Product Details

• Actors: John Gilkey, Alex Ivanovici, Marie-Josée Beaudreau, Bernard Carez, Serge Christianssens
• Writers: Edmond Bensimon, Pascal Elbé
• Producers: Martin Bolduc, Yolande Riccioli
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai, Korean
• 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: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: April 26, 2005
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007SMGTI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,214 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cirque du Soleil - Solstrom - The Complete Series" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Solstrom is a 13-part variety series starring members of Canada’s Cirque du Soleil along with some new discoveries. Originally broadcast on Bravo in the US, each episode has a different national identity and features numerous feats of gravity-defying derring-do. The performers hail from Cirque productions Dralion, Zumanity, La Nouba, Saltimbanco, Varekaï, Alegría, Mystère, Quidam, and "O."

Wind is the overriding theme, specifically a "solar wind" that transforms ordinary citizens into graceful athletes. "Wind of Romance," for instance, is set in an Italian villa where the inhabitants interact through gestures rather than words. A love affair is played out on a clothesline-as-tightrope, a suitor woos his intended out of a painting through acrobatics, a couple fights and makes up through juggling, and another re-connects via flashback to an aerial pas de deux. Other acts incorporate pyrotechnics, unicycles, and physical comedy. Brazil is the setting for "Twin Winds," which focuses on duos and features contortionists, jugglers, aerial straps, and boleadoras (tap dancers with stone-tipped ropes). Other settings: Romania ("Howling Wind"), Paris ("Rockin' Wind"), London ("Once Upon a Wind"), the Caribbean ("Wind of Freedom"), Hollywood ("Ghostly Wind"), Nevada ("Gone With the Winds"), Quebec ("Wind From the Past" and "Winds of Courage"), New York City ("Wind of Imagination"), Salzburg ("Wind of Life"), and even outer space ("Cosmic Wind").

There are a few special guests along for the ride: Naomi Campbell in "Ghostly Wind," Dave Coulthard in "Gone With the Winds," and Milla Jovovich, Christopher Lambert, and Deepak Chopra in "Cosmic Wind." A somewhat irritating mad scientist character named Fogus Punch (Cirque regular John Gilkey with voice by Alex Ivanovici), who discovered the solar wind, introduces each episode. Fortunately, his screen time is mostly limited to the opening sequence and the occasional reaction shot. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

A thirteen-episode, made-for-television series in which Cirque du Soleil performs its unique brand of theatrical acrobatics.
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Release Date: 26-APR-2005
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cirque always brings a smile to my face, March 22, 2005

By 

Brian Kerecz (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cirque du Soleil - Solstrom - The Complete Series (DVD)

While the acts performed in Solstrom, a 13-part television series, are not always truly comparable to the acts on stage, this program has many amazing acts which never made it into a show but could, and should, have.

Some would have been quite difficult to merge into a show. One I remember, which was amazing, was a husband/wife team who juggled together, using their hands, feet etc. Perfect together, and amazing to watch, but I am not sure how that could have made it into a Quidam or another show......but that in no way takes away from what they did.

Some acts, such as Viktor Kee's other-worldly juggling, had poor lighting for the show compared to the Dralion stage he had. But they are all still memorable.

Some acts have actually added stunts, such as the acrobats at the end of Quidam. In one sequence in Quidam, two of the acrobats are jettisoned and one goes over the other. In Solstrom, amazingly enough, four now do what two did. It is incredible, and nice to see how Cirque is always tweaking and making the shows better, impossible as that may seem.

The show's story line admittedly was a bit contrived, but I do not think anyone tuned in to see the underlying story line. Cirque never ceases to amaze me. If you like Cirque, this is a must have.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actual DVD review: Family Entertainment., May 20, 2005

By 

DDC2000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cirque du Soleil - Solstrom - The Complete Series (DVD)

According to the short documentary, the purpose of Solstrom was to reach an international FAMILY audience and NOT the hard-core Cirque fans. So the humor was broad and the theme simplistic. Limited to two takes because of performer fatigue, each episode took seven days to put together with the artists arriving the day before rehearsal. Actual filming was only four days, utilizing 150 people working almost 24/7 to put together 130 numbers in four months on a limited budget and time constraints. The customer reviewer that wanted Cirque to "go to Italy" just didn't get the premise of the "stage show" where no one cared if you saw the overhead lighting fixtures as the camera moved off the set. Really, how would they have rigged some of the acts if they had gone outdoors? With a crane? And taking the whole crew to Italy for ONE show? The purpose of the show was an experiment for televison, which is a cold flat medium. The "theme" for each show was usually held together by some of the clown acts from the Cirque shows who helped to move the dramatic storyline that framed the acrobatic acts. Not every episode worked but there are enough for those who enjoy "family-oriented" entertainment and are not the jaded jet-set Cirque fans. The show allowed 200 more acts to be seen besides the established Cirque performers. The Superbit version has excellent video and sound quality. Using the Closed-Captions option reveals some lines of dialog-comments that were not spoken by Fogus Punch. The series flows and plays much better without the interruptions of the commercials. If you have no imagination and have no sense of humor, don't buy this DVD.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of fun, but it's not the Cirque experience., July 17, 2005

By 

Jason Cheung (Staten Island, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cirque du Soleil - Solstrom - The Complete Series (DVD)

Having seen actual Cirque Du Soleil shows myself, I'll tell you first off that you really have to be there in person to get the full effect of someone dangling 50 feet in the air above you, or having a performer do a double backflip almost into your lap, and engage you in a staring contest.

The little stories that are told in Solstrom follow the Cirque tradition, but that's the very problem. The way it's always felt to me, Cirque Du Soleil isn't really meant to be watched on TV. While it's great to watch in person, it feels all too much like a Saturday morning kids special, with computer-generated sparkles, and cheesy music.

As for the acts themselves, they're absolutely mindblowing, as I could only expect from Cirque Du Soleil. Some of the performers from the actual shows make appearances, along with other very talented people you may or may not have seen elsewhere, such as diabolo experts, jugglers of all sorts, and even professonal bubble blowers.

This would definitely be excellent to watch with kids, but adults may get a little antsy having to put up with the cheesy sound effects and scenery.

Acts get an absolute 5, but you'd have to be 5 years old to enjoy everything in between.