I was disappointed by how rushed the whole performance felt. The story felt chopped; the pacing didn't work. Adding back some of the cut music and dance would create a more satisfying experience for the audience, I think...the heck with it being a longer production.
I thought the heavy costuming and elaborate scenery was gorgeous but more suited to a theatrical production. I've been disappointed by the Broadwayesque look that ballet companies in my area of the country (Utah/Idaho) have adopted for their productions (and the ridiculously fast pacing and numerous scenes) and now I know where they're getting it....though this was orders of magnitude higher in quality. I think it must be something the audience demands--Andrew Lloyd Webber-ish. Also, I was a bit taken aback by the shorts and tights on the men, and some of the dresses on the women (princesses, particularly) didn't seem proportioned quite right to me. Too many historic periods and too many ideas maybe???? What do you all think?
Other things: I was disappointed by how on top of the stage the cameras were; I wish there would have been a lot less changing cameras and focal lengths. For example, I didn't think it was very fair to the corps, at the end, to show them concentrating so hard; it ruined the illusion for me. And the pacing of the music bothered me a bit too; I think it's important in this ballet to balance equally the gorgeousness of the music and the dance, even if the dancers sometimes have to compromise or the choreography has to be changed. Also, I did fine with the whole ballet all the way through Odette's death leap, but Angel Corella's leap was too much like a dive onto a mattress for me--I didn't think his head would ever disappear--and Rothbart's straddle wasn't quite right. Unfortunately, we cracked up laughing at those two things. Darn it.
Oh, and the swamp monster's chest makeup made me think of all the joking about the anatomically correct batsuit in one of those past Batman movies. I actually had to look to see if he was wearing some kind of padded 'swampman suit' before I could continue watching...which makes my point, I think. The audience shouldn't be so distracted by the costuming, should it?
On the other hand, I really enjoyed the dancing, especially in the Act I pas de trois, and of them particularly Herman Cornejo. And Marcelo Gomes is truly wonderful. Gillian Murphy looks like she's going to become a truly dominating dancer...so incredibly strong. I thought that strength worked well for her as Odette; she was more of an intelligent and controlling, even ruthless queen with Siegfried. He really didn't have a chance with her at all. I thought her characterization established Angel Corella's; he really had no way to look like much other than somewhat bewildered, naive, and easily manipulated young man. She continued that manipulative behavior as Odile, but if she was trying to make him think she was Odette, I couldn't see how he could have been taken in. I think adding a bit more of that manipulativeness back into Odette would be more coherent. I wasn't that impressed with Odile's fouettes, not because Miss Murphy isn't technically and athletically impressive, but because I felt that quite a bit of her hard-won acting was lost in that variation.
Still, I'm glad I saw it and recorded it. I learned a lot.
Ah, I just read Natalia's comments about the editing that was done (which I accept as necessary in making films), but that fouette section did look odd to me. Maybe it was slightly different lighting, or characterizations, or camera angles the other nights? It could be what I noticed that made that variation seem so off to me. Of course, it could also be that I've read too much lately in too many reviews and articles about her tendency to put in as many turns as she can.