George Balanchine's The Nutcracker



This is the first feature film version if Tchaikovsky's famous ballet.

Synopsis
It is Christmas Eve. A Christmas party is to be held in the home of Dr. Stahlbaum (Robert LaFosse) and his wife (Heather Watts). Their children Marie (Jessica Lynn Cohen) and Fritz (Peter Reznick) can't wait to enter the living room and the Christmas tree for the first time. Finally thet are ushered in, all the guests arrive, and the party begins.

Suddenly Drosselmeyer, Marie's godfather (Bart Robinson Cook), enters with his young nephew (Macaulay Culkin) who is her age. He performs several magic tricks and then shows the children thw wondrous life-size toys he brought, including a Harlequin (Katrina Killian) and Columbine (Roma Sosenko). They dance and the children are delighted. Then Drosselmeyer produces a smaller gift, a Nutcracker made in the style of an old man. Marie is enchanted with it and claims it as her own, but Fritz snatches it away from her and deliberately breaks it out of jealousy. Marie is heartbroken, but Drosselmeyer comforts her. The party ends with the "Grandfather Waltz". The guests leave and Marie and Fritz go to bed.