Cheap La Sylphide (Video) (Thesmar, Denard) Price

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Customer Reviews of La Sylphide

Great ballet film, but needs restoration and DVD
One of the best ballet films of all time, which would rate a five-star review if restored and made available on DVD. In my opinion, this rarely seen Taglioni/Schneitzhoeffer version of "La Sylphide" is better than the more frequently performed Bournonville/Lovenskjold interpretation, even though the choreography is a historic reconstruction adapted for the technical abilities of late-20th-century dancers. Unfortunately, the film is only available on VHS and is in bad need of restoration. A full restoration and DVD of this "La Sylphide", similar to what has been done with Nureyev's "Don Quixote", would be spectacular. Still, if you haven't seen it, it's worth getting the tape.

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A different reconstruction of the classic...
This version of "La Sylphide," reconstructed by Pierre Lacotte for the Paris Opera Ballet, takes its inspiration from the Marie Taglioni original--not the better-known and more frequently danced August Bournonville choreography for the Royal Danish Ballet. Of course, any revival of a lost ballet is speculation at best, given the lack of any record or universally recognized form of dance notation at the time. Yet the result is nonetheless fascinating: the story remains the same and the general movement style is quite similar, but the actual steps and the music are thoroughly different.

What makes the dance shine are the fabulous performances of Ghislaine Thesmar (Lacotte's wife) and Michael Denard, who both display a wonderful lightness, superb elevation (the height of their jumps), musicality, and fine acting ability--always a help in a video where you can go close-up on the faces. The duo were one of France's most celebrated partnerships in the 70s, and they have a remarkable "chemistry" and quite similar long, lean body types that make for a beautiful line together.

The filming is fairly good too,, which adds to the pleasure--especially considering the usual difficulties of transfering dance to screen.

Certainly, balletomanes will want to compare versions of what is generally considered the "first romantic ballet," and the one that made pointe work an absolute necessity for ballerinas. Very much worth watching.