© Video Artists International This DVD is avilable from: DanceBooks Amazon Bolshoi 'Spartacus' reviews 'Spartacus' reviews? recent Bolshoi reviews Charlotte Kasner reviews

Vassiliev, the creator of Grigorovich's Spartacus, is in his prime; his elevation and power have to be seen to be believed, and he is no mean turner either. It is quite surprising to realise how powerfully built he is as he has the grace of a gazelle and an elegance that belies Spartacus' humble origins. Spartacus was probably plug ugly with hairs in his ears and a wart on the end of his nose, but who cares? This is far more than a heroic cardboard cut out; Vassiliev's Spartacus thinks, agonises and acts, his face a mirror of conflicting emotions that benefit from the closeness of the filming.

This is almost the original cast (Maximova played Phrygia at the premiere), with timeless performances from Maris Liepa and Nina Timofeyeva in their greatest roles as Crassus and Aegina. For those who were not able to see this cast when they performed in London in 1979, this is not a bad substitute and should be the version to which all current dancers return to understand this complex work. Oft portrayed as a crude work of Soviet propaganda, it is in constant demand so long after the fall of the Berlin wall precisely because there is far more to is than mere socialist realism. The closeness of the camera also enables the supporting dancers to be seen to full effect and reminds one that this is also a marathon of tricky choreography for the rest of the cast.
 

© Video Artists International

The quality of the original film is a little wobbly in places, especially the sound, and the cutting is rather crude at times. Nevertheless, as a record of the original dancers in what has become a great Soviet work, it cannot be beaten.