I thought up this topic after reading and responding to the one on specific productions. I have only seen one live production, but I have seen many more on video. So, what do you think is the best production of Giselle captured on video? The worst? The most unique?

Good question! I hope you'll post your list.

I'm sure I have more than I can remember off the top of my head -- two ABT (Makarova-Baryshnikov and the older Fracci-Bruhn), one of Seymour-Nureyev (forget the production unfortunately), the Kirov with Mezentseva and Zaklinsky, the Bolshoi with Ulanova and N. Fadeyechev (?). I have a fondness for the old Bolshoi production -- and I can't resist adding, if anyone has this one, I found Ulanova's dancing in the second act, the musical phrasing of it, very interesting. It wasn't what I was used to seeing and so, of course, the first time I saw it I thought it "unmusical." Then I started concentrating more on the dancing than the music and found her musicality--and was fascinated by it.

I like parts of the old ABT production, too, but I'm sure that's just because it's the one I "grew up" with.

There's a very interesting video about Giselle -- Anton Dolin coaching Helgi Tomasson and Patricia McBride in the roles. And another one that is, as far as I know, available at the moment only in Europe, the Danish film about the Royal Danish Ballet's production -- more the behind-the-scenes, although there is footage from the stage -- Anne Wivel's "Of Dreams and Discipline."

Alexandra, does the Fracci/Bruhn production feature Toni Lander as Myrthe? If so, I found that a fascinating video because it is much more cinematic than many of the other which are "flimed" stage performances. And Fracci makes a wonderful Giselle, totally believable in her performance - even in close up.

Yes, liebs, Toni Lander is Myrtha on that video (Bruce Marks is Hilarion). I also like this production because it retains the circles in Act II, which, to me, make it more like a ritual. (On most days, Carla Fracci is my favorite Giselle and I agree, she films very, very well.)

I absolutely LOVED Fracci's Giselle (esp Act I) and Makarova's Act II, but I also thought Stuttgart's "Giselle and the Wilis" with Birgit Keil was interesting. Also, Mats Ek's "Giselle" on video is absolutely thrilling as well. I also wonder if there are any remaining videos of Dame Margot Fontyn dancing this. I've only seen an excerpt of her dancing with Nureyev, and it was sublime.

Well, I too have seen the Fracci video, and while the dancing is superb, I actually found the cinematic effects very distracting. I much prefer Makarova and Baryshnikov, however, I have been unable to get a personal copy of it, as it has been out of print and very hard to find. :confused:
Another video worth mentioning is the Bolshoi At the Bolshoi series with Natalia Bessmertnova and Yuri Vasyuchenko in the leads, with Maria Bylova as Myrtha. Bessmertnova gives a serviceable Giselle in this one, but frankly I've seen better interpretations, and it looks as though the video was shot a bit late in her career. Vasyuchenko left me cold both dramatically and technically, and his Billy Ray Cyrus mullet hair doesn't help things any. :eek: To be fair, though, this video has the best peasant pas de deux I've ever seen, overshadowing the leads even. The Bolshoi corps is, as expected, excellent. I know of an earlier video of Bessmertnova's Giselle, with Lavrovsky, I think; has anyone seen it?
As for the Nureyev video, the only redeeming quality it has is Monica Mason's Myrtha. I've seen Nureyev in better films than this. There is no peasant pas de deux in this production, and Lynn Seymour as Giselle, for all her dramatic flair, has the same problem as Bessmertnova: she was filmed past her prime.

I have also seen Dance Theater of Harlem's Creole Giselle, which is quite interesting in that it has been relocated to Louisiana, with sets and costumes reflecting the change. The choreography is pretty much the same, and it is pretty well danced as well.

[ 04-24-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]

Ballet Nut, a high percentage of the films and videos made in the 1950s, '60s and '70s are of dancers past their prime, I think. I suppose this was because people were anxious to capture great performances in a new medium, and went for the senior artists first. Also, there are some people who simply do not film well -- and Seymour and Nureyev are two of them.

I actually like productions that cut the peasant pas de deux. It does totally break the drama -- where is Albrecht? lurking in the woods until it's safe to come back? -- and it's often so badly undercast, I can live without it

The earlier Bolshoi video with Natalia Bessmertnova and Mikhail Lavrovsky is an interesting document. It dates from the early seventies and is much preferable to the later “Bolshoi at the Bolshoi” film, as it gives a better idea why Bessmertnova was one of the greatest Russian Giselles of the last decades. The old-fashioned filming style and the sets give it somewhat of a postcard-image at times, while the very short skirts of the girls in the 1st look rather funny, but the dancing leaves little or nothing to be desired. Especially the 2nd act is breathtaking. Also some great dancing by Lavrovsky (There is no peasant pas de deux).

Has anyone seen the Malakhov video of Giselle? The video itself is of a rather poor quality; rather like something your favorite uncle taped for you on the night of your big recital. The dancing, however, is very fine. The ballerina is Ludmilla Vasileva, and the production, if my memory serves me correctly, came from Perm. None of the other dancers are credited. I thought Vasileva did a beautiful job, especially in the mad scene. Has anyone else seen it? If you have, I would love to hear the opinion of a better educated viewer.

Yes, I have this early Malakhov video, and while he is very young, he is ardent and so expressive......
I think his is one of the best thought-out and realized Albrechts....the later (1996) biographical video, "True Prince" has him working on Giselle with Yseult Lendval, and is really, really interesting to see....it's spooky and eerie and she is so insubstantial....he is just beautiful in this (which is, of course, the point.) I was very sorry to have missed him at Kennedy Center earlier this month.

I have many favourite Giselle moments, but one I must echo from an earlier mention on this thread is the exquisite pdd with Fonteyn and Nureyev. I *think* it was shot at the first performance of theirs together and it showed me so much that I hadn't seen before, mostly about Fonteyn. Exquisite.

Why has no one mentioned the Alicia Alonzo Giselle? It is very distinctive, and although one marvels at her age when it was filmed, I think it is lovely.......

You have also the "black" Giselle by Dance Theater of Harlem. I don't remember the cast.
It exist the Kirov version with Mesentzeva and Zaglinski. It's the lonely version where I saw Giselle dancing the mad scene without touch her hair. I don't find the word in english. She has her hair attached and doesn't change.
We have also one recent production of la Scala with Ferri, Murru and Seabra as Myrtha. I think peasant pdd is with Roberto Bolle and it's the same production in Paris even the sets are different.
They pass years and years ago a Giselle with Pontois and Baryshnikov at POB. It seems it exist also the version extracted of Terence young' Mayerling with Liane Daydé, I don't remember Albrecht, the version is during 1 hour and you don't have peasants pdd.

I possess an old video (much treasured) of Yekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev in Giselle. Wonderful stuff indeed - to my mind the best I have ever seen.

Balletnut, I hope you see this reply. The Baryshinkov/Makarova Giselle video IS still in print and available for purchase!

1. Go to dealtime.com

2. Click on "Movies" catagory

3. Under "title", type Live From Licoln Center - Giselle

They also have all the other versions mentioned in this thread.

Hope this helps!

I appreciate the suggestion, Yvonne, but when I tried it, the site only referred me to Tower Records' homepage, and they don't have it. But thank you anyway.

I am also a big fan of the Bessmertnova/Lavrovsky Giselle from the 70's. Lavrovsky is the best Albrecht, period. While I don't think Bessmertnova is quite up to the level of Fracci, she's still very good. And the Myrtha, production, filming and mood of video are the best of all the one's I've seen. The Bruhn-Fracci Giselle has wonderful dancing (Toni Lander) but terrible camera work. Ted Kivitt's performance in the peasant dance is all but ruined by moronic cutaways and shot selection. Bruhn is wonderful, but I still find him to be somewhat of a cold fish (have you ever seen him in a performance where you really thought he loved the ballerina?)
The Nureyev/Seymour Giselle is good, but I think Seymour is just too contemporary a dancer to be a good Giselle. She's a wonderful dancing actress, but lacks the romantic magic. And let's face it, the ballet is not called "Albrecht".
The Misha/Makarova Giselle has wonderful performances (though I don't think Albrecht is an especially good role for Misha), but I don't like the production values, and it doesn't have nearly the mood of the romantic era that 1970's Bolshoi video has. I know there are many Grigorovich detractors out there, but I think this production (even with its cuts) is a jewel.

Balletnut, what a bummer! Well....I'm on eBay frequently. The next time that video comes up for auction (and it ALWAYS does - at least twice a month), I will post here and let you know. Ebay is very simple to use and you should be able to nab the video for well under $25.00. It's (eBay) a great way to find ballet videos!

I should have checked eBay before I wrote that last post! Balletnut, there is one copy of that video up for auction NOW! The bidding starts at $11.99 (no reserve price), and nobody has bid on it yet. The auction closes on May 5th. Go to www.ebay.com and after the page loads, type in "Makarova" and your movie will come up. It's simple to register and bid - Good Luck!!!

GO FOR IT!!!!

Well, Juliet, if nobody has mentioned Mme. Alonso's "Giselle" yet, then it's my duty to do so !, considering that i just can't get enough of her and everytime i can i try to pass the message of her artistry to whoever wants to receive it ...The last Giselle i saw with her (AT THE AGE OF 73 AND NOT HER LAST ONE! ) in 1993 was as unique as every single one of the maaaaaaaaaaany others that i saw from this XX Century ballet living legend. What can i say that hasn't been already said about her "Giselles"? Only that one can't have a whole accurate idea of this phenomenom just from the 1965 B/W DVD with Azary Plisetsky. Alonso's Giselle live were different everytime you would go and see it...sometimes more shy, sometimes with a little bit more of a "flirt" and sometimes she even would make you "guess" earlier in the first act that something terrible was about to happen later on..like a secret that she shared with the public.
Why NBC hasn't released any other "Giselle" performance on DVD, like the one with Vladimir Vasiliev, is something i don't know, and it's a pity. For now, this is the only recorded version on the market, and it doesn't really describe her in this role as she deserves...

cubanmiamiboy and other friends:

Alicia Alonso's full-length "Giselle" has been captured on video or film at least 3 times. First, the black-and-white movie that was filmed not live in the former Blanquita theatre (today "Carlos Marx") in Havana. The other 2 Giselles are live performances in the Teatro García Lorca in Havana. The first of these 2 was with Vladimir Vasiliev in 1980, when the diva was 60 years old, and the second one was a Gala for the 150th aniversary of the ballet "Giselle" in 1991 where Alicia (71 years old!!!) participated with all other prima ballerinas of the company, alternating in the title role, in the same performace! I have all 3 on DVD from VHS recorded not commercially in Havana.

The last word I received this year from the people I know in Havana is that they are working on the Alonso-Vasiliev tape in order to release it commercially. It is a very hard work because they gathered all available copies on tape of that performance, all recorded from the air, and took the best preserved section from each for doing an extensive restoration of both image and sound.

Hey Mariano...you just took me back in time...i was one of the lucky people that was at the Lorca the day of that all-stars cast "Giselle" (MEMORABLE!! ), and i even remember me and my friend Bismart ( ) breaking the doors of the San Rafael entrance along with that human mass wanting to watch the performance...Anyways, back on topic, those are great news about the Vasiliev/Alonso production going on DVD . It was a brilliant duo , and it sure deserves to go public... If you get any news about it, please, let us know.

You were at that performance! I'm sorry I missed it, I was already in the USA. (I'm glad you broke the doors!).

I'll let you know if I receive any new information.

The 1980 one (with Vasiliev) has already been announced at amazon.com and can be pre-ordered, although they keep delaying the release. Maybe September '07? I keep getting messages about the estimated date of shipping, as I pre-ordered it a couple of months ago. I am sure that it will be worth the wait.

Mmmm........My favourite one is the one with Alessandra Ferri and Massimo murru.She is my favourite dancer.She has a great talent in perfectly wear the shoes of the character she has to represent.When She's on the stage,You don't see Alessandra,You see Giselle,a young peasant,innocent,at her first love,wondering about her man.And when She sees him,She's a shy little girl,embarassed and longing to stay with Albrecht.It's wonderful how She gives you all these feelings and make you understand for example that She's wondering what to say and what to do when She will meet him without speaking,if not with her body.I can't describe how well She can be Giselle.I hope You can get the chance to see the video.The couple is out of the world,really.Unfortunately She has given her last goodbye to the scene,as She's already 40 some....Everybody knows her,especially in the USA,for her partnership with Julio Bocca in what is defined her best role,"Romeo and Juliet".I'd say She's even better in Giselle and I can't forget her last ballet here at Scala:John Neumeier's "Lady of the Camelias".Perfect in partnership with Roberto Bolle.Also Carla Fracci's Giselle is perfect.And I have to say both Alessandra and Carla have their best roles in common.Sometimes You would confuse the two.But Fracci's Giselle It's in my opinion,old dance.I don't like those old videos with little arabesques,penchés at 90°.So I give you the advice to get the video of the Giselle I talked You about.

Natalia:

I searched amazon.com but could not find that announcement. There is, however, another DVD which is "Alicia Alonso: Giselle, La Leyenda", but that's another story. Do you think a link would work?

I think "La leyenda" is based on the Alonso/Plisetsky production...

I think the Royal Ballet will probably release the Giselle telecast with Cojocaru and Kobborg eventually, considering its new partnership with Opus Arte. And it's too bad that the Giselle of Vishneva and Malakhov is only available in Japan, as it preserves Vishneva's implacable, unforgettable portrayal.

Can anyone tell me which Giselle video does the best job in showing the mad scene? By "best" here I mean in terms of filming/video quality--I want to show it to a non-dance class of students and I want them to see it clearly.

Just yesterday I viewed two mad scenes on YouTube: Fracci's and Makarova's. They are starkly different. I suggest you check them out. The contrast is fascinating.

There may be others, but those two popped up first on my Fracci search (the later earlier Giselle, opp. Nureyev Bruhn), then, on the suggestions to the right of the screen, for the link to the Makarova version.

i haven't looked lately but if the filming is even 'fair' i should think that lynn seymour's performance (opp. nureyev's albrecht/loys) would be a fine example of vivid ballet acting.

i've just located my seymour/nureyev GISELLE and indeed the mad scene is well filmed and vividly rendered by seymour. for one thing, she employs a detail, which i've long thought should be standard - she seems to have the necklace somehow 'linked' to her hair-do - in this case she's still wearing her crown as queen of the vintage harvest, so when she tears off the necklace, the rustic crown (and her hairpins) all come out in a stroke, leaving her loose-haired as she collapses at her mother's feet, and thus requiring no fidgety help from distraught mum to undo her hair, pin by pin.

Oh, how I hate the pin-picking! I imagine the Seymour method can be painful, but how effective! Everything "breaks" -- her moment of glory, her trust in Loys/Albrecht, her heart, her whole world.

actually there's no 'pain' to be seen in the tearing off of the necklace. i think it would easy and not at all painful to have the undoing of the hair 'linked' somehow to way the necklace is fastened. i'm not even sure that's what's going on here, all i can say is that by removing the necklace in a perceived moment of impetuosity, seymour's crown flies off and apart and her hair comes down, w/ no further need for fussing on her mother's part or on her own part.

Sorry. The yanking of something anchored to the head -- even a bun -- might involve some pulling at the root. Whoever fixed Giselle's hair must have been pretty expert at finding that happy medium between secure enough to stay up and loose enough to fall free when tugged.

I have the Malakhov/Vasilieva Giselle and I think it is very well done. Every single dancer, principals through corps, is clearly very beautifully and carefully coached, and even though the budget is obviously rather low, it is clear that everyone worked very hard to produce a refinement and attention to detail that I've never seen in a company on this side of the Atlantic.

Last night i revisited my old Nureyev-Seymour VHS (BTW, it's never been released on DVD, right?), and indeed, the effect of the necklace/crown pulling is quite effective. About Seymor , IMO that for some reason, right from the mad scene 'till the end of the I Act, she looked as she has aged a lot to me. I think she did a great characterization of a suddenly mentally ill woman, but at the same time, when all the "joie de vivre" seems to have drained from Giselle, Mme.Seymour doesn't really convince me anymore that she is a young adolescent. I know that she was filmed way past her prime, but so were Mme.Fracci and Mme. Alonso when their respective Giselles were filmed, and i don't find this problem with them.

The Cojocaru-Kobborg Giselle is indeed very lovely. Cojocaru is entirely believable - waiflike, insecure, pathetic, utterly moving, just wonderful. And Kobborg is also wonderful. Do recommend it! Their Giselle cannot be compared to Maximova-Vasiliev, it would be totally unfair to say one is better than the other. M-V's Giselle is darker, more Gothic in feel. C & K are a young happy couple and then it dawns on them that this is not to be. Though they are totally different in atmosphere, I have found that I now have not only one, but TWO favourite Giselles. Both versions move me to tears.

I love Mme. Fracci's mad scene, but again i still stick to my favorite: Mme. Alonso /Plisetsky. Like i said earlier, this production is from 1965, but in this scene the angles a wide open, the music goes at a fair tempo, not like other productions that i've seen where it gets truncated or killed in a super fast way, and the madness is recreated by Alonso in such a exquisite way...paying attention to simple and beautiful details (like Giselle following and fingerpointing to a non existent bird, or butterfly on the air ).She doesn't overact nor she gets into frenzy runnings, like i've seen too, but simply delivers pure insanity...

How fortunate you are to have videos of Cojocaru/Kobborg and Maximova/Vasiliev Giselles. The C/K has been on my wish list for ages - I really hope they release it commercially, and soon! Based on the snippets I've seen of Maximova's Giselle I'll bet the M/V is devastating. I never saw her live and my understanding is that she was considered to be more of a soubrette than a dramatic ballerina but the clips I've seen of her in the second act pdd (from one of the Russian ballet compilations) are just stunning. Her dancing is so delicate & ghostly yet fraught with emotion. Another one I'd love to have is the Lunkina/Tsiskaridze video. But my wish list wouldn't be complete without the Fonteyn/Nureyev Giselle. I didn't even know there was footage of this till I saw some excerpts in the new Nureyev special - what I wouldn't give to own a copy of that (but even if a complete film/video exists I'll bet it was never released commercially).

Of the Giselle videos I do have, my favorite by far is the Makarova/Baryshnikov ABT video. Not only were they both such great dancers, but they had such an affinity for the roles, and great chemistry together. Also the video is from 76 or 77 and caught both of them pretty early in their post Soviet careers - just the way I'll always remember them!

so far as i can tell the only footage of fonteyn and nureyev in GISELLE is from act 2 as performed in '62, filmed by the BBC. both of p.foy's documenatries about fonteyn and nureyev respectively include some of this footage.
'perfect partnership' which i haven't seen in some time now also seems to include some of this filming.
the new york public library for the performing arts gives more than a half-dozen listings of films in its holdings that include parts of this BBC footage. i don't know of any vids that show it all. the NYPL has no separate listing for the 'full' BBC filming, however extensive that might have been.
as stated i know of no footage of the two together in act 1.
the attached, undated foto would seem to be from around '62 and shows the two dancers in act 1.

The British Film Institute holds a copy Fonteyn and Nureyev dancing the pas de deux from Act 2 of Giselle for a BBC programme, Music in Camera, transmitted on 11 June 1962, which I guess is the source of all the extracts in later films. It lasts 18 minutes.

A footnote in the catalogue of the BBC's holdings says 'This is the only film of Fonteyn dancing Giselle'.

Maybe it's the only BBC film but I think there is a pre-war amateur film of Fonteyn in act I.

As for the Cojocaru/Kobborg it should certainly be on dvd. I hate closeups but for once I was glad there were many. The dancing is beautiful but never at the expense of the story. The emoting is subtle and sincere, they both possess great theatrical intelligence and have obviously thought long and hard about their Giselle. I was left with an impression of radiant humanity (for lack of a better expression) coming from both of them.

indeed, i was reminded this weekend by alastair macaulay that there is footage from fonteyn's GISELLE act 1, opposite helpmann from '37. he seemed to think it was in part of the rambert film archive.
the NYPL seems not to have a copy of the film itself but lists that it's included in p.foy's THE MARGOT FONTEYN STORY.
perhaps the BBC meant to note that its film is the only footage of fonteyn in GISELLE opposite nureyev.

I went back last night to re watch this production, and again, i understood why do i love it. Is the "old fashioned" feeling of it...the lovely lightness of Bessmertnova, who had a beautiful body and very graceful dancing. I also love the dramatic atmosphere of the betrayal/madness scene, and the well adjusted organic corps. The dancing gets at its very best also because of the wide open stage and minimal sets. Personally, i like Bessmertnova better in Act I, wearing that cute fluffy skirt , although IMO she does a beautiful II Act too.

From a staging standpoint, I admire Maina Gielgud's production for the Australian Ballet. I remember seeing it at the Met in 1989(?), and it was completely compelling. As for the DVD, Kelvin Coe is not the greatest Albrecht I've ever seen, and Christine Walsh was considered a technically deficient dancer, though I belong to the camp that believes she had lovely qualities to compensate. Full marks to Joanne Michel's Myrtha, the corps is very good, and the production is solid in every respect.

Theoretically the Faveo/Opus Arte DVD is intended for the European and Asian markets only, but since it's a region-free disc with NTSC picture format, it's practically tailor made for North America. European "mid price" is steep by North American standards, but having compared the Faveo releases of the Australian Ballet with their fuzzier Kultur counterparts, I think they're worth the extra change.

DO videos of Cojocaru's Giselles with Johann Kobborg and Manuel Legris exist for sale? there are clips all over youtube of some of the most extraordinary danicng I've ever seen in these roles, sincere, ethereal, ravishingly imaginative dancing. THey must be segents of videos, HUH?

Cojocaru has been filmed with Kobborg and the film was broadcasted last November in the UK by the BBC. Since the Royal Opera House has acquired Opus Arte there is definite hope that it will be on DVD and for sale soon.

She has also recently been filmed for the Japanese TV with Legris and the Tokyo Ballet. I'm not sure if this has a chance to be released on DVD since there is already the Tokyo Ballet Giselle DVD with Vishneva and Malakhov.

I went over at youtube and looked at the Cojocaru/Legris videos you mention. Most are not from the japanese tv film. The production around them seems to be the Parisian one and Legris seems a bit younger in them.

Let's not forget the Ferri/Murru Giselle. Too bad it's OOP but can be found on berkshirerecordoutlet or used. Ferri is lovely, lyrical, and the production is very pretty.

I know!...I absolutely love their Giselle clips...She's the most ethereal being that i've ever seen. Actually, they were my "romantic ballets" pick in that other thread about couples and styles...

The berkshirerecordoutlet DVD is a pirate, isn't it? For quality's sake I imagine the Image Entertainment disc is preferable. I did manage to get a still-packaged disc of the Ferri/Murru for my sister some six months ago, but the supply seems to have dried up since then, and the used copies out there are selling at astronomical prices. I hope it's reissued soon because the Zakharova/Bolle La Scala performance is so awful that I can't even bear to think about it.

Incidentally, if wouldn't be my first choice, but if anyone is in the market for the Peter Wright production for the National Ballet of Canada, with Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn, buy it via Canadian Amazon rather than Amazon.com. The VAI disc of Giselle sells for some $30 on Amazon.com, but on Amazon.ca you can get a double bill of Giselle and the condensed Sleeping Beauty with Veronica Tennant and Rudolf Nureyev for $20 CAD.

http://www.amazon.ca/National-Ballet-Sleep.../dp/B0000CA1F5/

http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Giselle-Augusty.../dp/B00022LJ38/
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Sleeping.../dp/B00022LJ2Y/