The Nutcracker (1993 film)

The Nutcracker

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Produced by Robert Hurwitz
Robert A. Krasnow
Written by Susan Cooper (narration)
Based on Peter Martins's stage production of The Nutcracker
Starring
Narrated by Kevin Kline
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Cinematography Ralf D. Bode
Edited by Girish Bhargava
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
  • November 24, 1993 (1993-11-24)
Running time
 92 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $19 million[1]
Box office $2,119,994[1]

The Nutcracker, also known as George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, is a 1993 American Christmas musical film directed by Emile Ardolino. The film stars Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel, Kyra Nichols, Wendy Whelan, Margaret Tracey, Gen Horiuchi and Tom Gold. The film was released by Warner Bros. on 24 November, 1993.

Plot

The movie follows the traditional plot of the Nutcracker.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

The Nutcracker received generally mixed reviews from critics. Based on seven reviews, the film holds a rotten rating of 57% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[2] The film was criticized by James Berardinelli for not capturing the excitement of a live performance; he wrote that it "opts to present a relatively mundane version of the stage production... utilizing almost none of the advantages offered by the (film) medium."[3] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times criticized the film for not adapting the dance for a film audience and also its casting of Culkin who, he writes, "seems peripheral to all of the action, sort of like a celebrity guest or visiting royalty, nodding benevolently from the corners of shots."[4] In The Washington Post, Lucy Linfield echoed Ebert's criticism of Culkin, stating that "it's not so much that he can't act or dance; more important, the kid seems to have forgotten how to smile... All little Mac can muster is a surly grimace." She praised the dancing, however, as "strong, fresh and in perfect sync" and Kistler's Sugar Plum Fairy as "the Balanchinean ideal of a romantic, seemingly fragile beauty combined with a technique of almost startling strength, speed and knifelike precision."[5] The New York Times' Stephen Holden also criticized Culkin, calling his performance the film's "only serious flaw", but praised the cinematography as "very scrupulous in the way it establishes a mood of participatory excitement, then draws back far enough so that the classic ballet sequences choreographed by Balanchine and staged by Peter Martins can be seen in their full glory."[6]

Box office

During its theatrical run the film grossed $2,119,994.[1] In North America, the film opened at number 16 in its first weekend with $783,721.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Nutcracker (1993) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Nutcracker". 24 November 1993. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Review: Nutcracker, The (1993)". Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker". Chicago Sun-Times.
  5. ↑ Linfield, Susie (24 November 1993). "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (review)". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  6. ↑ Holden, Stephen (24 November 1993). "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (review)". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  7. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for November 26-28, 1993". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
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