| | |  | Ballets & Classics | Home » » » Bizet/Shchedrin - Carmen / Cullberg Ballet (Mats Ek) | | | | | | | Description: | | With the hot glow of her cigar, the piercing intensity of her gaze, and her unabashed sexuality, Carmen radiates defiance. She's a woman who knows what she wants and is ruthless in pursuing it. She takes and discards lovers as she pleases. Mats Ek's International Emmy Award-winning version of the fiery tale of passion and murderous jealousy is an exciting, suspenseful mix of bravura dancing and inventive, powerful storytelling. Set to Rodion Shchedrin's "Carmen Suite," the Russian composer's arrangement of Bizet's perenially popular opera music, this stylish production features award-winning dancer Ana Laguna as a mesmerizing and irresistible Carmen, with Yvan Auzely and Marc Hwang as her rival lovers: macho bullfighter Escamillo and romantic young soldier Jose. | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Ana Laguna, Yvan Auzely, Marc Hwang | | Format:
| Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Image Entertainment | | Run Time:
| 50 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| July 09, 2002 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 4 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $24.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $29.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $81.46 | New | | | $81.47 | New | | | $87.89 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $119.95 | New | |
| New | |
| $81.46 | New | | | $81.47 | New | | | $87.89 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $119.95 | New | |
| Used | |
| $24.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $29.99 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 4 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A Psychodramatic Dance With HumorOct 29, 2005
By M. F TERRIS
Mat Eks' Carmen ballet is a psychologically probing and at the same time highly amusing. It depicts the story from Jose's point of view, beginning with him facing the firing squad, then dissolving into his life with Carmen.
In this soldier's tale, his "lieutenant" is distinguished by his moustache. The mustached soldier leads his men with an officiousness and absurdity reminiscent of Monty Python's "crazy walks." This leader is but one rival for Carmen's attentions. Her prior lover, only hinted at in the opera, seems a serious and recurrent rival here. And then, of course, there is Escamillo. He is handsome, flashy, and sexual.
All of the dancers perform superbly, but Ana Laguna's Carmen requires special mention. She portrays a spectacular, powerful, and highly sexual Carmen; it is also a Carmen who is intentionally shown without beauty or grace. Carmen is too controlling, too independent as Jose recalls her to have even a hint of delicacy. She contrasts superbly with Jose's view of Micaela: dutiful, caring, tireless, and dull. But there is nothing dull about this ballet.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Stunning!!Jun 23, 2003
By C. Chan
Mats Ek has done it again! I've watched this ballet about 10 times over and have never stopped loving it. Because of this ballet, I fell in love with the Shchedrin version of "Carmen". Marc Hwang (Jose) and Ana Laguna (Carmen) delivered exceptional performances, to say the least. I cannot think of any dancers who fit the roles as well as they did. The choreography was definitely one of its kind, and brings the viewer into a refreshing new world. I'm glad that I was able to see it on dvd where not a single gesture or facial twitch was missed. A DEFINITE MUST for all modern ballet lovers, and a great buy for anyone who is even mildly interested in dance. You need to see it to believe it.
5 of 7 found the following review helpful:
life changing...Dec 09, 2002
...sounds pretty stupid, but seeing this performance on Bravo several years ago completely turned me inside out. It's fresh, virtuosic, and utterly spectacular. I had never seen anything like it and haven't seen anything remotely like it since--and I see a lot of dance, including Bourne. Have even thought about flying cross country to see them when they were touring. Btw, make no mistake, Cullberg's fresh take does not at all subvert the story of Carmen. It's the most close-to-the-bone retelling I've ever seen. I am beside myself that this is now on dvd.
Couldn't agree moreFeb 14, 2012
By Balletomane
A quick word to add to the plaudits already said- this is a tour de force of dance. The sheer exhilaration energy and potency
of this interpretation is exciting and refreshing with Ana Laguna just superb! Bravo all round without caveats-any minor niggles are
completely overcome by the quality and skill of the whole Company and thank goodness we have it recorded and available on dvd (and
we can only imagine how good it would be on blu-ray?!).
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