Product Details

• Actors: Ian McKellen, John Gilkey, Franco Dragone, Chris Lashua, Philippe Azoulay
• Directors: David Mallet, Guy Caron, Keith Melton
• Writers: Peter Wagg, Steve Roberts
• Producers: André Picard, Antoine Compin, Charis Horton
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• 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: 3
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: November 19, 2002
• Run Time: 218 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006L928
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,557 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #52 in

  Movies & TV > Boxed Sets > Musicals & Performing Arts

• For more information about "Cirque du Soleil 3-Pack (Quidam / Dralion / Journey of Man)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When Cirque du Soleil first ventured beyond Canada's borders, its powerful, singularly ambitious "reinvention of the circus" seemed quixotic. Inspired by European precedents, this was a big top downsized to a more intimate, single ring, as the French Canadian troupe jettisoned animals and the usual fright-wigged clowns, and focused on acrobats, contortionists, and illusionists. Conventional wisdom would have held that such esoterica was doomed, but anyone lucky enough to catch that initial Cirque production (or any subsequent offerings) knows just how wrong conventional wisdom can be.

Quidam revolves around an Everychild, who's whisked away to a vividly surreal world where Cirque's remarkable acrobats and artists take literal flight. Their tools are often prosaic--oversized flying rings, an open steel wheel large enough for a single inhabitant, skateboards, ropes--yet the resulting images are stunning. Injecting further drama and atmosphere is the score, which can be dismissed as New Age only until heard in its intended context.

The Chinese consider the lion a symbol of good luck, so it's a half-dragon, half-lion--a dralion--that is the symbol of the East-meets-West fusion of Dralion, in which 36 Chinese acrobats join the renowned Canadian troupe. Celebrating the four elements as represented in four colors--blue (air), green (water), red (fire), and ochre (earth)--Dralion combines ancient Chinese circus traditions with Cirque du Soleil's usual stunning elements: the techno-oriented single ring; the multicolored lights and costumes; the music that mixes rock, New Age, and various world influences (though not Chinese); and of course the acrobatic stunts, those eye-popping displays of agility, balance, and strength. You'll see an acrobat balancing on one hand, a brawny juggler, a high-flying teeterboard act, a double trapeze, contortionists, a parasol turned and tossed atop a foot, furiously synchronized hoop-diving, unbelievable rope-skipping, and more.

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 amid 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.

Product Description

Dralion quidam journey man Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 09/23/2008

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Must See Them, February 2, 2003

By	Loring Ivanick (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Three years ago, I was lucky enough to see, within a three-week period, Riverdance in Tokyo and Cirque du Soleil in Melbourne. Watching Cirque du Soleil live is, of course, a heart-stopping and heart-racing experience, so joyful, so amazing. My reaction again and again to the dozens of performances on these DVD's is not "unbelievable", but "impossible". The laws of physics do not permit what these performers are able to pull off. The performers are so far above and beyond anything you will see anywhere else, combining original styles you never see in a traditional circus. Nothing is predictable. On top of that you get a production worthy of an Olympic opening ceremony, just on a smaller scale to fit into CdS's live tent. In addition, there are no live animals used for the amusement of us humans. All the entertainment (including the lions in Dralion) is provided by people for people. The show is wild, uplifting, inspiring, hysterically funny. Two of the shows were filmed before live audiences, and just as in the live performance I attended the audience is screaming, clapping, whistling, guffawing and gasping almost constantly throughout the show. Totally involved. Most circus acts start slow and build to an amazing climax. Cirque du Soleil acts start amazing, move through unbelievable and climax at impossible. My only slight disappointment in this set is "Journey of Man", which was not filmed before an audience but at a variety of famous natural and man-made sites around the world. The "journey" narrated by Ian McKellen is so fast, the baby in the first scene grows to late middle age about as fast as Alice changes size in Wonderland, only to discover that the secret to happiness as an adult is to keep the child within you alive. Somehow, the writers try to connect this to some of the Cirque acts which are truncated to fit into the short show. Nonetheless, the acts are still impressive and the photography is lush, the scenes varied. On the whole, you will not find a more entertaining DVD set for the whole family to enjoy together. Be forewarned: after viewing the DVD's you are going to want to see Cirque live if they come to your neck of the woods.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the set to get !!, January 5, 2003

By	R. E. Middlebrooks (Chesapeake, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you have loved Cirque Du Soleil, but have not yet bought any of the performances, get this set of three and watch them on DVD on a HDTV widescreen. FANTASTIC! These are the best of all the DVD's they have released to date.

The sound quality is greatly enhanced over any VHS you could have ever seen. I makes all the diference.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice 3-Pack, October 24, 2008

By	D. WINKA (Saint Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Being a big fan of Cirque du Soleil, I am very happy with this 3-pack. Cirque du Soleil is one of those performing groups that captivates and holds a persons attention from the start to the end of the program. And having well over 3 hours of entertainment with this 3-pack, is awsome!