Galina Ulanova as Giselle
The version of Giselle at this Youtube link with the Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova has to be one of the most moving pieces of art I've ever seen, definitely one of the top five films I've ever seen. What's makes this Giselle special is not Ulanova's technical skill (her technique seems fine to this non-expert on ballet, and I think leeway must be given due to the fact she was almost fifty and nearing retirment) but her depiction of the character of Giselle.
The ballet Giselle is of course about an innocent peasant girl; she falls in love at the start of ballet, but then discovers the lie of her noble lover and dies of a broken heart at the end of the first half of the ballet. In the second half, her spirit forgives him and protects him from vengeful spirits; at the end of the ballet she has to say farwell to him. Though it's one of those works that forces characters into traditional gender roles, it has undeniable humanity and beauty.
Ulanova embodies this character to a degree that far surpasses other ballerinas I've seen. I was lucky to see Maria Kochetkova in SF Ballet’s production of Giselle last spring, and I’ve spent some time this afternoon on Youtube watching performances by some of the pimera ballerina assoluta and otherwise great ballerinas of the 20th Century (Alicia Markova, Alessandra Ferri, Natalia Bessmertnovna, Gelsey Kirkland) as well as some of the top contemporary ballerinas (Alina Cojocaru and Svetlana Zakharova). They’re all surpassed by Ulanova, who draws you into her role with every gesture. I have to agree with Sergey Prokofiev, who, according to Wikipedia, said the following of Ulanova: "She is the genius of Russian ballet, its elusive soul, its inspired poetry. Ulanova imparts to her interpretation of classical roles a depth of expression unheard of in twentieth century ballet."
What a treasure!
PS:
The Wikipedia page of Giselle has an excellent plot summary if you’re interested in getting into the ballet.
