Posted: 1/22/16 at 1:47pm
Apologies if this has been posted--I only recently discovered it. The original Agnes DeMille ballet (with original cast members but, sadly, just piano accompaniment) Absolutely amazing.
Posted: 1/22/16 at 4:09pm
Wow, what an amazing document! I had no idea the original concept concentrated so much on the Snow children! Sort of a lame ending to the ballet, if this tape is a correct record.
I wonder if David Fincher's team had access to this footage when they were planning their sequence of scenes in BENJAMIN BUTTON that revolve around Cate Blanchett's character dancing the Bambi Linn role. (They do a beautiful job recreating the production, as I recall.)
Posted: 1/22/16 at 4:30pm
It is amazing! I will assume that it's not complete--the ending and the extent of the pas de deux don't really jive with the DeMille notes I've read, although all the rest does.
I think your post is the first thing I've read that has made me want to re-watch Benjamin Button!
Posted: 1/23/16 at 7:34pm
Just bumping this, cuz...
Posted: 1/23/16 at 8:00pm
really great to see this amazing record of DeMille, Eric, thanks...such moving and heartfelt, and ..enthusiastic dancing! I've always thought that Bambi Linn was such a superb dancer, yet outside of ballet circles, kind of overlooked. I'm sure this film is in the "museums". Good job!
Posted: 1/25/16 at 11:45am
Somebody added the orchestra. Fascinating stuff.
Checking out the movie version, I wonder if there were props not used for this video or if they added them for the movie.
Fernando
Posted: 1/25/16 at 12:22pm
To be fair, De Mille did not choreograph the film version. The film's Ballet was derived from her original and credited as such, but is not an exacting recreation by any stretch.
Posted: 1/29/16 at 2:52am
This is really great too. The Dream Ballet from Oklahoma! with Bambi Linn and James Mitchell in Todd-AO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D1loAVwiMc
DeMille and a terrific corps de ballet; it's the entire dream ballet.
