So much average

Excellent but underrated film

A Major Disappointment

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The biggest shame of this motion picture production of the Nutcracker Sweet is that it hasn't come to DVD or Blu Ray yet. Of all the other versions commenced to film, this is the only one you'll find that stays true to the original. You see, the version that most people are familiar with has suffered from having its entire second act greatly watered down to the point of where it has become ballet for the sake of ballet, which wasn't the case at all. Bits and pieces of the original's first act subtly suggest that Uncle Drosselmeier is inappropriately sweet on young Clara. Not overtly, but it's there. The second act then becomes a battle between Drosselmeier and the Nutcracker Prince to see who can impress her the most with the dances and spectacles they put on for her entertainment, both hoping to be the winner of her affections. Of course the Nutcracker Prince wins in the end, so nothing inappropriate or incestuous happens. But given her uncle's somewhat more overt overtures, most directors play it safe and yank the entire story behind the ballet of the second act to make it more family-friendly, hence why other versions are usually what they appear to be; ballet for the sake of ballet, forsaking any continuation of the story except for the prince and Clara living happily ever after in the end.The version put on by the Pacific Ballet Company captures The Nutcracker the way it was intended to be seen in this production. And contrary to how it may seem at first blush from the description above, it does not come across as creepy or inappropriate at all. Quite the contrary; the movie's feel is as romantic as it is entertaining and even humorous in places. All the restored second act does is affirm that though the Rat King may have been the protagonist of the first act, it is Herr Drosselmeier who is the true villain of the story trying to keep our two love-smitten leads apart so he can have Clara for himself, though ultimately in the end it is Clara's choice. Drosselmeier's bid for her affections is rejected and she and the Nutcracker Prince dance in celebration of their new found union, both living happily ever after... or do they? Personally, I absolutely LOVE this version. I love it so much that every year about this time I start shopping around on the Internet to see of a DVD copy can be found... and every year I'm disappointed to see that it just isn't out there. My commitment to getting a fresh copy of Nutcracker the Motion Picture is so strong, should it be released on Blu Ray instead, I will go out and buy a Blu Ray player just so I can enjoy this film the same day. But as I said in the beginning, one of the studio's powers-that-be had decided not to have Nutcracker The Motion Picture be produced in any modern medium. And given that the old VHS tapes have aged and eroded, as it stands now (October 3, 2009), your best bet to catch this is around Christmas time on basic cable, (I give it a 15% chance that Encore will carry it), and even then you'd best keep an eye out for it because it will only air once or twice that year.

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.

I'm one of those people who think classical ballet is dull, dull, dull. It's not the music. I never get tired of listening to Tchaikovsky's ballet scores - `The Nutcracker' is something I can enjoy in any mood - and I have different kinds of fondnesses for Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Delibes, Khachaturyan, et al. But what's the deal with the dancing? If storytelling is the point, then the dance is a remarkably inefficient means to that end; if some kind of pure expressionism, it's too earthbound and formalised. I'd much rather watch an orchestra.In any event, transferring classical ballet to the cinema screen is a daft idea. (Not that I have a quarrel with a film ABOUT classical ballet - that's a different thing altogether.) It's like filming stage productions of Shakespeare. Shakespeare can survive, intact, in the cinema; but only if one throws out the whole apparatus of the theatre and starts thinking of the cinema screen. Tchaikovsky's ballet music, too, can work on the screen. For proof look no further than the Nutcracker sections of `Fantasia', which are so good I think they're the kind of thing the music was REALLY meant to accompany, all along.`Nutcracker' looks at first as if it will be a cinematic treatment of the score, with no connection to stage-bound dancing - but this hope is dashed within the first quarter hour or so. The second act in particular is just a stage presentation with extra-lavish effects. But then, unless one is prepared to be REALLY radical (the way Disney was), what else is there to do? The other thing that dooms the project is the disjointed nature of the narrative behind Tchaikovsky's ballet, the second act being just a succession of dances without a plot. Tchaikovsky had to push himself to wring any decent music out of the material.I'm not being hard on the dancers, the director, or anyone: I think they've done a first-class job, given the impossible task they've set themselves. But when I saw `Nutcracker' I'd already seen `Fantasia'. Nothing will now convince me that a screen version of classical ballet is a good idea.