Cirque du Soleil's Dralion DVD review

*"The everyday consumer's guide to DVD & home theater"*		Buy Disney's "Dinosaur" and other DVDs Express.com
Stay current with DVD movie releases, sign up for our free e-Newsletter
HOME DVD Movie Reviews New Releases Upcoming Releases Special Offers & Discounts Specifications: - DVD-Video - Single-sided - Dual layer - Region 1 - Run time: approx. 89 min. - Menus: Static - Scene selection: Static - Package: Keep case Video Features: - Anamorphic Widescreen - Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 widescreen Audio Features: - English: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English: Dolby Surround Bonus Materials: - "The Making-of" featurette - Multiple angle performances (3 angles during 4 acts to show close-up, medium, and full stage) - Trailers (3) Release Dates: DVD Release: 01/23/01 Review Date: 01/26/01 List price: $ 24.95 On-line price: $ 17.46 Pre-order price was: $ 16.99
	Dralion™ (a Cirque du Soleil production)
			Starring: Cirque du Soleil performers Video Director: David Mallet Live Show Director: Guy Caron MPAA Rating: Not Rated (NR) Genre: Live Stage Performance - Circus Studio: Columbia TriStar Home Video
	Movie: B+ Video: B Audio: B+ Extras: B- Summary: "Dralion" is the third DVD title released by the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil, an international circus troupe famous for their "avant-garde" style and spectacular live performances. This particular "Dralion" show is a mix between ancient Chinese circus tradition and Cirque Du Soleil's own unique style. The performances are awe-inspiring while the music is mesmerizing. DVD's multiple angle feature was used during four (4) acts which allows you to view these selected performances in three different perspectives. This is a DVD that the entire family can enjoy time and again.
	The Story Cirque du Soleil is an international circus troupe with permanent and traveling shows. They are known for the their "avant-garde" style which revolutionized traditional circus acts. "Dralion™" is one of their live stage shows and was recently touring North America. This particular performance was filmed in San Francisco, California. The show combines traditional Chinese circus acts with Cirque du Soleil's "avant-garde" style. In fact, "Dralion" is a mythical character that is half dragon and half lion, exemplifying the "East meets West" theme of the show. With 14 acts in 16 chapters, the "Dralion" show on DVD includes a number of awe-inspiring acrobatics, humorous moments, and mesmerizing instrumental music and vocals. Quite literally the vocalists float around the stage, while the circus artists perform acts of single-hand balancing, bamboo poles balancing, juggling (like you've never seen before!), teeterboard acrobatics, double parallel trapeze, "Dralion" ball balancing, foot juggling, hoop diving, rope skipping, and more... You have to see and hear it to believe it. With this DVD, you can experience what made the show such a success, having performed in front of an audience of nearly three million worldwide. The Extras The extras include a "The Making-of" featurette, multi-angle performances, and trailers for "Dralion", "Quidam" (Cirque du Soleil's other production that is available on DVD), and "Riverdance: Live In New York". "The Making-of" featurette is a 22-minute look at how the "Dralion" show was put together. Narrated by the live show's director, Guy Caron, the feature takes you back to China and explains the inspiration for the show, which is based on ancient Chinese circus acts. During the feature performances, the Cirque du Soleil circus troupe makes it look easy. In the featurette, you begin to get an appreciation of how much hard work is involved to make the show so enjoyable. The "Dralion" DVD makes use of the multi-angle feature by providing three different perspectives (close-up, medium, and full stage) for three acts: "Single-Hand Balancing", "Teeterboard", "Dralions", and "Skipping Rope". It's a pretty cool feature. The close-up perspective keeps the camera zoomed in pretty close, but since only a single camera was used, the camera pans around frequently which can have a dizzying effect on some viewers. The full stage perspective shows a pretty wide view of the entire stage area and often includes the audience. Realistically, only the medium perspective is useful for normal viewing. Fortunately, the medium perspective is the one used by default. Video & Audio The image quality of this anamorphic widescreen DVD is good, though the image is frequently soft and slightly lacking in detail. This seems to be common with stage performances where lighting conditions are frequently dim. The colors are accurate and saturated, with fair shadow detail. The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound effectively carries the live music and vocals. Recommendation If you enjoy circus performances or are ready for something new, you'll have to check out Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion" on DVD. While it probably doesn't replace actually being there at the live show, the DVD satisfies, and is far cheaper than the live performance. With the multi-angle feature, you can choose from three different "seats" in the house for four (4) selected acts. "Dralion" is also available together with "Quidam" as a 2-pack (double feature). "Quidam" is also available individually. Buy Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion" DVD at: Support this site: buy through our links.
		Amazon.com	Express.com	Buy.com
	Rent it at NetFlix.com (Sign up for NetFlix.com "Unlimited" DVD Rental Service for only $19.95 per month, click here for details) Visit the Cirque Du Soleil web site and the Columbia TriStar Home Video web site. Did you find this DVD movie review helpful? Let us know your thoughts, send an e-mail to us at Feedback@TimeForDVD.com. Support this site: when you buy on-line, please start at this site and click through the links above or through these links: Express.com, Amazon.com, BigStar.com, 800.com, Buy.com, Barnes&Nobles.com, and hifi.com. Click here to see a complete list of affiliated on-line merchants. Thanks, we sincerely appreciate your support.

E-mail: Editor@TimeForDVD.com Copyright © 2000-2001 TimeForDVD.com Web site created by: lama Internet Solutions			Read our Terms of Use and Disclaimer and Privacy Policy Site optimized for 800x600 screen resolution Print at 85% scale factor