Search - The Hard Nut (Mark Morris Dance Group) on DVD

A wonderfully twisted adaptation of a classic holiday ballet

12/26/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Morris is briliant in his adaptation of the "Nutcraker" this modern dance version is amazing to watch and will entertain people off all ages! I first veiewed this masterpeice on public tv and have been searching for it ever since. Mark Morris style can be compared to the likes of Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam. Pure candy for all the senses."

Great Retelling of the Classic Ballet

G. Minella | Whitestone, NY United States | 11/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Morris' verison of Tchaikovsky's ballet is a treat that shouldn't be missed. Updated to the 1960's and staged in what can only be discribed as a giant comic book like setting, it brings a new freshness and twist to the classic story. From the machanical Barbi Doll and Robot gifts that are brought by Drosselmeyer, to the G.I. Joes fighting the mice, to the Yule log on the TV screen its a lot of fun add to that Morris' clever and original choreography it is a great way to spend an evening. I don't think this has been shown since its first airing on PBS many years ago, and I'm glad to finally have it on DVD as my tape was almost worn out. Give it a try."

Modern version of Tchaikovsky's spectatular christmas ballet

Philip Halabi | Irvine, Ca United States | 01/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I watched The Hard Nut in my school library and it was well done. I liked how they modernized the ballet by having the dancers wear more modern day outfits rather than the old fashioned clothes in the original ballet. The idea of having a fire place burning in a tv was a great idea. The maid was great. I thought it was funny when she was playing with Princess Pirlipat when she was a baby and making faces. There are a few differences in this movie from the original ballet. One is that Marie never actually had a sister named Louise. I've read the E.T.A. Hoffman version and there is only Marie and her naughty little brother Fritz. Another difference is that the two big presents that Drosselmeyer brings are a Barbie doll and a robot instead of a ballerina and a toy soldier. Also, during the battle scene, Fritz's GI Joes fight the rats instead of the toy soldiers. In Act II, Marie doesn't go to the Land of Sweets. Instead she listens to Drosselmeyer's story of The Hard Nut which tells how his nephew got to be the nutcracker. The idea of Drosselmeyer going around the world looking for the hard nut was a pretty good idea instead of just having the representatives of each country dance while Marie and the nutcracker are seated in the original. One thing they removed is the Arabian dance. I don't know why but it didn't make a huge difference. The snowflakes and flowers are both male and female instead of only females like in the original. In the pas de deux almost all of the characters are dancing unlike the original where it's just the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier. Also, Clara does the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy instead of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The movie ends where Marie and Drosselmeyer's nephew end up in Toyland, while in the original, Marie goes back home. Overall, this was a great film."

A "Modern" version of an old Classic

Nancy Sage | Charlton, MA USA | 10/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Morris has done a remarkable job modernizing a classic ballet. The fact that he has women and men dancing various parts (including snowflakes and flowers) is marvelous. The setting is the 1960s instead of Victorian, and all of the cliches are present as well (Barbie and GI Joe, robots, sleazy party guests with bad hairdos). The dancing is creative and non-sexist. How many times do you see male dancers on pointe? The expansion of the tale beyond that of the usual Tchaikovsky version is intriguing as well. The sub-story of the "hard nut" is a ballet in itself, with Drosselmeyer as the key player. Anyone who says that this isn't the "real" Nutcracker can watch another version. We first saw this on PBS and bought the tape. We watch this more than the Barishnikov version!"