Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29249 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-01-03
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Colour, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, English, French, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Synopsis
A performance by the Paris National Opera Company choreographed by John Neumeier. Recorded at the Opera National De Paris in March 2005.

Customer Reviews

I'm Speechless
This ballet is quite simply extraordinary. I am no expert in ballet (I'm only 21 and it's a big world out there) but never before have I been so moved by what I thought was a `somewhat limited' art form. Having seen productions of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (and little else before hand) I though `that was the best things could get' - and how wrong I was!
By God this ballet could almost be mistaken (it is ballet after all) as something thunderously masculine, the force of the brilliant and almost genius choreography of John Neumeier is something not to be reckoned with; it is dramatic, exotic and addictively interesting down to the most minute detail. The extremely small and quirky steps are just as thought-provokingly large as the physically large steps. With every movement a new question is proposed and you sit there in cheer fascination and bewilderment; you can't get enough of it.
The choreography combines a large number of dance styles from contemporary dance right through to the classical and/or the `French School' of dance. This production is modern, but unlike many modern productions (my expertise lies in opera) we do not have here a pointless lust for iconoclasm and experiment. The dance appears to me to be very honest and in some philosophical sense very `truthful' - I was instantly capable of making some emotional connection to technically complex yet very simple emotional ideas; the stage settings and costumes are very simple (almost minimal) which puts the focus on the dance.
What's more is that there are NO accursed tutus! - I hate the silly things! - They make dance look decorative and not at all sexy when, surely, it should be a `real' art form, as any art should be, and therefore not a decorative one. - Please correct me if I'm wrong on this and if I've missed something.
Nonetheless, the performers are fantastic, Aurelie Dupont makes a great Sylvia and she uses her beautifully seductive, Goddess-like body like a bag of dynamite, and the rest of the dancers pull off a similar magnitude. The conducting by Paul Connelly is a very clear-headed one as he makes the complex/strange melodies of Delibes into something pure and simple and therefore quite special; he creates a certain harmony with the style of the dance. The filming and sound too are excellent. The camera men can sometimes be a little too excited as it were, (which some people may not like,) but in my opinion all the actions and decisions were well justified.
This is a unique production set to fantastic music. It'll open your eyes and revolutionize the way you not only think about dance but probably art in general... what more could you possibly want? `I like ballet' - finally (not that I was waiting for it as such) I can say this and not feel like a little sissy-girl (Hahaha!). In fact I can say this and almost feel quite the opposite.

Sylvia reinvented
While watching this ballet my thoughts brought me a feeling once experienced when I stood contemplating Michelangelo's David in Florence.In fact, and mutatis mutandis, Neumeier did through choreography what Michelangelo did through sculpture: they both gave life,emotions and sensuality to beauty,revealing the essence of the human being,bringing it out from just pure yet soulless perfection.One cannot say it is a neoclassic ballet or a contemporary one.The essence of the steps is classical,the four dancers "étoiles" are true "danseurs nobles" but Neumeier reinvented all in an outstanding mix of sensuality,eroticism,colour and inner human feelings.In my opinion it is certainly a masterpiece made only possible with the involvement of Dupont,Legris,Gillot and Le Riche each of them contributing with intelligence and skill to this great achievement in ballet.Last but not the least,the extremely beautiful, colourful,sensual music of Léo Délibes,under Paul Connely direction.