Giselle (ballet film, 1969)

Screen adaptation of the ballet "Giselle" by A. Adan . A touching story about deceived love and trust, about the sacrifice and forgiveness of a woman and about the moral degeneration of a man.

The young peasant girl Giselle enjoys life, the sun, she loves to dance. Gisele is in love with Albert, not suspecting that he is a disguised count and already has a bride. Giselle’s happiness gives way to despair, her mind cannot stand it, she goes crazy and dies. The careless count, who at first planned to have a good time with a pretty peasant, was shocked by the death of Giselle and was only now beginning to appreciate the sincere faithful feeling of the girl who loved him. Exhausted by remorse, Albert comes at night to the grave of Giselle in the forest. At night, jeeps rising from the graves, the ghosts of the girls who died before the wedding, dance in the cemetery. Jeeps are seductive and ruthless to the men who meet on their way. And only faithful selfless love and self-sacrifice of Giselle save Albert from the wrath of the jeeps and inevitable death. Dawn is approaching. With the rising of the sun and the ringing of the bells, the power of the jeep is over. Together with the ghosts of the jeep, the light shadow of Giselle disappears, forgiving and blessing her lover. Slowly, in deep thought, Albert leaves the cemetery: he needs to learn how to live on without Giselle, but with the experience of this love.

• Carla Fracci - Giselle
• Eric Brun - Earl of Albert
• Bruce Marx - Hilarion Forester
• Tony Lander - Myrtle, Lady of the Jeep
• Eleanor d'Antuono and Ted Civitt - peasant pas de de
• soloists and corps de ballet of the American Ballet Theater
• soloists and corps de ballet of the National Ballet of Cuba ( Spanish: Ballet Nacional de Cuba ) Alicia Alonso

• German Opera Orchestra in Berlin
• Conductor John Lunchbury

• Composer : Adolf Adan
• Authors of the ballet libretto : Henri de Saint-Georges , Theophile Gauthier , Jean Coralli according to a legend retold by Heinrich Heine
• Choreography : David Blair based on the original choreography of Jules Perrault and Jean Coralli
• Movie Director: Hugo Nibeling
• Producers: Fritz Buttenstidt, Lucia Schaase, Oliver Smith
• Costumes: Peter Haal, Jeanne Renucci
• Operator: Wolfgang Troy
• Directed by: Georges Vakevich , Bernardo Ballster

• This ballet film has been repeatedly released on DVD. One of the latest issues was in 1987 , 2005 by Deutsche Grammophon ( Hamburg , Germany ).

• The film-ballet "Giselle" (1970) on IMDb
• The ballet "Giselle" on the website Belcanto.ru
• The American critic recalls the film-ballet Giselle (1970)