SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
SnoopyStyle
Herr Drosselmeier is inspired to build an intricate mechanical creation. Clara both loves and fears her Godfather Drosselmeier which leads to both dream and nightmare. It's Christmas time and there is a grand party. Drosselmeier finally arrives with gifts for the children. Clara is fascinated with his mechanical castle but is also fearful of the needy toy maker. She is taken with the Nutcracker but her mischievous brother Fritz breaks it. Drosselmeier mends it with his handkerchief. Later that night, Clara goes downstairs to play with the Nutcracker. The mice rise up as Nutcracker leads the toy soldiers to battle.The design is beautifully done. This is essentially a stage play that has a camera following the story. Vanessa Sharp plays young Clara well. Once the movie uses the adult Clara, it becomes more of a ballet production with the camera holding further back. It never really takes full advantage of the cinematic style. It is nevertheless a good enough presentation of the iconic classic ballet.
OllieSuave-007
This is MGM's film version of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's famous ballet, The Nutcracker, filmed at Burbank Studios in California.I would watch this movie when it is aired on TV during Christmas time for several years in a role. It tells the story of Clara dreaming about her Nutcracker Prince while The Pasha tries to win her heart and delight her with musical dance sequences - Spanish Dance, Arab Dance, Chinese Dance, Russian Dance, Dance of the Clowns and Waltz of the Flowers. These sequences are probably the highlight of the entire Nutcracker Ballet.Except for the narrator, there is no spoken dialog in the movie. It is just the cast of characters dancing around the huge stage through Tchaikovsky's rich music, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Maurice Sendak did a terrific job on the art and costume design - vibrant and brilliant and not too flashy. The story is told through the unspoken actions of the cast, which I thought were brilliantly done. While no dialog, it is still pretty simple to follow the story, even if you are not familiar with the original concept of the Nutcracker Ballet.Though a majority of the movie is shown on a typical theater stage, the special and visual effects made the setting much larger than it really is and it gives you the impression you are right on stage with them. The water scene with the "floating ship" is my favorite effect. I also like how the entire movie is told from the perspective of the toymaker; the plot of the movie begins after he falls asleep on his desk and the figurines begin to dance in a large music box he just designed, which then leads to the main story. The only problem I have with the movie is that some of the dancers were not in sync with the music, especially during the "Waltz of the Flowers" sequence. Other that that, this is an overall terrific film that brings back the nostalgia and spirit of past Christmases and today.Grade A
icfarm
This is an absolutely magnificent filmed production of The Nutcracker. I would dare to say that it even surpasses the great Baryschnikov's (sp?) production, which had only one thing truly going for it that this doesn't have - him. The dancing is gorgeous, the costumes and sets are designed by the great Maurice Sendak, and the narration is provided by the fine actress Julie Harris. And the music, of course, is classic. We started out taping this off TV, but then I discovered Amazon and was lucky enough to be able to find a couple of used VHS copies for sale. I don't know if it can still be found on tape now, but if not, you owe it to yourself this holiday season to search this out on TV. You are in for a treat you will want to make a yearly tradition! Cheers.
mike-547
I feel great pity for those who have only been able to see this on film, and for the fact that this film is not available on tape or even better DVD. Living only 12 miles from the Seattle Opera House where this particular production is staged each year (to sell out houses) I have seen it both ways. The film has very few effects which don't exist on the stage so when you are seeing the film you are seeing the stage show. As for the story line, this version holds the closest to the original story of any version I have ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. Truly this is a film to be treasured and shared and hopefully the owners of the film will realize this and make it available to the general public once again.
