Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote released on DVD
Warner Classics has restored and remastered in high-definition from the original film, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, with The Australian Ballet.
There’s a rare chance to see Gailene Stock – now Director of The Royal Ballet School - dancing as one of Kitri’s Girlfriends, and a bonus section which contains, among other delights, a really clever section on the restoration process, with a split screen so you can see exactly how much has been improved.
The cast is :
Robert Helpmann as Don Quixote
Ray Powell as Sancho Panza
Rudolf Nureyev as Basilio
Lucette Aldous as Kitri
Colin Peasley as Gamache
Gailene Stock & Carolyn Rappell as Kitri’s two Girlfriends
Patricia Cox as Cupid
and Artists of The Australian Ballet
The dancers are literally on fire – Nureyev is on top form and everyone around him has raised their game to match. It’s fast and ferocious; the story is all a bit silly & the costumes a bit much at times, but the dancing – well, that’s why you must watch it ! The Gypsy Dancers (Alan Alder and Paul Saliba) are wonderful, and it’s an action-packed journey of trickery and – I’ve said it before – excellent, inspiring dancing.
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September 9, 2012
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