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Another Winner From Paris

Tony Heyes | Greater Manchester UK | 09/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Over the past few years the National Opera de Paris has produced some stunning DVDs of ballets. This latest is a reconstruction by Pierre Lacotte of a ballet that has not been seen in its entirety for many years. Of particular interest is the extensive use of mime in the second act to carry the story along. An interview with the dancers reveals how difficult they found the adoption of silent film techniques.

However, it is the dancing which makes or mars a production and this ballet has some excellent examples of Parisian technique at its finest. Both Jose Martinez and Agnes Letestu, the principals, turn in fine performances, as does Karl Paquette as one of the villains. The children of the ballet school perform admirably too, but it is the corps who are the stars of this show. They, and the sublime but brief appearance of Emmanuel Thibault, together with the surprisingly familiar music of the three composers involved, make this a DVD worth having. If one were to buy no DVDs of ballet except those of Paris one would still have a superb collection."

Paris Opera Ballet

tulip | Fort Worth, Texas United States | 02/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this DVD just because it was performed by Paris Opera Ballet, but I was pleasantly surprised and I felt like having received an unexpected nice present. It was especially nice to see the other dancers (Letestu and Martinez) where it seems like most of their performance is dominated by DuPont and Legris (They are wonderful too). I read some ballet professional critic was writing against Paquette (not for this one but for other ballet), but I thought he expressed his role very well and his dance was dynamic and suitable. Letestu was beautiful and elegant and Martinez was the typical fairly tale prince. I really enjoyed it. I hope to see this partner in other performance too."

Delighteful

Matt | RI USA | 05/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not a "ballet historian" like the other reviewer, but I'm a dancer and as much a balletomane as any, and for what it's worth, I think the DVD is delightful. The dancing, and I agree with many other reviewers here, is great. If you're looking for mind-blowing technique and virtuosity, then Paris Opera Ballet isn't the right company for you--I'd suggest American Ballet Theatre, another fine company--but if you're interested in clean technique, beautiful lines, precision, and elegance, then you're going to like this DVD."

Nice

movie buff | Seattle, USA | 11/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The video quality is superb.
Dancing is just fine. I don't know why one of the reviewers said the dancing is mediocre. This is a top class production in high quality video and audio. It's beautiful."