Nutcracker

So! Criterion put out the DVD of The Tales of Hoffman. I had to watch it because, you know, it's Advent, and that means the "Nutcracker", and that was written by Hoffman.

Oh my god but this movie is sick.

The singing is fantastic, the dancing is fantastic, and the costume design is going to give me nightmares for weeks. Every set looks like the cover of a 50's sci-fi paperback. Jean Cocteau is watching this film from the grave and asking, "Why didn't I do that? Screw La Belle et la Bête."

I'm serious; I have to recover after watching this. The doll banquet has me massively skeeved.