Bolshoi/Zakharov "Cinderella": Struchkova/Lediakh

[cubanmiamiboy]

I'm about to watch this, my latest DVD purchase, encouraged by EricMontreal's advice. I will report back once I'm done with it.

Will I like it...?

[FauxPas]

Lediakh is pretty damn impressive. Watch out for a radiant, round-faced very young Ekaterina Maximova as the Fairy of Spring. I think this is the best film representation of Raisa Struchkova - she is very slim and girlish and her technique is brilliant. In clips from the sixties I have seen she is very plumpish though muscular and strong - very womanly body. However, her piqué turns whether plump or slim are simply dazzling. Struchkova was the coach/teacher of Nina Ananiashvili and her piqués were equally brilliant and I saw them live many, many times. Struchkova's facial expressions are also very natural and charming.

As for the choreography...nothing beats Ashton but this is quite pleasant. There are cuts to the score to get it under 2 hours in length.

[richard53dog]

I think this is the Soviet film with a funny anachronism in it. I no longer own this one but I seem to remember that the shot of Cinderella fleeing the ball at midnight involves a long shot of a plaza that Cinderella traverses. the lighting is very murky but just visible are a number of 60s vintage cars parked at the curb of the plaza.

It might be a different Cinderella film but I don't recall ever seeing the Komleva one so I assume it's this one.

Struchkova is very fetching and charming looking here as FauxPas notes.

I saw her a number of times but much later, more like the mid 70s where she no longer projected the easy girlishness she has here. On the Bolshoi tours of the mid 70s, if my memory is accurate (always a concern!!!) she was the one that came out during the divertisment section and danced the number with the fouettes. Different night, different PDD but Struchkova was the fouette lady. She was very consistent and seemed to toss them off easily.