Nutcracker

Set on Christmas Eve, a young girl named Clara recounts a dreamlike evening involving her Godfather, Drosselmeyer, and an adventure with a magical Nutcracker.

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture is an adaptation of the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) production of The Nutcracker from 1983 that featured production design and costuming by Maurice Sendak. Despite Sendak initially turning down the opportunity as he didn't like the largely plotless nature of the ballet but would change his mind when company director Kent Stowell said they'd work the concept from scratch and adapt more of the themes from the source novel, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann. An immediate critical and commercial success, it wasn't long before executives from the Walt Disney Company convinced Stowell and Sendak to adapt their version of The Nutcracker to film. Filmed on a tight budget, the team had initially wanted to incorporate more elements from the Hoffmann story for the film version (namely the "Hard Nut" plot element often omitted from adaptations) but due to the rushed nature of the production and the producer's desire for something cheap for the Christmas season this didn't come to pass. Given mixed reviews from critics and largely ignored at the box office, the film mostly came and went without much fanfare. Despite not really leaving a lasting impact, Nutcracker: The Motion Picture probably ranks among the better adaptations of the ballet for film.

From the opening scenes in Drosselmeyer's workshop to the production design that features more elaborately designed take-offs on the stage production, the Sendak designed production does an adequate job of creating a surreal environment that's whimsical while also possessing some more unnerving elements. Going back to the Hoffman source novel, Sendak and company have tried and mostly succeeded in giving the largely anemic Nutcracker a more psychological bent focusing on Clara's coming of age and the distance she takes from Drosselmeyer no longer being a child. There's certainly a lot to read into there (especially since in the original stage production Drosselmeyer was portrayed as something of a "dirty old man" before being reworked as a distant loner obsessed with toys and whimsy) and it doesn't dive especially deep into that side of things, but it does add some more subtext to something that originally was largely plotless. In terms of the dancing and staging, director Carroll Ballard does a solid job of adapting the wordless stage production to film, keeping the world familiar while also incorporating more dynamic camera work and a sense of immersion in the world. The choice to keep the sets and props deliberately artificial looking may have been done due to budget reasons, but it actually does work to the film's advantage and helps immerse the viewers in the dreamlike atmosphere of the production.

For those who aren't enamored with the Nutcracker I don't think this will change too much of your stance on it, but for me personally it's probably the best way to experience it on both a stylistic and thematic level. Sendak's production and costume designs are beautifully realized emphasizing both bright whimsy and darker surrealism Carroll Ballard captures and films the dances and world quite nicely.

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. :-)

This is easily the best adaptation of The Nutcracker I've seen, on stage or film. Ballard is a great director who adapts his skills to the material. The images really flow, and the Maurice Sendak designs are at once graceful and funny and slightly malevolent (giving the material the edge it needs to avoid candyland preciousness). The critics (Ebert, Maltin, et al) really missed the boat on this one. Most of them criticized the fact that Ballard edits into the dancing. But he edits superbly, highlighting the movements that should be highlighted, at precisely the right moment. There's never a cut or a camera move that feels out of place. It's a classic--sadly neglected now (not even available on video).

This picture is billed as "Nutcracker: The Motion Picture", but really it's a cross between a movie and a live ballet performance. They make some use of the freedom of camera movement and more elaborate sets to enhance a ballet, but really it's just a ballet performance with no wait between set changes.

That said, this is pretty darn good. The dancing is excellent, of course, but I'd like to see the Kirov or Bolshoi Ballet (or even the Joffrey) do a film like this, rather than the Pacific Northwest Ballet. The sets and costumes (by Maurice Sendak, the famous author of "Where the Wild Things Are"), are superb...for a stage performance, but not for a movie. The overall effect is basically of a PBS special production of the stage ballet.

If you like the grace and beauty of the world's most famous ballet, you'll like this film. If you like Tchaikovskiy's amazing music, you'll like this film. If you like gorgeous ballerinas prancing around on their toes (and hey, who doesn't), you'll like this film. If you can't stand to sit through a ballet, you won't necessarily be converted by this film, however, but the ability to hit "pause" on the VCR and go get a beer might help.

One other thing. I have no idea if this is included in the theatrical or video releases, but when I saw this late at night on WGN-TV in Chicago, Tony Randall appears between acts and provides commentary. Why, I have no idea, but it looks tacked-on at the last minute.

Short, short summary: Fun costumes, hot chicks in tu-tu's, and good music. Everything you'd expect from a great ballet performance, but they could have done so much MORE with this as a movie...

I am one of the few people that saw this in the theater. The Ballet "Nutcracker" was very expensive to see. I was 21 and I wanted to take my niece & nephew to see it but 3 tickets would have cost about $80 back in 1986. (Around $140 in 2017 Dollars). So I saw this film being advertised in the paper. 3 tickets for this film was $12.00 and it was money well spent. Also we were only the only 3 in the cinema.

I have never seen this play before. I did not know the story. So I was like a child at Disneyland watching this. The costumes were nice bright & beautiful. The sound was an experience unto itself. I loved this film. It was not a bore. It was just a treat for the senses.

Years later I bought this on DVD and was shocked that the film looked so colorless. This film may not have been filmed in technicolor but it was a beautiful looking film. What is not out on DVD looks like the film was shot in VHS.

MGM owns this film. Since they have never released it on blu-ray I hope maybe someday that SHOUT FACTORY will. If not them then KINO LORBER or Olive Films. This is the type of release that those companies specialize in!