Katarina Witt's Schindlers List vs Julia"s | Golden Skate

Katarina Witt's Schindlers List vs Julia"s

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
One of the best Schindler's list programs I ever saw was one Witt often did in the pros:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JESp-O0EwRY

How do you feel Julia's compares. I hadnt seen one done again for quite awhile, atleast not by a top skater, and amazing to see one so young even try and tackle something like that.
 

koatcue

Medalist
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
Country
Russia
I prefer Katarina's.:love: Julia is more about getting high technique mark and also she is ypounger and isn't such an artist yet. (may be she'll never be, who knows?)
 

coppertop1

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
I don't think you can compare, they are totally different. Katarina's was a professional program, Julia's is competitive and she's only 16. Both skate to it beautifully in their own way.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
definitely Witt did not portray the girl in the red coat in Shindler's list
her dress matching mismatching with too much sensuality is creepy
 

emdee

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Julia's program is startling its in simplicity - there is an almost woodenness in some of the movements that evokes so much feeling. Even with the spins off she left me with a lump in my throat - she is a new favourite of mine.

I have seen her in person twice and both times she was wonderful to see.

We gave her a standing ovation for her program at Skate Canada.
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Irina, Paul Wylie, Giunchi and Weir and Joshua Farris Probably not in order lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ju80rZYwXE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD2AJfafk9I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAd9Lm75Qrs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZp0yoy5ecw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVbu3fOPWco

Julia's is very moving, as she represents the girl in the red coat so well and therefore gets some carry over from the poignancy in the film. I prefer hers to Katarina's. This was a masterful choice on the part of julia's team.

Paul's is my top choice and was memorable when I originally saw it years ago.
 

coppertop1

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
I love Julia's program, she really cells it. As Kurt said, something about that face really sells it. She has so much talent.
 

Kitt

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Country
United-States
yes, that face. So innocent, at the beginning of the program when she just stares.....it really draws you in. I think she is my new favorite.
 

loopy

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
With Katerina, I feel like it is a performance. An excellent performance but it is like seeing something on stage.

Julia's is like seeing a private moment. You feel drawn in to something real.
 

Amei

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
I like Julia's better- there's a simplicity to her program and she conveys (whether she is intentionally doing it or her age naturally does it) an innocence that the little girl portrayed in the film. Julia's feels like that is how she would skate it if she was by herself on the ice.

Katarina's- it feels so much like a performance and there seems to be too many arm movements. and the long skirt of the costume is distracting, I realize that she is trying to avoid any sexiness which would have been very inappropriate.
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
Julia's program is the only time that I feel Schindler's List has really worked in skating. Any other time a skater has attempted this music it just fails to live up to the context. Skating movement contained within a few minutes doesn't lend itself to sufficiently portraying the depth of this subject matter. Especially when it's a competitive performance and the skater's own ego is part of the performance.

However, by just portraying the girl in the red dress (and emoting as specifically as she does), Julia has managed to capture the essence of the music without being overwhelmed by the grandiosity of the entire subject matter.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
It's difficult with Julia's performance as by virtue of being a competitive performance packed with jumps it's hard to really draw out the emotion that Witt is trying to capture. If you're trying to capture the girl in the red coat, obviously with Julia being a girl it will be easier to. I think Witt evokes more pathos and maturity, and is a much more "beautiful" performance, however, Julia still has that touching, youthful innocence to it that also makes it special in its own way.
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
The two are not comparable - on the artistic, creative, emotional or intellectual level. Mostly importantly only one match the context of material in which Julia's youth, innocence and pure intention can not be matched by even the most seasoned and well performed professionals.

One of my old professors (who teaches at Royal College of Art) once said, the worst thing you can do to a budding young artist is to give him a paint brush. Reason being, you are confining them to what is possible, one that is practiced, established, artificial, rehearsed (a painter, not an artist) and lost that purity, creativity and inspired moments that are more important to pursue for originality and authenticity, to enable aspect of their unique selves to any piece of work with imagination with freedom (not one born of technique, self awareness or knowing, but trial of the unknown - hence why experimentations are so important in art) and see where it can carry you. To make something unique, entirely individualistic that can not be replicated by any other skater are the merits of what I look for in any skating program. Can this program be done better? Can it be performed by another skater to bring the same quality as this one? How does it compare to the skaters previous programs? It might also be the reason I can never get into Adelina or Elena's programs, because they look like they are imitating some templated/generic formula of what is constitute as good skating / good performance, instead of making it fresh with their own individuality which Julia and Liza seems to be owning more to make their own mark.

Some of the best work in arts can come by lucky chances, happy accidents, inspired moments and circumstance and not born of craft/workmanship or any particular artificial intentions (that would make it design). This program may very well be one of them. How they are valued depends more on audiences' reaction and not just on the artist's intentions. I have seen some people have accused the program of emotional manipulation, but then isn't the nature of all performance arts? What separate Witt's version and Julia is that one is clearly a tribute - a memorial program derived from good will gesture of someone with the full knowledge, awareness (guilt and shame perhaps consider East Germany past) without innocence of the girl character. While Julia's is the opposite of the spectrum. According to the recent CBC after show analysis, Kurt mentioned Julia have not seen the film nor are familiar with the story of girl in red but apparently just like the music (http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/figureskating/video/#id=2420242474&tab=1 around 16 minutes mark). This indicate to me she is reacting to it on a more visceral level than an academic one (I was one of the few ones originally though she has musicality just need the right program to show case for it, her previous choreography was much too busy borderline on abusive of showcasing her flexibility) Just as well, because if she had seen the movie and be be fully aware of the full scale and seriousness nature of her character, I wonder if we might have seen a different interpretation? According to her latest interview, she picked both program themselves, neither are traditional European classicals which to my mind deserves +3 grade on experimentation for her.

By not knowing too much and being over studied, she match the credibility of the innocent red coat girl character well and the fact she is the rare stoic introvert skater among all the youngsters matches the character's predicament with dignity is a key to the presentation succes. In another youngster's hand who might be more an extrovert (Osmond?), it might be an entirely different performance. We already saw what Gracie did with Life is beautiful program. These are among the reason why I have always been interested and often excited by watching young skaters, I am attracted to their freshness, emotional purity and lack of self awareness that feels less artificial and not overly rehearsed. More of an organic artistic pursuit. Hanyu provided that in his Romeo and Juliette program. (I do ask myself if Hanyu had really been in love, or had his heart broken, would it be a different performance from what I saw, better or worse?) This program for Julia did the same.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I don't know. Julia was, in actual fact, a little girl in a red dress. I think the rest of it was supplied to the performance by the mind of the viewer.
 

Sasha'sSpins

Medalist
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Country
United-States
It was a nice program but I just couldn't buy sexy Katarina as the Little Girl in the Red Coat all grown up. And I remember it put me off when it was said that in Witt's version the child had lived. That wasn't how it went in the movie.

I love Julia's portrayal and I enjoy it way more than Witt's.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Each interpretation has merit. Still, however, Paul Wylie's interpretation is the gold standard for me.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I was never much of a fan of Katarina to be honest. I could respect her ability but didn't like the sex kitten connotation that she really put out there. Schindler's List is a gorgeous piece of music and I didn't feel Katarina did it justice. On the same token, I don't think Julia is mature enough to really fill out the music. But I definitely enjoy her skating. I just think the music is too heavy and dramatic for a baby ballerina - no matter how good she is on the ice. So for me - Paul Wylie!

BUT - I had never seen Johnny's version until now. Oh how I've longed to see him perform without some wild-a** costume and makeup. The simplicity of the all-white outfit and nothing to distract you really made me enjoy his beautiful and graceful version of Schindler's.

I'm thinking though - this is one piece of music that you can't separate from the story behind it. So maybe no one should really try to attempt interpreting it.
 

MasterB

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
Jonathan Cassar did a great number at Nationals a few years ago. Paul is still the best one for me. He used it with a combine piece from the movie Carlitos Way and it was very effective. He made you believe the Gestapo was after you.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
yes, that face. So innocent, at the beginning of the program when she just stares.....it really draws you in. I think she is my new favorite.

Its really a great piece of music for Julia and her coach/choregrapher packaged her perfectly. I would love to see her medal at the olympics with his program, its truly special. Something a baby sasha could have done.
 
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