Clara Stahlbaum is a special child.
Different from other girls her own age, Clara lives hiding in attics, with her nose up in books, learning about physics and the laws that govern the world. She even tries to teach some of that to her little brother, Fritz, and early in the movie, she shows him an intricate Rube Goldberg machine to capture a little mouse.
It's Christmas eve and their father, Benjamin, summons the children, along with their older sister, Louise. They are supposed to attend a party at uncle Drosselmeyer's house, but before they go, Benjamin gives them presents. It's not Christmas yet, he says, but the presents are from their mother, who recently passed, and she asked him to deliver them on Christmas eve. Clara's gift is the most enigmatic of all: An egg-shaped object with a lock, but no key, and the mysterious instruction: "Everything you need is inside".
Clara has little hope of trying to open the box on her own, but at the party, she intends to ask her godfather, the inventor Drosselmeyer, for help. Once she's at the house, however, Clara finds a way into another world, the world of the four realms, beautiful snowy land where time passes at a different pace in comparison to how it is in her own world. The four realms are the kingdom of flowers, the kingdom of snowflakes, the kingdom of sweets, and the kingdom of amusements. And her mother was their queen.
The people of the realms didn't know their queen had passed away. They welcome the princess with much love, eager to enlist her help in ending the war against the fourth realm. Ginger mother, leader of the former kingdom of amusements (the fourth realm) is now an enemy, they tell her, and only the princess will be able to unite the four realms again.
The story of The Nutcracker and the four realms is not the same as the story of the nutcracker ballet, and it isn't trying to be. In a way, I am even glad, because, however much I might like the ballet, it's not the most straightforward narrative, especially in the second half, and it wouldn't translate very well to film I think.
The movie is a treat to the eyes, and I have to say, after so many straight-to-TV, simple movies, that particular aspect of it was a delight. The kingdoms in particular, which Clara tours at one point, are lavishing, and the princess wears battle clothes I wish I could wear myself! Everything looks magical and whimsical, and if they didn't keep the narrative of the ballet, then at least they kept its spirit. The nutcracker is famous, after all, for featuring a celesta, arguably the most whimsical of musical instruments, and there is something undeniably whimsical about this movie.
There were also other things I enjoyed a great deal. Benjamin for instance... The whole story of the mother dying and the father being alone with his three children differs from how things happen in the ballet, and I didn't expect to enjoy it, but I did... One of my favourite things the first time I watched this story was Clara's relationship with her father. It isn't much in the ballet, just a few moments, but she walks to him, and he kisses her in the forehead so tenderly, it was impossible to forget it.
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| The kingdom of sweets |
In the movie, Benjamin seems like a tender, caring father. He's worried about his children, now growing up without a mother. When Clara runs off the room he's quick to go after her and when he approaches her, Benkamin isn't mad or upset that she stormed out, instead, he is simply concerned. Sure they hurt each other a few times, like intertwined roses with their thorns, but even when they seem out of synch, you never lose faith that they will find their way back to each other in the end.
There's a sweet moment in the carriage when they are on their way to Drosselmeyer's party when he asks his older daughter, and Clara too, to dance with him at the ball. It's funny too, because then Fritz asks: "what about me?" "What about you?" his father asks. "Who's going to dance with me?" Benjamin doesn't know what to say, and the girls laugh... It's the cutest little moment.
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| The kingdom of flowers |
The movie is far from perfect, though. Clara's trust that the laws of physics always work in a world of living nutcrackers and king mice seemed a bit foolish as well, not to mention dangerous, and there were things that didn't make much sense, from a narrative standpoint, like her sending the nutcracker away because "she could handle herself" only to need him to save her life the next minute.
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| The kingdom of the snowflakes |
I wish the story of all of the things that happened in the four realms connected more with the story of Clara and her family, her father in particular. They were each locked in their particular spaces, grieving alone,... Clara for instance. What she wanted was to have her mother back, or perhaps to not be so sad anymore, but what she needed was to reconnect with her dad. This story could have been mimicking in sugarplum grieving her queen, wanting to take control of the realms to make the pain go away, but needing to reconnect to the other regents, and to Ginger Mother, in particular. Unfortunately the story doesn't take advantage of that at all and it feels like two separate stories... Clara's story with her family in the beginning and the end, and the adventure in the four realms crammed in the middle.
Sugarplum was not my favourite part of the movie... Drosselmeyer too... I mean, Drosselmeyer is my favourite character in the ballet. He is so wonderful, and larger than life, with his magic tricks and lifelike toys! He's supposed to be a scene-stealer supporting character. The movie's Drosselmeyer kinds of blends to the background,... I certainly wish it wasn't like that. Be that as it may, this movie had far more things I liked than things I didn't, and the visual aspects definitely make it worth watching.
The movie also used the ballet's soundtrack in a fun way... The tracks were there, but they changed... At the fourth realm for instance, when things were scary, the music was played by a somber and deep organ... that was fun. And it wasn't the only way the movie incorporated elements of ballet. The movie starts with a request and ends with a dance, which is quite fitting, and there are small scenes involving ballet dancers here and there as well...
There are so many movies about girls like Clara... Girls that are different from other girls around them. It's difficult for me to understand, because in real life, it's not like that at all... Few people are different, trully different, and life for one who is different is always a little... lonely... Opportunities to becomes a princess in a magical land of four realms are awfully scarce. It is because of that scarcity, perhaps that stories like this, of girls that actually go out on adventures, and magic kingdoms and enchanted places are so enjoyable. And to anyone who enjoys Christmas and this type of Narnia-like fantasy, without paying too much attention on the things that could be a little better, I really recommend this one.
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