The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I really quite enjoyed this short ballet centred around the water-gathering scenes from Goethe's story. The elegant and characterful Sonia Arova is the Prima Ballerina who delivers a classy and stylish performance - I could swear narrated by Joan Collins - as the youngster takes her wand when her master is away, and commands the broom to fetch her water. This all goes to plan, but she doesn't know how to make it stop. Indeed, her one moment of inspiration only doubles her problem. Like so many of Michael Powell's films, this depends a great deal on the marvellously creative set design - and here Hein Heckroth manages to marry the best in intricate stagecraft with the mischievous Braunfels score. The version I saw yesterday is clearly a shortened version of the original - the editing isn't always the most natural, but it's still a glorious short adaptation of the tale. I'm not especially well educated in ballet - but if you are looking for an introduction via cinema, this is certainly worth a watch for ten minutes.

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