Bolshoi Ballet: Swan Lake

This dvd contains a re-mastering of the 1976 Bolshoi performance of Swan Lake, most noteworthy for the dancing of Maya Plisetskaya. In this dvd you will see better ballet dancing than you will see anywhere. The dancing is amazing. Maya Plisetskaya almost "becomes" a swan when she dances. Alexander Bogatyrev is also amazing. However, there are some things you should know before you buy this dvd.1. My greatest criticism is for the poor quality of the film. I don't know if this was due to the original film or to a failed attempt to make it look newer by remastering. As the dancers move in the light, yellow changes to purple changes to yellow, and white changes to yellow and back to white. The only places this does not happen are the night scenes. It looks like a 1950s color film that has aged poorly.2. The choreography and plot details are slightly different from what most of us are used to in Swan Lake. For instance, Siegfried does not roam the lakeside with a crossbow. The focus is on the dancing, and this version lacks some of the dramatic tension that other performances create. There is one plot modification at the end, though historically Swan Lake has had several different versions of the ending. Some of the stylistic differences in this version are in fact quite creative, and all of the scenes by the lake have a kind of magical realism that is very effective.

Maya Plisetskaya is outstanding. Shot in the 70's, the videography can be dark, moody and difficult to see at times. (while at the lake)

The Ballet is beautiful and I am grateful to have it.