Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Cirque du Soleil: Corteo Blu-ray Movie Review

The famous 'cirque nouveau' makes its high definition premiere.

Reviewed by Lindsay Mayer October 13, 2008

Cirque du Soleil has become a cultural phenomenon in its almost 25 year run. Founded in 1984 by a pair of performers from Québec, Canada, Cirque du Soleil has grown from humble circus troupe origins to a cosmopolitan company employing tens of thousands of performers and technical crew. They are the most recognizable of the contemporary circus movement, or cirque nouveau. This form of performing art tells a cohesive story - or has a singular theme - from beginning to end, and it attempts to engage the audience more than a traditional three ring circus. Thus, arenas and curtains are removed altogether, performers move props on and off the stage rather than a technical crew, and no animals are used within the acts.

The Circus of the Sun is famous for its ethereal and fluid physical feats, many of which originate from traditional circus arts, including acrobalance, trapeze, physical comedy, music, aerial silk routines and juggling. Such Olympian-level stunts are Cirque's main draw, and their artful execution through the company's many touring and established shows has proved a critical and commercial success. A chameleonic and highly adaptable institution, Cirque du Soleil has taken inspiration from countless nations and cultures, crafted shows out of fire and water, and touched on every subject from the benign faerie tale to human sexuality. They are a perennial presence in the decadent city of Las Vegas, Nevada, and have generated themed shows for media giants like Disney and The Beatles. A truly international production, they employs thousands of talented performers and artists from around the globe. Whether one regards them as eccentric or dazzling, Cirque du Soleil has certainly worked itself into considerable fame over the span of two decades.

The Marionette is little hazy on the concept of "catch."

Corteo is one of Cirque du Soleil's recent touring productions, premiering in 2005. Though no proper English equivalent term exists, corteo is an Italian term for a ceremonial procession, with its French equivalent cortège being the most commonly used in English. Especially denoting a funeral procession, Corteo is about a clown who dreams of his own death and its subsequent wake. Italian performer Mauro Mozzani plays this character, listed under the straightforward moniker of "The Dead Clown." Far from what one may expect, Corteo is a whimsical and life affirming production, filled with equally absurd and breathtaking acts. A loose flashback structure is utilized, wherein the clown regresses to childlike innocence in one act, and reminiscences about past romances in another. A sense of youth is evoked when he plays catch with a human marionette puppet, for instance. Performers dressed in pajamas leap on trampolines outfitted as beds in another riotous act. Sensual aerobatics and tense tightrope acts represent women in the clown's life, come and gone. Benevolent angels of wispy design watch over the clown's soul and guide him from the living world into the beyond.

As mentioned, Corteo is rife with absurdity as well, and utilizes an almost patented brand of Cirque du Soleil silliness in between the highly physical acts. Two talented dwarf performers, Valentyna and Grigor Pahlevanyan, in addition to a pivoting ring act they enact together, are used to humorous effect in, for example, a teeterboard sequence. The Giant, played by 40-year-old Argentine Victorino Antonio Luján, stands nearly 7 feet tall and weighs almost 400 pounds. Often juxtaposed against smaller artists for amusing effect, one scene has Luján trotting out as a Scottish golf player, prepping himself to tee off - only to find his anthropomorphised ball none too keen to be hit. The whistling ringmaster, one Sean Lomax, is a much harried individual, unsuccessfully attempting to instill some order to the proceedings.

Music and traditional circus acts have a high presence throughout the show as well. Cyr wheel artists roll in mesmerising patterns at a breakneck pace. Jugglers toss about a dizzying neon performance. Aerial teams flip back and forth dozens of feet in the air. A team of gymnasts flip in complex patterns between uneven bars. And following the action is a marvelous live band reciting hypnotic music that is sure to work its way into your head. Though the merits of how well this particular show stacks up against other Cirque du Soleil productions could be endlessly debated among connoisseurs of the company, it is quite certain that this is the best way to experience the contemporary circus, short of attending a live performance. Lets hope that perhaps more of Corteo's ilk will be released in high definition eventually.

Cirque du Soleil: Corteo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Corteo comes to Blu-ray encoded in AVC and averaging about 20 Mbps. Those expecting to be blown away by the video quality may find themselves disappointed, as the show's content, and the BD's technical aspects, yields a problematic picture at times. To address the latter, this Blu-ray is presented in 1080i, lending a slight softness to the overall image. What's more pressing an issue, however, is the very nature of the show and the manner in which it was filmed. As with all Cirque du Soleil performances, the levels of light are incredibly low, or black altogether, save for the action on the stage - which in itself is never brightly lit. It makes for a dreamlike ambiance, to be sure, but it understandably is quite difficult to film.

As such, the clarity of the image is masked by a high amount of shadow and low light noise - so much so that Sony felt it necessary to add a disclaimer to the back of the case. It is tough, therefore, to be too harsh on the disc's transfer, since the conditions of the performance did not allow for high amounts of detail to come through. Corteo does have its wondrous moments regardless. The play of light off of the cyr wheels and the artists within, or the oftentimes neon colors of the jugglers or the Tibetan bowls. Heavy makeup and golden lighting make it difficult to judge the usual flesh tones, or the texture and detail of costumes and set props. When given adequate lighting, however, colors are vivid and reproduced nicely. Overall, the best one can say for this release is that it faithfully recreates the experience of a live Cirque du Soleil performance, selectively lit and mysterious.

Cirque du Soleil: Corteo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sporting a lone Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless mix on its disc, Corteo boasts a rather lovely audio mix. Like a concert or other live performances, the BD has the typical audience-perspective sound, with much of the music and dialogue laid to the fronts and center channels. The multilingual show, equal parts Italian, Spanish, and French, possessed a nicely distinct level, and no matter how discordant the music or noise would (purposely) get at times, words and lyrics were never lost in the fray. Crowd noise is kept to a minimum, by and large, but just enough is present to give the viewer that "live" impression. Ambiance and reverberation in the rears give a convincing "stadium" feel, and LFE is used to give the mix just the right amount of heft. This is a rather fine aural presentation, with an infectious musical score that is sure to reside in your psyche for days to come.

Cirque du Soleil: Corteo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Provided with a smattering of extra features in standard definition, Corteo gives a satisfactory look at the talent behind the show, from director Daniele Finzi Pasca to the multiple artists and dedicated crew. The longest of the bunch is Through The Curtain, a 45 minute featurette that follows the setup of the show preceding its world premiere. A Day In The Life Of Corteo Artists, about 11 minutes long, is hosted by two of the main performers, Mitchell Head and Edi Moreno Barata. From the moment they wake up, the couple explains in detail their typical working day. Often this consists of a few precious hours of free time in the morning and late at night, while the whole of the day is occupied by warm-ups, meals, rehearsal, and finally the evening performance, a taxing work that lasts almost 3 hours. Filming Corteo is a short 7½ minute segment that details the challenges of shooting such a fast-paced, low-light show, especially when trying not to interfere with the audience or the performers. Teatro Intimo is an 8 minute cut sequence from the performance - a comedic interlude wherein the aforementioned dwarves Valentyna and Grigor Pahlevanyan perform a slightly off-kilter rendition of Romeo & Juliet. The Photo Gallery is a 3 minute slideshow of production photos with digital embellishments and an artificially "aged" look.

Cirque du Soleil: Corteo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Having been privileged enough to see a live touring performance of Cirque du Soleil, I can attest at how strangely entrancing the productions really can be. Corteo is one of Cirque's less flashy productions, having a more baroque feel, though just as ethereal. The filming crew does an excellent job of conveying what it feels like to be at a live show, especially given the limitations of loss of depth perception, low light levels, etc. The Blu-ray Disc, likewise, is the best possible presentation of a Cirque show, even with the dark environment throughout. The lossless 5.1 mix gives a truly convincing impression that you are "there," and Corteo's melancholy music will haunt you for days. This is definitely a recommended title for Cirque du Soleil fans and the more curious of viewers.