Khachaturian - Spartacus / Vasiliev, Bessmertnova, Bolshoi Ballet

As other reviewers have noted, this is a tribute to the art of Maris Liepa (as Crassus, the Roman general), who displays a genius for integrating the right gesture, facial expression and superbly executed dance moves to the character he is portraying. Regrettably, it is the only full-length ballet of Liepa on video, even though he achieved renown in Russia for his Giselle.Vladimir Vasiliev's Spartacus is compelling for other reasons, as he focuses on presenting his character almost entirely through the choreography. His is a flawless, vigorous display of male dancing and one of the reasons Vasiliev was known as the greatest dancer in the world.The complaints by other reviewers about white dots and jump cuts are superficial and only affect a small portion of the movie. Yes, this is a movie and not a videotaped live performance, and the result is a more coherent presentation of the story. A ballet movie not to be missed.

Much has already been written about this, so I will add only a few points. It would be impossible to find a better cast of dancers for this ballet. This is a legendary performance and I have never seen an entire ensemble as up for a performance as this one. This performance is on movie stock, not video stock, sort of like the Russian version of cinemascope. It is technically very well done, especially considering that at this time in history the Soviets didn't participate much in the latest Hollywood technology. The dvd quality is perfect. The lighting is exactly as it is supposed to be. So stop complaining about nonsense and enjoy the perfection! (The dvd includes a nice little extra feature with Vasiliev and Plisetskaya.)

I actually thought I was buying a version of this with Irek Mukamedov but I am glad I got to see this one.Of, course, if it is the Bolshoi, it is wonderful. This is no exception. What makes this importatn is that it is an older film of an earlier cast preforming this great work. One of the things I don't care for (and to me this marks it as an older work) was the use of double expsure in the filming to create the illusion of more cast. I _hate_ double exposure, especially in dance where I want/need to see the full body of the dancers. This is truly aweful to me and it keeps this work from getting five stars.The part that makes this enjoyable for me is to see the changes in the demands of the technique over time. The cast at this time did not have the extension of the later cast and this was most noticible (Noticable? - sorry. I'm a poor speller. Please forgive me.) in the jumps by the men. Although the dance was wonderful, the men in this version simply didn't have the extension of the men in the later cast. In a way, this is a great thing to see. These dancers work within much more normal bodies. They are not hyper-extended and one does not feel hopelessly inadequate seeing them dance. These are real people. Thank you Bolshoi, for bringing us consistantly great dance from people with real bodies, rather than hyper-extended, impossibly lean (to down-right skeletal, as in NYCB)stick figures! Wonderful!

I had this version on video many years ago and it was worn out with use.This is a wonderful perfomance of a great ballet from the heyday of the Bolshoi.

Wonderful! Wish Amazon had more videos, books on Maris Liepa. Great, dynamic Bolshoi Dancer.

This product is wonderfull. The performers are terrific like a russian dancer must be.The sound of dvd is good and the photography is great!!!

Aram Khachaturian wrote the melodious score to the Spartacus ballet between 1950 and '54. The first choreographer was Leonid Jacobson. His version, which premiered at the Kirov on December 27, 1956, was not a real success. The problem was that the choreography contained too much mime and not enough actual dancing. Two years later, Igor Moiseyev staged a version for the Bolshoi, which had a similar fate; that one received only nine performances. Later there was a revision by Jacobson, which also didn't find favor with the public. Incidentally, excerpts from one of Jacobson's versions (it is not clear which--maybe both) can be seen in "The Glory of the Kirov" DVD Glory of the Kirov / Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, Natalia Dudinskaya, more; I don't think his choreography was all that bad, really, but you be the judge.It wasn't till April 9, 1968 did Spartacus achieve its definitive form in a performance given at the Bolshoi, this time with choreography by Yuri Grigorovich. His version is a three-act ballet divided into two main categories. There are the major soldier/crowd scenes; there are also the monologues in which one of the four principal dancers is the only one onstage, and he or she dances against a dark background. At the premiere, the four principals were: Vladimir Vasiliev as Spartacus, Ekaterina Maximova as Phrygia, Maris Liepa as Crassus, and Nina Timofeyeva as Aegina. So with the exception of Maximova, who was replaced by Bessmertnova as Phrygia, these were the four principal dancers in this famous 1977 film, not 1979 as Amazon indicates.But that's where the good news ends and the problems begin. First, as others have already pointed out, they used some dated cinematic techniques that are downright irritating. For example, they superimposed images (double exposure) to make a battle scene look bigger than it is. Elsewhere, they slowed down the motion of one of Spartacus' leap sequences; I'm sorry, that format just doesn't suit ballet--dance movements should correspond with the music. Furthermore, the picture itself is sometimes very dark, which makes it hard to see the corps de ballet. And the sound quality is only passable.Even if you can overlook all this, there remains the ultimate sacrilege. Here we have three-quarters of the original principal cast, along with Bessmertnova and a superb corps de ballet dancing their hearts out, and the producer decides to cut forty-odd minutes of dance and music out of the film, which makes the work much less coherent. Notable moments are the beginning of Act II, Scene 1; the Aegina monologue in Act II, Scene 2 (danced to some hauntingly beautiful music); and a series of leaps, performed by Spartacus near the end of Act II, Scene 1.Now, lest you think I was just carping without actually presenting a solution, I'll let you in on a secret. As far as I'm aware of, there are at least three COMPLETE videos of the Grigorovich/Bolshoi-production Spartacus in existence. All three were shot in color.The most recent is the one starring Irek Mukhamedov and Lyudmila Semenyaka, shot live in 1990 Khachaturian: Spartacus. This is by far the best overall video of the ballet. It boasts the best picture and sound quality--with exemplary dancing to boot! Plus Mukhamedov does a version of the Act II, Scene 1, leap sequence, missing in the present film, in which the final leap looks like a spinning flying-roundhouse-kick--AMAZING!There is another video of Mukhamedov in the role Khatchaturian - Spartacus / Irek Mukhamedov, Natalya Bessmertnova, Maria Bylova, Yuri Grigorovich, Bolshoi Ballet, and this time, he partners Bessmertnova in a 1984 live performance. Picture and sound are of good quality. This otherwise solid performance was marred by Mikhail Gabovich's tepid portrayal of Crassus.A third video Khachaturian - Spartacus - The Bolshoi Theatre was shot live in 1979. This one is marred by even worse picture and sound quality than the '77. And some of the principals made a couple of mistakes. However, you have the benefit of, again, seeing Vasiliev as Spartacus and, this time, Ekaterina Maximova as (the original) Phrygia in a COMPLETE performance. Sadly, Vasiliev does a less technically-demanding version of the Act II, Scene 1, leap sequence--no roundhouse-kick.Of the three COMPLETE videos, my #1 choice would be the '90 version, starring Muhamedov, for the very reasons I stated earlier.His '84 is also recommendable, but it's been surpassed by the version above.Because of the overall (poor) quality of the '79 Vasiliev, I will recommend it to true aficionados ONLY for its completeness. Alas, if only it had been better shot...NOTE: This DVD is not in NTSC format. Rather, it is in PAL format, which means most DVD players sold in North America will not be able to play it. You can purchase a multi-format compatible DVD player at your local specialty electronics store.The '77 Vasiliev has long been regarded as the ultimate Spartacus ballet video, because most fans have neither had the opportunity to sample, nor, indeed, even have been aware of the existence of the other Grigorovich/Bolshoi Spartacus videos. The present version is neither fish nor flesh. Buy it for its cult status. But if you're looking to experience the ballet in its full glory, I suggest you look elsewhere.FOOTNOTES:Khachaturian's original score was NOT used in any of the aforementioned versions of the ballet. Everybody from Jacobson to Grigorovich has used modified versions of the score.

The Bolshoi was most energetic in this ballet which definitely is not "graceful" as you usually think of ballets, but rather it's very militaristic in movement. Khachaturian's music is interpretive & moving. The Adagio is VERY beautiful & transcendent music..

It was a few years ago that I gave away this DVD to a mesmerized ballet enthusiast. But I bought it again and am extremely happy to have found the same edition via Amazon UK because ONE CANNOT GET IT ANYMORE anywhere else!I have seen many danced performances of "Spartacus". Yet - not one equals the one put on screen here! It stands out because of its unparalled quality of dancers (and that includes Russian ballet dancers up to 2005). Not being a film-maker, I would guess that the cutting sequences of the film enhance the dancing stance throughout the performance. I would not exclude it. But it does not matter at all. The film in itself is an interesting piece of art. One visualises sublime dancing and acting. Never it was any better! And this holds true if only danced for five minutes ! It is so very difficult for a movie to conjure up ballet artistry, to transmit it and not offer an "authentic" documentary! (Big error!) Also,(if I may): Maris Liepa as "Crassus" overpowers the performance of Vassiliev. An unbelievable tour de force! Such acting, such power, such fine psychological understanding of the role and above it - such selfcontrol!It was very sad to learn that M.Liepa was "disgraced",(a fact apparently engineered by the powerful choreographer of the ballet. According to the press at that time there was also some pressure exercised on whom??? that the title role be danced by Natalia Bessmertnova (his wife).I also agree that the performance of Nina Timofeyeva is more diffucult and yet a masterly performed.If you can find a copy of this DVD and if you like ballet dancing, don't hesitate to purchase.

Des points d'interrogation car j'attends quelques jours avant de visionner car je suis sous le charme de la dernière "mouture" du Bolchoï magnifique pour regarder cette version plus ancienne. Je donnerai mon sentiment après avoir vu ce DVD

アマゾンではリージョン・コードは１と案内してありますが、実際はフリーなので国内機でも再生できます。　昔舞台で見たワシリエフのスパルタカスがどうしても見たくて、捜していました。フリギアはベスメルトノワ、クラッススにマリス・リエパ、エギナにティモフェイエワの配役です。リエパは1970年に、クラッススの役でレーニン賞を受賞しています。　いかにもモス・フィルムらしい映像で、いささか作りすぎの感が無きにしもあらずのため、ちょっと辟易する所もあります。1977年の作品なので、音声はモノで、所々映像や音の乱れもあります。それでも、ワシリエフの素晴らしいスパルタカスを見られる貴重な作品です。ハチャトリアンの音楽に乗せたグリゴローヴィッチ振り付けの男性群舞は、男性の踊りの時代を画したものです。グリゴローヴィッチはワシリエフをイメージしてスパルタカスを作っただけに、やはり彼の踊るスパルタカスがわたしには最高です。　また、ボーナス映像として、ワシリエフとプリセツカヤの「せむしの子馬」からの最終場面が入っています。　なお、バレエは、オペラや芝居と同様に、誰が演じているかも購入の決め手として重要なので、タイトルだけではなく主な配役の情報も案内して欲しいと思います。いつも拡大映像で配役を一生懸命に見て、情報を得なくてはならないのは不便です。

Superb performances from the leading dancers and the corps de ballet, stunning choreography and fabulous orchestral playing. What a score!!!Vasiliev as Spartacus is memerising to watch. The male ensemble scenes are quite extraordinary.OK it was filmed in 1977 but the unremastered picture is fine given the age. It shows in cinemascope letterbox mode. The picture quality is a touch dark and grainy and has the quality of a slightly degraded VHS recording but perfectly watchable.The stereo sound seems very good to me through an external amplifier.There are occasional post production video effects added in places (typical of 70s TV effects) and whilst I don't think they add anything they are not so frequent or annoying to knock a star off.

The ballet is a classic, beyond words. However, one may find the visual effects, which were unnecessary and now look primitive and archaic (screen splits, close ups, etc.) rather annoying and distracting. Also the quality of the picture is not contrast enough, so may not look good on a large high-resolution screen. These minuses, of course, have nothing to do with the ballet itself.