Swan Lake (1998)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Alexandre Tarta
Music Composed by Pietr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography and Staging by Patrice Bart
Starring Steffi Scherzer, Oliver Matz, Bettina Thiel, Torsten Handler, Jens Weber, and the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin

Features:

• Liner notes booklet
  

Released by: Art Haus
Region: 1
Rating: NR, safe for all ages
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: At least rent it.

Swan Lake is one of the best-known and most perennially loved ballets in history. The story is well-known: young Prince Siegfried, while out hunting one day with his friend Benno, discovers a hidden pond, where he spots and immediately falls in love with the beautiful, but mysterious Odette. Quickly, we learn that Odette is herself a princess, and she and her court of attendants were all cursed by an evil sorcerer to be swans, except when the moonlight falls upon them, when they get to walk as women again. To break the curse, Odette must find and win a true man. Siegfried, of course, is more than willing to be that man, but the course of true love never does run smooth. The evil sorcerer, von Rotbart, soon learns that Siegfried bids fair to unravel his evil designs and puts forth his own daughter Odile, the spitting image of Odette, to confuse Siegfried.

Choreography and stage director Patrice Bart has chosen to lead the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin in a version of Swan Lake, based upon the work of Petipa and Lew Iwanow, a bit different than the traditional version. In this version on this disc, there are a few changes, such as Benno’s love for his friend that goes beyond even the truest friendship, as well as the ending. Instead of proving himself true and a good future king, Siegfried accidentally pledges himself to Odile after having met and engaged himself to Odette, which confirms the curse and dooms both Siegfried and Odette to death--but not before Siegfried kills von Rotbart in a duel, who is, incidentally, also a government minister in this version, as opposed to the traditional knight.

The disc comes with a lengthy program booklet that explains each act, though in this case, the dancers are plenty skilled at conveying meaning and emotion, making such a booklet unnecessary. The booklet is in several languages and is quite detailed.

The performances are extraordinary. The onus is on the male dancer to be both muscular and graceful, and any weightlifter can tell you that this is one combination that the male body does not easily achieve. This show has several dances that tax the male leads to the extreme, and each man does right by the choreography.

The lighting of this performance also deserves a specific mention. The fantastic final company swan dance in its blue filter is a bit heavy-handed, and yet terribly effective. The last shot of the lonely Queen, her life in ruins around her, in a red and then blue filter is also incredibly moving.

Viewers who are staunch traditionalists still might enjoy this version of the ballet; however, ballet fans who resent the intrusion of the typical angst and tragedy of opera might be well-served to seek another rendition. This version is much darker and the lack of a happy ending might upset some fans. On the other hand, if you are new to ballet and have no feelings one way or the other about dueling versions, then you will love this ballet; it does an excellent job of staying true to the sheer ethereal elegance of the prima ballerina and highlighting the pinnacle of human physical perfection and dedication to craft. At heart, this has the perfect way to showcase the pure, heartbreaking beauty of ballet, and no piddly plot changes could ever stop that. If you don’t think you like ballet, then you owe it to yourself to see this one, and then you’ll realize that if you love beauty, then you love ballet.