The IMAX Nutcracker
{{Short description|British film}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The IMAX Nutcracker
| image = IMAXNutcrackerFilm.jpg
| caption = IMAX Nutcracker DVD cover
| based_on = {{based on|The Nutcracker and the Mouse King|E. T. A. Hoffmann}}
| director = Christine Edzard
| screenplay = Christine Edzard
| starring = Miriam Margolyes
Heathcote Williams
Lotte Johnson
Benjamin Hall
Harriet Thorpe
Patrick Pearson
|music = Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
| cinematography = Noel Archambault
| producer = Celia Bannerman
Andrew Gellis
Lorne Orleans
Olivier Stockman
| studio = Sands Films
| distributor = IMAX
| released = {{Film date|1997|11|27|df=yes}}
| runtime = 37 minutes
| language = English
| country = United States
| gross = $1,009,291{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0125794/credits/?ref_=bo_tt_tab |title=The IMAX Nutcracker (1997)|website=Box Office Mojo}}
}}
The IMAX Nutcracker is a 1997 short Christmas film directed by Christine Edzard based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It was produced by Celia Bannerman, Andrew Gellis, Lorne Orleans and Olivier Stockman at Sands Films Studios in London. The film stars Miriam Margolyes, Heathcote Williams, Lotte Johnson, Benjamin Hall, Harriet Thorpe, and Patrick Pearson.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-imax-nutcracker-vm2491043 |title=The IMAX Nutcracker (1997)|website=AllMovie}}
The music by Tchaikovsky was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin and cinematography was by Noel Archambault.{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b807bd0a9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603111013/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b807bd0a9|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2018|title=The IMAX Nutcracker (1997) |website=BFI}}
The IMAX Nutcracker is a 3-D IMAX narrative film telling the story of Little Clara who receives a toy nutcracker for Christmas and sees it come to life later that night. The Nutcracker Prince takes Clara to an enchanted land where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairies.
Production
Sands Films, the production company that made the film, is owned and run by Christine Edzard, the screenwriter and director, and her husband Richard B. Goodwin.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/as-you-like-it-3-1200430857/|title=As You Like It|first=Derek|last=Elley|date=6 October 1992|website=Variety}}
The film was made in collaboration with Goodwin by Edzard, who is known for her meticulous filmmaking often based on Victorian English sources.{{cite book|author=Ephraim Katz|title=The Film Encyclopedia 5th edition|date=2005|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=9780060742140|pages=427}} . Their earlier productions include Stories from a Flying Trunk (1979), The Nightingale (1981), Biddy (1983), Little Dorrit (1987), The Fool (1989), As You Like It (1991), Amahl and the Night Visitors (1996), The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream (2001) and The Good Soldier Schwejk (2018).
Reception
Variety was positive, writing “while it lacks the richness and texture of the famed ballet, “The IMAX Nutcracker” is nevertheless solid family entertainment.” The reviewer praised the film's “strong production values”, predicting it would “become a holiday classic”.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/the-imax-nutcracker-1117329737/ |author=Lael Loewenstein |title=The IMAX Nutcracker |date=25 Nov 1997 |website=Variety}}
New York Times described it as “the movie equivalent of...layer cake that's so rich it can only be consumed in tiny nibbles” and “a holiday dreamscape that is considerably darker in tone that the ballet”. The “sheer opulence” was praised for being impressive but they thought the film “never feels magical” and was more “like being in a department store at the height of the Christmas season and not knowing where to look.”{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/26/movies/film-review-a-nutcracker-in-3-d-gift-wrapping.html |author=Stephen Holden |title=Film review: A 'Nutcracker' in 3-D Gift Wrapping |date=26 Nov 1997 |website=New York Times}}
Chicago Tribune gave the film a mixed review. They thought that despite the anticipation of director Christine Edzard's “uniquely charmingly sensibility”, the film “disappointed” due to the use of actors instead of dancers. Nevertheless, it is “an intelligent and sumptuous interlude”.{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-11-26-9711260146-story.html|author=Michael Wilmington |title=IMAX Nutcracker fails to deliver the magic |date=26 Nov 1997 |website=ChicagoTribune}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0125794|The IMAX Nutcracker}}
- {{rotten-tomatoes|Nutcracker}}
- [http://www.sandsfilms.co.uk Sands Films: Productions ]
- [http://film-directory.britishcouncil.org/christine-edzard Filmmakers Directory: Christine Edzard at British Council]
- [https://mubi.com/cast/christine-edzard Christine Edzard at mubi]
- [https://miriammargolyes.com/roles/film Miriam Margolyes: Roles]
- [https://pinewoodgroup.com/pinewood-today/credits/the-imax-nutcracker-1 Pinewood Studios: The IMAX Nutcracker]
{{The Nutcracker}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:IMAX Nutcracker}}