The Nutcracker - George Balanchine (DVD, 1997)

I'm a ballet teacher and have seen many different productions of The Nutcracker over the years, both live and on film. This is a quality presentation of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker by one of the premier ballet companies in the US -- New York City Ballet. The quality of the dancing is very high (The children in the cast are very well trained and really add to the whole production, rather than distract from it.) and the set is wonderful, and of course, the music by Tchaikovsky is marvelous, and in my opinion, remains magical no matter how many times you hear it.

With that said, I would say that I would have liked this ballet better if the Herr Drosselmeier's nephew/Nutcracker was danced by an actual student dancer from the School of American Ballet rather than Macauley Culkin. He was a popular child star at the time when this film was shot, and apparently the producers and movie executives thought that this movie would sell better if there was a well-known name to draw an average move goer, even though he seems to have little training in the art of ballet. (I have to admit, considering that he is not a ballet dancer, the child actor is not too bad in the role.) I find the narration by Kevin Klein unnecessary due to my familiarity with the story. Although, I can see why viewers who are not familiar with the ballet would appreciate the narration to keep them informed throughout this "movie".

As with most Nutcracker productions, many people will find the fist act (especially the party scene) slow. Things pick up the pace in the second act when the action takes place in the Land of the Sweets. The colorful costumes, beautiful set, and fast, brilliantly executed choreography will likely please the audience whether they have background in ballet or not.

This is a good holiday ballet movie to be included in most anyone's DVD library. Most young children will enjoy it -- especially if they are taking ballet. I have watched it many times and will continue to watch it every holiday season.