Sylvie Guillem ballets on DVD

[garybruce]

Does anyone know if Sylvie Guillem is in any full-length classical ballets on DVD? I've failed to find any. She's been dancing since 1984, so I thought POB or the Royal would have put out several of them.

[Joseph]

Just real quick off the top of my head; Cinderella from POB may be available on DVD but not sure...?

Nureyev's choreography from 1980something I think!?

[rg]

CINDERELLA would seem to be all there is, or has been, of multi-act ballets on video w/ guillem.

(a quick look at amazon, in the US, shows only 2 used cassettes of this video available, so i assume it's no longer on the market here in the states.) BT members in europe might know of further releases there, maybe this is now on dvd in PAL.

Re: guillem on video or even in photos, my sense is that the popular ballerina has kept a very tight rein on what of her performance etc. is on the commercial market. the compiliation videos that show her in one or more parts were likely all released before she became as watchful as she grew to be later in her career. as i understand it, she's only approved of photos taken and released by a man close to her. no one else is (or was) given permission.

here are the credits for CINDERLLA as given in the cat. of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts with regard to its copy - there might have been a re-release after this one:

Cinderella [videorecording] / La SEPT and SFP (Paris) co-production with NVC (London) in association with the BBC ; directed by Colin Nears ; produced for the stage and directed by Rudolf Nureyev ; adaptation and choreography by Rudolf Nureyev ; music by Sergey Prokofiev. U.S. : Elektra Entertainment, c1987 (125 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences

Recorded at the SFP Studios in Bry-sur-Marne, France, in November 1987.

Executive producer, Christiane Nowak, SFP ; associate producer, Robin Scott, NVC Arts ; scenario based on Perrault's story ; design, Petrika Ionesco ; costumes, Hanae Mori ; lighting, Jean-Marie Bergis.

Danced by the Paris Opéra Ballet.

Sylvie Guillem (Cinderella), Charles Jude (the film star), Isabelle Guérin (first sister), Monique Loudières (second sister), Georges Piletta (Cinderella's mother), Rudolf Nureyev (film producer), Jean-Pierre Franchetti (dancing instructor), Alain Bogreau (Cinderella's father), Fanny Gaïda (Spring), Élisabeth Maurin (Summer), Fabienne Cerutti (Autumn), Carole Arbo (Winter), Francis Malovik (stage manager), Eric Quilleré (his assistant), and others.

Music performed by the Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Paris, conducted by Michel Quéval.

Modern-day retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale.

Titles in English.

[garybruce]

"CINDERELLA would seem to be all there is, or has been, of multi-act ballets on video w/ guillem.

(a quick look at amazon, in the US, shows only 2 used cassettes of this video available, so i assume it's no longer on the market here in the states.) "

Thanks for your replies, but my God, that is really depressing to ponder--no full length ballet on DVD for a 20-year career on stage. Hard to understand the marketing strategy behind that thinking.

It reminds me of Nijinsky's (or Diaghilev's) decision to have photos taken of the dancer by professionals in a well-lit studio, but not any moving film.

I guess the powers that be must have proof that providing video of ballet undermines their ticket sales. For me, seeing ballet on film only stimulates my curiosity to experience it in the theater.

I'll have to be satisfied with my You Tube clips of Sylvie. C'est dommage.

[canbelto]

Guillem has been very vocal about the fact that she hates being filmed, and will only be photographed by her husband Gilles Tapies. But there is a dvd documentary of her called Evidentia, that has clips of her performing and rehearsing. She agreed to be filmed in excerpts for the South Bank show, and in the middle of a dvd of Paris Opera Ballet choreography, most of which is astonishingly bad, there is the jewel of her and Manuel Legris in a wonderful performance of Grand pas classique. She also released a dvd of her and Nicholas LeRiche in a film of Marguerite and Armand.

[garybruce]

there is a dvd documentary of her called Evidentia, that has clips of her performing and rehearsing. She agreed to be filmed in excerpts for the South Bank show, and in the middle of a dvd of Paris Opera Ballet choreography, most of which is astonishingly bad, there is the jewel of her and Manuel Legris in a wonderful performance of Grand pas classique. She also released a dvd of her and Nicholas LeRiche in a film of Marguerite and Armand.

Many thanks, canbelto. I ordered the Seven Ballets DVD, but the Marguerite and Armand is only available for Region 2 folks. I'm trying to get Evidentia.

[Andrew73]

I didn't realise that she actively disliked being filmed; that really is a tragedy.

I'd always assumed the lack of major releases was due to her being a 'guest' for large parts of her career, rather than staying in one place.

She's certainly one of the greatest dancers I've had the privelege to see.

[canbelto]

About her reluctance to be filmed, here's a long, recent interview with her:Sylvie Guillem.

Of being filmed, she says:

She protects her privacy by protecting her image. People don't recognise her because she doesn't do very much TV, she says. One of her sticking points over the years has been her extreme reluctance to be filmed. There's a simple reason. 'I would only want my best work to be preserved and how would you know in advance if it was to be a good performance?' Film of ballet, she suggests, is 'without taste; there's no vibration, no perfume'.

[volcanohunter]

I ordered the Seven Ballets DVD, but the Marguerite and Armand is only available for Region 2 folks. I'm trying to get Evidentia.

My advice is to get yourself a multi-region DVD player. Then you'll be able to watch both Marguerite & Armand and Evidentia. It's true that nowadays most performing arts programs come on region-free discs with NTSC picture format, but a multi-system player will enable you to watch pretty much everything.

[GoCoyote!]

The is also a new documentary in the works due for release in 2009 titled 'Sylvie Guillem, the last ballerina assoluta'.

[chrisk217]

If you're going to buy that multi-region dvd player you could also try Sylvie Guillem au travail (Sylvie Guillem at work) It used to be availlable as vhs and is now just out as dvd in Japan. She is filmed working on Raymonda's clapping variation (frustratingly with emphasis on feet), In the middle, Van Dantzing's Four Last Songs and performing Bejart's La Luna.

Japanese shop page:

http://www.fairynet.co.jp/SHOP/4560219321397.html

Translated page:

http://www.worldlingo.com/S1790.5/translat...0219321397.html

There was also another documentary that may one day be released commercially (who wants to bet it will be in Japan? ) It's by Francoise Ha Van Kern. In it she is followed around and can be seen working on Romeo and Julliet, Don Quixote etc. I think there's also some bit from her Finnish production of Giselle.

There are a few other performance clips from various televised galas (Manon bedroom pdd, Herman Schmerman pdd, live Grand pas classique, Bejart etc) but it's doubtful if they will ever find their way into commercial release considering her views on the matter.

[garybruce]

GoCoyote! writes: The is also a new documentary in the works due for release in 2009 titled 'Sylvie Guillem, the last ballerina assoluta'.

Terrific news.

I have to consider getting an all-region DVD player as well if releasing DVD's for each region is going to be the wave of the future.

[Andrew73]

I have to consider getting an all-region DVD player as well if releasing DVD's for each region is going to be the wave of the future.

Maybe this is for another thread - but it's certainly worth considering now prices are lower.

But, also consider that many dvd players are actually able to become multi-region; search for your make and model and 'multiregion' - because many companies make just one model, presest to whatever region, and just don't shout about the fact that it can be 'tweaked' to other regions or 'region 0'. May be worth a look.

Also, I believe (though may be wrong) that Blu Ray is 'all region', and so the future is Blue. They are also 'backward compatible' with DVD, so it might be worth investigating how that works!

[EvilNinjaX]

I have to consider getting an all-region DVD player as well if releasing DVD's for each region is going to be the wave of the future.

Maybe this is for another thread - but it's certainly worth considering now prices are lower.

But, also consider that many dvd players are actually able to become multi-region; search for your make and model and 'multiregion' - because many companies make just one model, presest to whatever region, and just don't shout about the fact that it can be 'tweaked' to other regions or 'region 0'. May be worth a look.

Also, I believe (though may be wrong) that Blu Ray is 'all region', and so the future is Blue. They are also 'backward compatible' with DVD, so it might be worth investigating how that works!

Oppo makes an excellent DVD player (video quality is amazingly good for the price point) and has a remote region hack. I have 2. It also does PAL 2 NTSC conversion, which is nice if you want to get those UK dvds.

WRT BluRay, you're ALMOST correct. HD-DVD did NOT have any region coding, but BluRay does; however, BlurAy is not as restrictive as DVD is. For instance, US and Japan are same region, but UK is not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#Region_codes

Region code Area

A Americas; East and Southeast Asia; U.S. territories; Bermuda.

B Africa, Europe, Oceania; Middle East; Kingdom of the Netherlands; British overseas territories, French territories; Greenland.

C Central and South Asia; Mongolia, Russia, and People's Republic of China.

Also before jumping onto the Bluray bandwagon quite yet, notice that there is ONE (1) Ballet bluray disc; it is Midsummer Night's Dream by PNB and MSRP is $46 (amazon price is $32)

http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-Midsumme...5666&sr=8-3

-goro-

[volcanohunter]

Also before jumping onto the Bluray bandwagon quite yet, notice that there is ONE (1) Ballet bluray disc; it is Midsummer Night's Dream by PNB and MSRP is $46 (amazon price is $32)

http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-Midsumme...5666&sr=8-3

The POB's Swan Lake has also been released on Blu-ray in the UK but has yet to hit North American shores.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Swan-L...y/dp/B0019MQBJW

[volcanohunter]

Also, I believe (though may be wrong) that Blu Ray is 'all region', and so the future is Blue. They are also 'backward compatible' with DVD, so it might be worth investigating how that works!

Yesterday I attempted to play an all-region PAL DVD in a region A Blu-Ray player and I couldn't do it, so I fear that Blu-Ray players aren't a fix-all.

Apparently it is possible to buy a Blu-Ray player that will play both region A & B and region 1 & 2 discs, but it won't play region 3-6 discs, despite the fact South America (region 4) is now in region A, and Belarus, Ukraine and most of Africa (region 5) are in region B. However, I understand that DVDs produced in South America use both region 1 & 4 coding, so this is less of a hurdle.

Honestly, isn't it time to be rid of these draconian restrictions?

[carbro]

Honestly, isn't it time to be rid of these draconian restrictions?

Oh, for Pete's sake, yes!!!!

It was a rhetorical question, I know. Just couldn't help myself.

[Andrew73]

Oh, for Pete's sake, yes!!!!

I second that!

That's BluRay off my shopping list for the foreseeable future.

Ironic that I've just been watching the superb Makarova / Baryshnikov Giselle on all-region LaserDisc, and I'm discussing a third generation technology that takes us back twenty years!

Strange that when it was BluRay versus HD-DVD, it all sounded very exciting. Now there's no competition, it's more "So how much better than DVD is it really?