Product Details

• Actors: Ian McKellen, Nicky Dewhurst, Brian Dewhurst, Anait Karagyezyan, Chris Van Wagenen
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 30, 2001
• Run Time: 39 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005NRN9
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,981 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cirque du Soleil - Journey of Man" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like all Cirque du Soleil productions, Journey of Man is a showcase for transcendent beauty and astonishing physical achievement. Originally produced as a 3-D IMAX presentation, this 39-minute film remains impressive on smaller screens, although its guiding theme (the evolution of humankind through the power of dreams, faith, and love) is sweetly contrived. It's the way this theme is expressed that matters: elements of Cirque du Soleil's awe-inspiring stage act are performed amidst wondrous settings, accompanied by Benoît Jutras's inspiring score, and metaphorically representing the birth, growth, and maturity of "the Universal Child." The journey of man comes full circle to the sustaining belief that all things are possible. It's this point that is best expressed by the remarkable feats of Cirque du Soleil's lavishly costumed performers, including a uniquely graceful underwater ballet, swooping bungee- cord choreography, two precisely balanced human "statues" in perfect synchronicity, and other wonders that must be seen to be believed. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

An oddyssey following the stages of human development from birth to maturity, with each stage presented by a Cirque du Soleil act.
Genre: Performing Arts - Concerts
Rating: NR
Release Date: 30-OCT-2001
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CIRQUE TO THE (I)MAX, May 4, 2001

By 

W. Paul Roberts - See all my reviews

I saw "Journey of Man" in 3-D and felt I could catch the Banquine flyers in my lap. The movie is the next best thing to a live Cirque du Soleil show, even though nothing compares to the being there. The soundtrack, written by Benoit Jutras, not only proves to be a great background for the film, it is great to listen to even without visuals. I hope this movie is eventually released on DVD.

50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very poor effort, Cirque., November 12, 2001

By 

Steve Felker (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cirque du Soleil - Journey of Man (DVD)

If you are a die hard Cirque Du Soleil fan and must have everything they put out, like me, then by all means go out and buy this DVD. If not, I would strongly recommend you pass on this one.

Why you ask? Well, lets start with the fact that it is (dollar amount)and is only 35 minutes long, and it's not even in widescreen. There are only a few acts and they are very short. There are no acts in this show that aren't available in their full length in other videos or DVDs. Even the soundtrack is copied from other shows, with the exception of "Journey of Man", which is a great song, but is much better (and is complete) on the audio CD.

There are a couple of pros, though. The audio seems to actually be 5.1, not 5.0 as specified on the box, and the quality of the video is quite good, once you get past the fact that is in 4:3 format. The scenery is spectacular, it is nice to see a rich background to the acts (as apposed to the scafolding of the big top). And it is a cute story...

With a little more effort, this could have been great. Unfortunately, it's, well... not...

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's not the same on the small screen, but..., April 13, 2002

By 

"shapiro3" (McLean, VA United States) - See all my reviews

The most important thing to understand about this DVD is that "Journey of Man" was originally created for an IMAX 3-D presentation. I saw it in the theaters and was blown away, and so I bought the DVD as a reminder of that experience. The sound on the DVD was spectacular, drawing out the beauty of the soundtrack, but there are inherent limitations on the visual side. Because IMAX's aspect ratio is close to that of a TV, there's no need to letterbox this feature, but there's no way to capture either the size of the IMAX screen or the 3-D effects that made it so spectacular.

All of the acts were taken from the various touring Cirque shows: The opening "Taiko" from Mystere, some synchronized swimming from "O", "Cube" from Alegria, "Statue" and "Banquine" from Quidam, and so on. I'm not sure that there were any original acts, but each of the performances here has been further stylized and put into a setting that frees the act from the constraints of the stage, making each one larger and more powerful. "Statue" is especially striking, as the performers in full-body grey makeup perform on a vivid green leaf floating in a black pool. The colors are beautiful throughout, and the performances are, of course, spectacular. The acts are connected by sequences that were amazing on the big screen but feel a little bit unnecessary in the living room.

The storyline explores the "child-like wonder" theme of previous Cirque productions, but I think that the theme is both better portrayed and has more of an impact here than I've felt in Cirque's other work. There are all sorts of amazing things in the world if you keep looking, and what you think you want isn't always what you need most.

Basically, this DVD is a good buy for rabid Cirque fans who need to have everything that Cirque has produced, people who never got a chance to see Mystere, "O", or Alegria and so can enjoy some acts they haven't previously seen, or for those of artistic bent who don't mind shelling out the money for a 35-minute presentation of beautiful staging and cinematography. I fall into all three categories and am very happy with my purchase.

However, EVERYONE should see this in its original IMAX 3-D format. On the big screen it truly is an amazing spectacle throughout. On the small screen it's more of a novelty.