The Nutcracker in 3D

The Nutcracker in 3D

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
Produced by
  • Andrei Konchalovsky
  • Paul Lowin
Screenplay by
  • Andrei Konchalovsky
  • Chris Solimine
Based on The Nutcracker
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
and
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
by E.T.A. Hoffman (uncredited)
Starring
Music by Eduard Artemyev[1]
Cinematography Mike Southon
Edited by
  • Mathieu Bélanger
  • Andrew Glen
Production
company
Distributed by
  • G2 Pictures (UK)
  • Vertigo Média Kft. (Hungary)
Release dates
  • 24 November 2010 (2010-11-24) (Canada)
  • 8 December 2011 (2011-12-08) (Hungary)
  • 28 December 2012 (2012-12-28) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 110 minutes
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • Hungary
  • Canada
Language English
Hungarian
Budget $90 million[2]
Box office $16.2 million[2]

The Nutcracker in 3D (released on DVD as The Nutcracker: The Untold Story) is a 2009 British-Hungarian 3D Christmas fantasy film adaption of the ballet The Nutcracker, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. The film was met with negative reviews from critics upon its release, and was a box office bomb. The film does not credit the original The Nutcracker and the Mouse King story, nor its author E. T. A. Hoffmann.

Plot

Mary's (Elle Fanning) seemingly dull Christmas is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane), who gives her a Nutcracker as a gift. Later that night, Mary dreams that the Nutcracker—called N.C. (Charlie Rowe)--comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey.[3] They discover that the Nazi-like Rat King (John Turturro) has usurped the Nutcracker's kingdom.

In the climax of the film, the Nutcracker appears to have been killed, but Mary's tears and declaration of love restore him to life and transforms him into a prince, his true form. The rats are all defeated and overthrown, but now Mary must reluctantly awaken from her dream. Before she's fully awake, N.C. promises that they'll meet again. After she does so, she goes to Uncle Albert's workshop, where she meets his new young neighbor, who is the exact image of the Nutcracker Prince and who asks to be called N.C. The two become close friends, and the last shot of the film shows them ice skating together.

Cast

Production

Development

Director Konchalovsky stated that The Nutcracker in 3D had been his "dream project" for over 20 years.[4] Konchalovsky was inspired to adapt the film into 3D for several reasons; he believed that the format would be useful in conveying the fantastical nature of the material, capturing the emotions of CGI characters, and appealing to a family audience.[5] At the same time, he opted to adapt the film with no ballet sequences because, according to him, "ballet cannot work in cinema very well."[5]

Konchalovsky gave the rats who try to take over the fantasy kingdom Nazi-like qualities in his production, one of the many elements in the adaptation which alienated both critics and audiences.[6]

Filming

The film was announced at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and principal photography took place primarily in Budapest, Hungary that summer, before the set was moved to the Stern Film Studio in Pomáz.[7]

Soundtrack

The film's score is derived from Tchaikovsky's original music for The Nutcracker, the composer's ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricist Tim Rice wrote lyrics for it. Many of the songs are based on the ballet's dances. Other songs are based on Tchaikovsky's other compositions, such as his Symphony No. 5.[5]

Release

The Nutcracker in 3D was first screened at the European Film Market on 5 February 2009. The film was released in Hungary on 8 December 2012 and United Kingdom on 28 December 2012.[8]

Box office

The Nutcracker in 3D brought in a total of $16,178,959 worldwide, making it a box office bomb[2] with a loss of $73,821,041.[9]

Critical reaction

Upon its release in North America The Nutcracker in 3D was widely panned by critics. The film managed a 0% "rotten", or 2.8/10 rating, on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 critics' reviews. The site's consensus was: "Misguided, misconceived, and misbegotten on every level, The Nutcracker in 3D is a stunning exercise in astonishing cinematic wrong-headedness."[10][11] It achieved a score of 18/100 "overwhelming dislike" on fellow aggregate Metacritic. Metacritic would later rank The Nutcracker in 3D the "Worst Limited Release" film of 2010.[12][13] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one out of four stars and asked "From what dark night of the soul emerged the wretched idea for The Nutcracker in 3D?" Ebert went on to claim The Nutcracker in 3D as "One of those rare holiday movies that may send children screaming under their seats."[14]

Claudia Puig of USA Today accused the film of being "contrived, convoluted, amateurish and tedious," and panned it for lacking any trace of ballet, unlike several previous versions of The Nutcracker.[15] Entertainment Weekly reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film its only positive review from a professional film critic, awarding it a B+ and remarking "Attention, university film clubs: Here's your cult-ready midnight-movie programming."[16]

Awards and nominations

[17]

Ceremony Category Recipients Outcome
Metacritic's Best and Worst Films of 2010
 Worst Limited Release Film of 2010 The Nutcracker in 3D Won
31st Golden Raspberry Awards
 Worst Eye Gouging Misuse of 3D The Nutcracker in 3D Nominated
Young Artist Awards 2011
 Best Young Actress Elle Fanning Nominated

See also

References

  1. ↑ Примадонна озвучит Королеву крыс в сказке Андрея Кончаловского| Щелкунчик, Алла Пугачева, Андрей Кончаловский — Неформат. Информационный портал
  2. 1 2 3 "The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  3. ↑ "Plot Summary". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  4. ↑ "Seattle: The Nutcracker in 3D". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  5. 1 2 3 "EXCLUSIVE: Andrei Konchalovsky Talks The Nutcracker in 3D". Movieweb. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  6. ↑ Самый дорогой российский фильм провалился в прокате
  7. ↑ "Filming locations". Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  8. ↑ "The Nutcracker in 3D Release Info". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  9. ↑ Андрей Кончаловский о своем новом фильме-сказке
  10. ↑ "Nutcracker in 3D Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  11. ↑ "Top Critics Numbers". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  12. ↑ "The Nutcracker in 3D at Metacritic". CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  13. ↑ "The Best and Worst Movies of 2010". CBS Interactive. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  14. ↑ "The Nutcracker in 3D". Chicago Sun-Times. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  15. ↑ "'Nutcracker in 3D' is not at all relative". USA Today. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  16. ↑ "The Nutcracker in 3D". Entertainment Weekly. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  17. ↑ The Best and Worst Movies of 2010
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