Review of Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986) by Jon T — 19 Dec 2010

This is arguably one of the best filmed versions of the famous holiday ballet; Tchaikovsky's score is as timeless as ever and the Pacific Northwest Ballet company dances with alternatingly haunting and sometimes erotic (more on that later) tones.

However, the real star of the picture are the glorious costume, set, and production designs by famed children's author Maurice Sendak. His elaborate, richly detailed colors and caricaturized cartoons lend a macabre vibe to this tale.

Julie Harris provides occasional voiceover for Clara as well. As mentioned, there is a bit of sexual tension provided in this retelling: No, I'm not talking about Drosselmeyer's odd leering at young Clara, but rather, the transition after the (frightfully scary) fight with the multi-headed Mouse King, in which young Clara is miraculously turned into an adult and experiences first love when the Nutcracker becomes a prince.

Then there's a bit of rivalry between the head of the palace in Act II and the prince over Clara. Most of these undertones will go over the heads of children, as will most of the references to E.T.

A. Hoffman's original (which this film draws rather closely to), but if you don't pick up on that, it's easy to just genuinely enjoy this NUTCRACKER as simply what it is: a glorious holiday celebration of dance, color, and magic.