Unlike Carroll Ballard's 1986 failure, "Nutcracker, The Motion Picture," which tried to jazz up the classic ballet with a steady stream of music video-style quick cuts, this latest filmed version, "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker," is fairly straightforward — and, as a result, much more satisfying.
Ironically, Macaulay Culkin's winning screen presence as the Nutcracker Prince (and Drosselmeier's nephew) adds little, since the dancing is the thing — and he doesn't do much.
On the other hand, he's not really a distraction, either. So, if Culkin brings more families to this "Nutcracker," so much the better.
Directed by Emile Ardolino, who also did "Dirty Dancing" and "Sister Act" (and who died of AIDS this week), and with an explanatory narration by actor Kevin Kline (which should help children understand what's going on), the film is fairly imaginative in its presentation but is most impressive for Balanchine's choreography and the performances of the individual members of the New York City Ballet.
Perhaps most memorable are Wendy Whelan's Arabian dance as Coffee, and top-billed Darci Kistler, as the Sugarplum Fairy, who gets a couple of stunning solo moments.
Culkin seems a bit stiff in places, but then so do some of the other children. And that may simply be a problem of filming a stage production, as the children's facial expressions aren't as easily observed by most of the audience in a large theater.
The story is familiar, of course, beginning with a huge family Christmas Eve party, during which mysterious old Drosselmeier (Bart Robinson Cook) gives a prized nutcracker to young Marie (Jessica Lynn Cohen) — which is subsequently broken by mean-spirited young Fritz (Peter Reznick).
That night, Marie has a dream, wherein the nutcracker comes to life as the Nutcracker Prince (in the form of Drosselmeier's nephew), battles the evil Mouse King and then spirits Marie off to a snow-filled enchanted forest and the Land of Sweets, where they are entertained by various personages representing sugar candies.
Though the set design and costumes are impressive, one could quibble about the special effects and one-dimensional backgrounds being too stagebound and less than cinematic. But this is essentially a filmed stage performance, so maybe that's the point. If the film were too razzle-dazzle and computer-spectacular, it would likely overwhelm the balletic performances.
And, of course, Tchaikovsky's classic score is as marvelous as ever.
"George Balanchine's The Nutcracker" is rated G.