Comments on: Review of Barbie of Swan Lake Which I Don’t Even Know What To Do With https://www.ebbartels.com/review-of-barbie-of-swan-lake-which-i-dont-even-know-what-to-do-with/ Writer. Dead Pets. Sun, 02 Sep 2018 03:05:11 +0000 hourly 1 By: Mary https://www.ebbartels.com/review-of-barbie-of-swan-lake-which-i-dont-even-know-what-to-do-with/#comment-112 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 03:05:11 +0000 https://ebbartels.wordpress.com/?p=261#comment-112 In reply to Verena.

I love these comments so much

]]> By: Verena https://www.ebbartels.com/review-of-barbie-of-swan-lake-which-i-dont-even-know-what-to-do-with/#comment-111 Sat, 09 Jun 2018 16:40:15 +0000 https://ebbartels.wordpress.com/?p=261#comment-111 I just want to add something to my comment:
As a passionate Swan Lake lover, I did research on Swan Lake around the world and through time.
The Swan Lake at Mariinsky, the so called Russian Swan Lake, is not the original. A lot of changes, like the prince’s battle and victory, were created around 1930.
The English Tradition keeps Petipa’s production from 1895, released at the Mariinsky theatre. The difference is here the drowning of the couple, which breaks the spell, and the after-life apotheosis. Modest Tchaikovsky edited the libretto and was probably influenced by the folk-tale of the enchanted princess.
But what was the original?
The origins of Swan Lake are in the darkness, but on several links from the Russian Swan Lake Wikipedia page I was directed to the original Libretto from 1877. And even here, the question of Tchaikovsky’s influence is crucial.
Whatever it was, Barbie Swan Lake could be inspired by this forgotten tradition. A time in ballet, when the girl rescued the man and was allowed to be brave (Yes, the first what Odette did in the original Swan Lake was be annoyed about the prince- rather than be afraid.) Or did Barbie include the Lilac Fairy – a part of the Sleeping Beauty movie project Barbie wasn’t allowed to produce because of Disney?
What remains?
Swan Lake is about love, tragedy, magic, romance, purity, betrayal, hope – whether with or without unicorns.

]]> By: Verena https://www.ebbartels.com/review-of-barbie-of-swan-lake-which-i-dont-even-know-what-to-do-with/#comment-110 Sat, 09 Jun 2018 16:01:23 +0000 https://ebbartels.wordpress.com/?p=261#comment-110 No one will perhaps read it, but I’m protecting here this Swan Lake movie, in case someone will read it.
First, you can’t compare the ballet on stage with the original fairy tale from 1877. And also ballet productions have differences.
Actually, Barbie Swan Lake is the closest to the original. Because of following points that are so coincidental that they must know the original.
Odette is no princess. Her mother is dead. The crown is only a magical charm to protect her. She gets it by The Ruler of The Forest. The Swan maidens are not court ladies, but fairies.
Odile is only for the prince visible as Odette.
Odette loses her life powers as soon as she loses the protecting powers of her crown.
And what about the unicorn? What’s wrong with retellings? Each animated fairy tale has animal sidekicks.
And consider to which Swan Lake ballet this girl would go. Russian (Happy end, but established 1930ies), English/American (drowing together, first established 1895), or Nurejew’s (prince is a loser and Odette is left behind in grief, first established 1960ies).
I think this would be even more a disappointment.
And it’s actually funny that the original is so much forgotten that it isn’t recognized anymore.

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