I will admit to being a fan of Ballet.Mathew Bourne version of this famous ballet by Tchaikovsky is different, How you innocently ask,ALL the swans are men.. Male Ballet Dabcers are known for there perfect bodies. Thwy dance naked from the waist up, The various movements are sensuous & thrilling to watch. It has the same tragic ending & you not feel sad, as we know 2 lovers are together now forever.The 2 leads are fantastic, & the dancer who plays the Queen & a mean nasty bitch of the first order, It is quite modern in its approach as they use cellphones in one scene.See this for its fantastic dancing & glorious music. Since this is almost a documentary, there is no numerical rating given,Rating **** (out of 4) IMDb 10 (out of 10)
... View MoreThis work of art is just stunningly beautiful and powerful; I saw it performed on stage in London and bought the DVD version the next day. The soundtrack is excellent, the orchestra is well balanced and well conducted. The on-stage performances are breathtaking and moving. My only complaints relate to the vision mixing; a few dodgy camera angles and the rapidity of some of the cuts. This is ballet and although TV directors have a golden opportunity to enhance the experience by showing far more than a square-on proscenium arch shot, they should only rarely cut to anything closer than a mid-shot; certainly not for just one second, it is disorientating and it ruins the flow. Despite the fact that I think the editing leaves a lot to be desired I still give it 10 for sheer mastery in every other area.
... View MoreI saw 'Swan Lake' when I was 18 years old (a million years ago). I thought the music was pretty and the dancers were pretty and I might have wished in passing that I knew how to dance. But I never gave it or dance another thought. Fast forward to a few years ago when I was plopped down on a couch and told to watch this new all male version with a friend who had seen it in person. WOW!!!! It truly grieves me I have never seen it in person. Matthew Bourne is one cool dude and his swans are nothing short of spectacular. Adam Cooper drips a sexual tension you can feel even through the television screen. The band of carousing swans filter throughout the production sometimes in movements of dreamy poetry, sometimes in a furious fluttered heat, sometimes disturbingly aggressive - but always ethereally beautiful. The story has many facets and encompasses a lot of emotion - something I am learning Bourne and his dancers are quite keen at communicating vividly to the audience with just the slightest movement. So if you are ready to try something different...I highly recommend you try this on for size. Let go of your reservations, willingly suspend your preconceptions of what it is you think you are going to see and settle in for the ruffled feather experience of your life. These swans are hot and they really do rock. (Also see 'The Car Man' - another provocative work from the creative genius Matthew Bourne).
... View MoreThis is easily the BEST "Swan Lake" ever performed. Adam Cooper, who later made an appearance in the great film "Billy Elliot," is spectacular as The Swan, and the entire production is flawless. A spectacle never to be forgotten. Bravo!
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