen on stage, nor are the soaring views of Clara's living room. I could go on, but I suspect that PMPM is locked into to the wooden performances of the seventies, well represented in the current VHS/DVD world.

The overall production, as far as Nutcrackers go, is a stupendous, breathtaking affair and very accurately implies the dark E.T.A. Hoffmanesque background of the ballet.

The only letdown associated with it is the lack of a DVD, with which everyone's Christmas would surely brighten.