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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Coppelia (Kirov Ballet) (1993)

Coppelia (Kirov Ballet) (1993)

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Released 19-Feb-2001
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Ballet	Booklet Listing-Cast & Crew Synopsis DVD-ROM Extras-Essay-A Commentary by Harlow Robinson Web Links
Rating
Year Of Production	1993
Running Time	91:24
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Colin Nears
Studio Distributor	Warner Vision	Starring	Irina Shapchits Mikhail Zavialov Petr Rusanov Elvira Tarasova
Case	Amaray-Transparent	Starring
RPI	$39.95	Music	Leo Delibes

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Full Frame	Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	None
16x9 Enhancement	No
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.33:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

First of all, confession time. This is the first full ballet I've ever seen, in any form, from start to finish. I've tried on a number of occasions over the years to achieve this minor feat but to no avail. I think my love of opera has always gotten in the way, so that after the orchestra has played a few bars I fully expect the performers to launch into song. It has always seemed a little flat when this doesn't happen. Perhaps, as I've been told, ballet really has to be enjoyed "in the flesh" at a live performance.

In any case, I suspect I was lucky to choose Coppelia as the subject for my first full ballet experience. It has the distinction of being one of the most popular in the ballet repertoire, and is bright, lively, not too long and complete with both a happy ending and more than just a pleasant musical score. I understand that ballets aren't supposed to have complicated plots - if so then this one fills the bill. The story, originally from a creation by Herr Hoffmann (perhaps better known from the title of Offenbach's opera, Tales of Hoffmann), centres around the young lovers Swanilda (Irina Shapchits) and Franz (Mikhail Zavialov). Living in the same village as these two is Coppelius (Petr Rusanov), the mildly eccentric toy and doll maker, who seems intent on tricking everyone into believing that his latest full size doll, Coppelia (Alvira Tarasova), is truly alive. As if to confirm their status as not being the smartest of lads, Franz and his mates each dance with Coppelia and fall in love with her, never realizing that she is just a rag doll. Seeing this, Swanilda is of course heart-broken, and breaks into Coppelius' home to learn more about her rival. She and her own friends are not deceived for an instant by Coppelia's identity, and are actually entertained by many of the dolls who perform for them. Franz finally learns the truth and is ultimately reunited with Swanilda for a happy ending.

I am unfortunately ill-prepared to comment on the quality of the dancing in this production. However, as it is performed by the Kirov Ballet on the stage of the Maryinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, I suspect that we are seeing one of the definitive performances of this ballet. Personally, I most enjoyed the second act, probably because it offered greater opportunity for a variety of dance styles and also because of the quality of the solo performances by the two lovers. The entire production was very easy to watch and enjoy.

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Transfer Quality

Video

The image, perhaps not surprisingly, was clearly produced from a video source, but an excellent original as video sources go. Its aspect ratio is 1.33:1 and it is not 16x9 enhanced.

The video source leads to many things. Firstly, while all of the close-ups reveal quite adequate sharpness, there is graininess inherent in the video image that produces fuzziness in edges and severe loss of clarity in backgrounds and long shots. Shadow detail is never particularly good, so it's a matter of relying on the strength and location of the stage lighting to keep everything well lit.

One of the particularly attractive aspects of the production is the costume design which contributes to the overall lightheartedness with strong and bright primary colours throughout. These show up very well under the stage lights. Facial tones are perhaps not realistic, but I don't consider that a fundamental problem with a stage production.

There are very few artefacts that appear on the screen. Image shimmer is probably the worst problem in this regard, and it seems to be a fairly common one during the second half of the ballet, primarily appearing on the finer detail of the stage sets.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

There is a single soundtrack, being a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround encoded track. It's a perfectly reputable track, even if it lacks the level of realism that is often observed in 5.1 tracks. It is essentially a CD-like production, and has a very small amount of activity in the surround speakers that provides some extra dimension. The soundstage is moderately wide but lacks the very wide dynamic and frequency range that comes with modern 5.1 tracks. One aspect of the disc's audio track that most impressed me was the ability to locate individual sections of the orchestra. In the absence of other sonic fireworks this kept me quite happy technically.

The music by Leo Delibes, as I've noted above, is light-hearted and eminently enjoyable. For non-ballet fans the OFF button on the TV will yield an hour and a half's worth of worthwhile background music.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Booklet

Essentially provides the synopsis of the ballet in 5 languages. For the uninitiated like myself a quick read makes the show far more watchable.

Listing-Cast & Crew

Provides a simple cast listing with no background information.

Synopsis

The synopsis here is much simpler and shorter than that provided by the booklet.

DVD-ROM Extras-Essay-A Commentary by Harlow Robinson

The DVD-ROM content consists of a short, 1300 word essay on the ballet by author Harlow Robinson. It is of passing interest.

Web Links

Links to the NVC Arts internet site.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The disc is coded for Zones 2-6. I couldn't find the disc available for sale on several of the main US DVD/music sites. It would appear that R1 does not have access to this disc at this time.

Summary

This production of Coppelia strikes me as being of high quality and would no doubt be of interest to all ballet lovers. Fans of ballet (and opera) will be most familiar with viewing their favourite productions on TV and video. In that case, the technical picture and sound quality on this disc is very much the equal of anything broadcast on TV, and is clearly superior to any VHS tapes that are out there. You shouldn't have too many concerns about a purchase if you'd like this ballet in your library.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	Toshiba SD-K310, using S-Video output
Display	Pioneer SD-T43W1 (125cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
Amplification	Pioneer VSX-D906S
Speakers	Richter Wizard (front), Jamo SAT150 (rear), Yamaha YST-SW120 (subwoofer)

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