This is a longish section from the film of the Royal Ballet’s ‘La Fille Mal Gardée’ (1962). The cast includes: Nadia Nerina as Lise David Blair as Colas Stanley Holden as Widow Simone Alexander Grant as Alain Leslie Edwards as Thomas The section here is from where Lise is cosseted at home away from her love Colas, to the end of the ballet where they live ‘happily ever after’. I saw David Blair dance his last Colas in ‘La Fille Mal Gardée’ - it was at Covent Garden in the early 1970s. The evening was very emotional. And then things were even more emotional when when the dancer died not long after at the very early age of 43. This upload from a performance by the original cast of this Frederick Ashton version of the ballet is dedicated to Blair’s memory. The footage here ends with Alain coming back into the darkened room where all the final action has taken place to retrieve his umbrella - a vignette reminiscent of the last moments of Richard Strauss’ ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ where a turbaned attendant rushes on stage at the end of the opera to find a handkerchief. I suspect Ashton had his idea from the opera. This is the mid to last part of the Royal Ballet’s 1962 film of ‘La Fille Mal Gardée’ – from where Lise is cosseted at home away from her love Colas, to the end of the ballet. Enjoy!
