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"Jewels" DVD and PBS Great Performances broadcast

Phaedra392

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Phaedra392

Phaedra392

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I just noticed that amazon.com lists a DVD of "Jewels" performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. (I knew the performance is going to be broadcast on PBS in the "spring of 2006," but I can't seem to find an air date.)

Anyway, the listing on amazon says that the DVD is scheduled for release on June 20, but it may be preordered. It also says that "this item may not be viewable on most DVD players sold in Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)." This warning makes me reluctant to preorder. Is it really possible that the DVD will not be compatible with U.S. players? Could they be that cruel?

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Helene

Helene

Posted
Posted

There are two issues with viewing DVD's: region and format.

The POB DVD that is listed on amazon.co.uk is a Region 2 DVD in PAL format, which covers Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa.

The short answer is to wait until the DVD is released in Region 1 (in NTSC format), unless you have a multi-region or region-free DVD player, and can play the PAL format. For the Royal Danish Ballet's recent La Sylphide release, the US/Canada version was available a month or two after the European (PAL/Region 2) release.

This site has the long answer.

Edited to add: I read the site incorrectly: this is a Region 0 DVD in PAL format. This means that it can be played in the US on PAL-compatible DVD-players and software, like the "DVD Player" that comes on MacIntosh computers.

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carbro

carbro

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Posted

Very useful site, Helene. Thanks!

I understand the commercial reasons for different formats for different multi-nation regions, but some of this is Just Plain Mean :clapping: :

In region one discs intended for release in the United States are often not the same as those for Canada. The most infamous cases were with Pulp Fiction and Chasing Amy where the Canadian releases preceded the US release by a significant amount of time and the Canadian releases had a ton of extras while the US versions were fairly plain vanilla. The same can also hold true for region two where discs intended for Japan are often not the same as those released in the UK. So, when you buy a DVD you have to check the region code, the video format, the transfer specifics and the extras.
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richard53dog

richard53dog

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A confusing new detail: the amazon site lists this DVD as being in NTSC format, which apparently means that it is compatible for U.S. DVD players. So why the warning? I guess I'll wait till there's more detail available......

Phaedra392, I looked on Amazon (I want to see this too!) . It looks like a Japanese release so it is NTSC, which is compatable with North America but it is Region coded 2. US/Canada is Region 1. Now this is just a player issue, I have heard that it is very easy to modify a DVD player to remove the region coding restriction but wouldn't have an idea how to go about it.

Some players sold today have that chip removed that makes it region specific, but I wouldn't count on that either.

Best best is to wait a bit and see if there is a Region 1 release (the whole region thing seems so stupid to me but I don't make the rules)

Richard

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art076

art076

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Posted

It is helpful to note this about this particular DVD -

It's being released by Opus Arte, which releases all of their DVDs in Region 0 NTSC format, so that they don't have to make multiple versions of their releases when they are being distributed worldwide. Various sellers around the world might list this differently, based on how they automatically assign information to their DVD selling pages based on the "form." But Opus Arte has all their DVDs in Region 0 (playable in any region worldwide) and NTSC format (which can be played on both NTSC and PAL televisions).

So you can order this DVD from wherever it is easier for you to order it.

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Helene

Helene

Posted
Posted
It is helpful to note this about this particular DVD -

It's being released by Opus Arte, which releases all of their DVDs in Region 0 NTSC format, so that they don't have to make multiple versions of their releases when they are being distributed worldwide. Various sellers around the world might list this differently, based on how they automatically assign information to their DVD selling pages based on the "form." But Opus Arte has all their DVDs in Region 0 (playable in any region worldwide) and NTSC format (which can be played on both NTSC and PAL televisions).

So you can order this DVD from wherever it is easier for you to order it.

I corrected my post above: the amazon.co.uk version is Region 0 PAL, by Opus Arte. But I can't find this DVD on the US amazon.com site. I've searched under "Jewels" and "Paris Opera Ballet." And I'm coming up blank.

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Helene

Helene

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Posted

Thank you, art076!

Phaedra392: The reason for the warning isn't the format (NTSC), but the region. The site says "Region: Unknown." But as art076 has pointed out, "It's being released by Opus Arte, which releases all of their DVDs in Region 0 NTSC format," and Region 0 means non-restricted to any region. The PAL format version on the amazon.co.uk site is listed as Opus Arte, Region 0. You should be safe ordering the NTSC CD off the amazon.com (US) site, as many of us have.

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bart

bart

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Thanks, art076, and all of you, for your guidance here. It's in my Shopping Cart.

Whatever one thinks of the POB setting of a ballet, you can always SEE the dancing clearly. The background is there, but does not distract from the dancers' bodies. This is not always the case in ballet videos.

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Dale

Dale

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Posted

According to the delivery people, I should be receiving it today. I'll post tonight. I have a multi-system DVD, but I'll test it out. Before the multi-system, I used to play PAL DVDs on my computer. So, if there's something you're totally hot for -- the DVD players in computers play everything.

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Helene

Helene

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Posted

I just want everyone to know that amazon.com is still listing 20 June 2006 as the ship date and offers pre-ordering, but Arkiv Music, which also lists the same release date also lists the DVD as "In Stock," and (forgive me for I have sinned) I got a notice today that they shipped it. It's listed as part of their ballet DVD sale @$24.99, but there's no free shipping and handling, which is probably another $3.00 or so for first class mail. This could be a false alarm, although that's never happened before to me from this site, and when it's in my hands, I'll believe it fully.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album....album_id=134458

This may be good news for everyone who's ordered through amazon.com. Who knows, they may get stock and ship early.

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Helene

Helene

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Posted

I have very strong feelings upon my first viewing of this DVD, but I'd like to start by saying I think it's worth every penny, despite the reservations I have.

Highlights:

The decor by Christian Lacroix. I loved the projections in Emeralds and Rubies, and wanted another in Diamonds, but the horizontal diamond spines hanging high were quite beautiful. For me, the costumes in Emeralds and Diamonds were to die for, particularly the women's bodices. The little flouncy ruffled skirts in Rubies would have been fine, if the dancing didn't match them stylistically.

Pujol and Osta in Emeralds. Both very French and beautiful in these roles, particularly their arms and Osta's very beautiful feet.

Balarbi, Osta's partner, a very mature presence. There was nothing wrong with an older woman/younger man pairing, but I thought Ganio was too much Cherubino and too little Octavian. I would have switched Bart and Ganio, although that would have deprived Bart of his solos in Diamonds.

Thibault in the last two movements of Emeralds. In the pas de trois, he was a bit light, and I kept seeing Daniel Duell in my head, but he held his own beautifully at the end of the ballet, side-by-side with the principal men.

The corps women in Diamonds, including demis Ciaravola and Cozette, and the two others in the third movement quartet. Like the little "which hat is the ball under" that they show between innings at live baseball games, because of the camera cuts, I wasn't sure if I was loving one of the four or two, and wishing she had been cast as the tall girl in Rubies. These dancers got it -- the energy and scope of what was being asked for, while at the same time staying in harmony with each other.

Lowlights:

Rubies, although Carbone did manage to break out a bit during his solos. I loved Dupont in La Sylphide, but I think she was completely wrong for Rubies. Towards the beginning of the first pas de deux, where she turns on a bent knee, she places her weight so carefully, and is so square to the audience, that the sense of progressive movement is lost. When she does the backwards jockey steps, her back is straight up, as if she were in a tutu. When she is left balancing in passe, there's no surprise, because she's taken no risk in getting there. In the hip thrusts, her hips need oiling. Gillot danced similarly. My response, to quote Samantha Jones, was "No. No, no. No, no, no, no."

Letestu in Diamonds. The lead in Diamonds is not Odette. (pas de deux). The lead in Diamonds is not Aurora (first half of solo) or a principal in Etudes (end of solo). Letestu perked up a bit in the final movement, but the lead in Diamonds should not be put to shame by the contrasting energy of the corps, no matter how beautiful her placement is.

The credits. The credits for each ballet are given by rank, in alphabetical order, without regard to the roles or pairings. (The booklet breaks down the principals scene by scene, thank goodness.) Two of the four demi-soloists in Diamonds and the rest of the corps are not listed at all. The English translation of the credits could have included the full list of dancers; they didn't have to be limited to what was broadcast on French TV. Don't these dancers have a union? They were one of the production's crowning glories.

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