TheLittleSongbird I love ballet, and I love Swan Lake. Swan Lake with males as swans and a somewhat anti-romantic(in musical eras that is) approach in some scenes is a different production, but I like it for its uniqueness.And it is wonderfully done all the same. The story is classic and haunting, and the music is utterly amazing with a sense of elegance and melancholy about it.The costumes and sets are big and grand, not to mention they look wonderful. The camera work and editing helps hugely, and David Frame's conducting of a 27-member orchestra is commendable.The choreography is fantastic, not just in the solos and duets but also in the group dances which are very energetic without feeling too heavy. The performances also add a lot, Scott Ambler is great as the Prince and Fiona Chadwick is a suitably icy queen, but it is Adam Cooper's show all the way.In conclusion, different, unique yet absolutely wonderful and not one to forget in a while. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Jay Harris I will admit to being a fan of Ballet.Mathew Bourne version of this famous ballet by Tchaikovsky is different, How you innocently ask,ALL the swans are men.. Male Ballet Dabcers are known for there perfect bodies. Thwy dance naked from the waist up, The various movements are sensuous & thrilling to watch. It has the same tragic ending & you not feel sad, as we know 2 lovers are together now forever.The 2 leads are fantastic, & the dancer who plays the Queen & a mean nasty bitch of the first order, It is quite modern in its approach as they use cellphones in one scene.See this for its fantastic dancing & glorious music. Since this is almost a documentary, there is no numerical rating given,Rating **** (out of 4) IMDb 10 (out of 10)

the_monkeys_raincoat I saw 'Swan Lake' when I was 18 years old (a million years ago). I thought the music was pretty and the dancers were pretty and I might have wished in passing that I knew how to dance. But I never gave it or dance another thought. Fast forward to a few years ago when I was plopped down on a couch and told to watch this new all male version with a friend who had seen it in person. WOW!!!! It truly grieves me I have never seen it in person. Matthew Bourne is one cool dude and his swans are nothing short of spectacular. Adam Cooper drips a sexual tension you can feel even through the television screen. The band of carousing swans filter throughout the production sometimes in movements of dreamy poetry, sometimes in a furious fluttered heat, sometimes disturbingly aggressive - but always ethereally beautiful. The story has many facets and encompasses a lot of emotion - something I am learning Bourne and his dancers are quite keen at communicating vividly to the audience with just the slightest movement. So if you are ready to try something different...I highly recommend you try this on for size. Let go of your reservations, willingly suspend your preconceptions of what it is you think you are going to see and settle in for the ruffled feather experience of your life. These swans are hot and they really do rock. (Also see 'The Car Man' - another provocative work from the creative genius Matthew Bourne).

mermatt This is a beautiful variation on Tchaikovsky's ballet with all male swans. The play has a wicked sense of humor about ballet and theater in general, but the homoerotic element is what really sets this version off from all others. These swans are not males doing traditional female ballet movements. The dances are choreographed for males and are powerfully appropriate for the masculine, barechested young men. Adam Cooper is stunning as both the white and black swans.The final scene is so touching as to bring tears. This is a movie for people who don't like ballet as well as for those who do. The mystery and mystique of SWAN LAKE will never be the same again.