Giselle

Giselle is an innocent peasant girl who lives with her mother. The amorous Duke Albert disguises himself as a villager and swears to marry her, but when his deceit is uncovered Giselle’s heart breaks and she dies in a madness of grief. Guilt-stricken Albert seeks her grave at midnight and vengeful spirits command him to dance himself to death. But Giselle lovingly protects him till dawn bells strike, and she vanishes with the phantoms, leaving him with his remorse. The Bolshoi Ballet’s version by Yuri Grigorovich, incorporates careful choreographic developments to keep this antique ballet fresh. This 1991 performance film, digitally restored and remastered to HD quality, stars the world-renowned Nina Ananiashvili as a delicate yet dramatic Giselle, with Victor Barykin as the faithless Albert.