Search - Bizet - Carmen Ballet / Mikhail Baryshnikov, Zizi Jeanmarie on DVD

Too young and too old...

danny loya | 03/11/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"First of all - it's a good ballet. Very nice music, some examples of virtuosity Baryshnikov style, nice corps, and some very nice pieces of choreography . However, there are some flows: The choreography - Petit does it sometimes. you see great variations , original movements, and suddenly, out of nowhere , something weird and off-putting , that leaves you wondering what t'hell happened just now... . There are several examples of this phenomenon in this ballet. Baryshnikov - is young , arrow sharp (check out the first act solo ) , and if it was another dancer I would write he was very good. However, he is not your ordinary dancer , and should answer to a higher (probably the highest) standard of criticism. The main problem is that he is just too boyish, and a certain lack of authority is evident . when he grew older Baryshnikov has improved considerably in this respect . So it's a shame we ca'nt see him about 6-7 years older. carmen herself - is just too old. she ca'nt keep up with the others. besides that - I do'nt like her (somtimes cabaret like) style of dancing."

Sadly, I hardly ever watch it.

Michele | New York | 09/04/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"For Baryshnikov fans, this particular ballet does not showcase Misha's virtuostic gifts. Roland Petit's choreography is over-the-top throughout the ballet. In some of the dance sequences, the corps de ballet speaks (in French, of course). This makes a serious story come off silly which was probably not Petit's intent. For such a natural dancer as Baryshnikov, he looks somewhat uncomfortable in the choreography although the role of Don Jose fits him quite well. Zizi Jeanmarie does not make a convincing Carmen at her age and the chemistry between Baryshnikov and Jeanmarie is lacking. For Baryshnikov fans, "Don Quixote" or "Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra" will more likely please you."

Poor Teaming Because of Age Disparity

Avid Reader | Hong Kong | 02/25/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Carmen is a great ballet with the talented Roland Petite as choreographer. I first watched ZiZi dance it in The Black Tights when I was a teenager. I thought she was fabulous then -- sexy, sultry and seductive.Her technique was flawless. Now decades later, when I watched her again dancing with Baryshnikov, I couldn't help sighing sentimentally,' Ah, the cruelty of passing time!' Faded is her beauty,gone is her vibrancy and allure, missing is some of the difficult and fancy footwork which makes the ballet so pleasing and exciting. Why did they put her opposite the golden Adonis? The age disparity is made more obvious. There is a lack of spark or passion between them. It is unconvincing that he is madly in love with her.It makes sense that The Paris Opera Ballet makes 40 the mandatory retirement age for their ballerinas since more or less they will lose their stamina. If you had watched the video 'Ballerina: Karen Kain 'in which are excepts from Carmen, you would understand what I mean and would not think of me as being harsh and unfair. There are so many productions of Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote ...etc in Video and DVD. Why is there only one Carmen? I really look forward to seeing more."

Of little interest...

TerretYeth | Eugene, OR | 07/02/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"While any ballet featuring Mikhail might be reason enough to watch it, this work might be the exception. Very little of the choreography is appealing and the sets are very bland. This is the drabest Spain I've seen pictured in a good while. Mikhail acquits himself nicely, but sadly Zizi does not. While perhaps an expressive and talented dancer in her heyday, here she appears to be afraid of injury and never really stretches herself. You can see the concentration on her face as she prepares for simple back attitudes. She has an adequate port-de-bras, but her shoulders, so pivotal to Spanish dance, barely twitch when they should shimmy. Carmen was a vivacious gypsy, but Zizi gives us a merely brittle, hesitant gamine with a toothy smile. She is acting like hell, but it is not enough to cover her flaws."