Alegría

The breathtaking imagery and vibrant characters of Alegria the live show are abandoned by its director, Franco Dragone, who misguidedly reinvents it from the ground up for this movie. The result is NOT Alegria (only tantalizing, tiny glimpses of the live experience are seen). Instead a clumsy "story" is grafted on to its delicate artistry, set in an unconvincing "real" world which blurs rather than expands the boundaries of Cirque Du Soleil. By introducing new characters far less compelling than the original stage stars (what must they have made of this betrayal?), Dragone seems to have decided to "explain" Alegria's purpose. This is like explaining a joke - the result falls flat, its poetry and clarity of purpose are muddied - or worse, articulated by characters not so much conversing as making speeches to each other. Thus the skills of a mime of genius like Rene Bazinet are fatally compromised. One of the strengths of the show Alegria was that its language was that of athletic and balletic grace, exquisite mime and haunting music. There was no dialogue, which freed it from political boundaries. This is why the show was a huge international hit and this movie was not. Here the engaging grotesques are firmly separated from ourselves, the audience. The twilight magical world we thought they occupied is revealed to be the cheap side of town. They speak dialogue with little wit or poetry. There is a half hearted attempt to design a skewed reality outside the Big Top but the magic is overwhelmed by a welter of bad ideas and sugary emotion and lovers of Alegria the show are underwhelmed as a result. Truly this should not have been released

Alegria is one of my favorite movies. If you go into this film looking for a documentary of the Cirque de Soliel's stage show, you will be dissapointed. If you go in looking for a deep allegory, you will leave unfulfilled.

But that is not what this film is. It's a fable.

Just like in any good fable there are layers after layers of meaning. The fact that Frac and the performers never remove their stage costume. The kids selling and growing flowers in the dark. The vivid colors. Just about any frame of this film could be printed and framed as a work of art.

This film is classy and you feel good for watching it.

What an absolute gem. This is so unlike anything that I have seen before and I was sure that it was just not going to be my thing. WOW was I ever wrong. The thrill of the Cirque du Soliel with their extremely talented acrobats and clowns are joy enough, but then you have Frank Langella hamming it up wonderfully as Fleur the ringmaster and Heathcote Williams as the dark Marcello. The best though has to be Rene Bazinet in the lead role of Frac. What a masterstroke of casting. This is a mime artist in a speaking role who steals the show. I had never heard of him until seeing this and cannot understand why he has never been picked up by other directors. Talk about missing a great opportunity. Let's hope that this man will pop up and thrill us all again.

Alegria is a joy and should have been made more prominent at the time of release. This just does not deserve to go un-noticed, it's way too special.

I never knew a movie about one of the Cirque du Soleil's best circus acts was given a motion picture adaptation. I felt like a child again, immortalized by watching this movie, couldn't resist its wonder. Previous credits give it 10 out of 10, I must agree with them.

As of Gullieta, I thought French actress Vanessa Paradis played her, like it was one of her first roles ever, but it turns out to be a British actress called Julie Cox, don't know her much. All actors in this movie, I don't know, its the first time I'm amazed from viewing an indy film.

Back in 1998, when it must have come out, I went to see Saltimbanco in Ottawa with my teachers and classmates of elementary school. The ending scene reminded of that first time at the Cirque du Soleil !

I saw this movie by accident. After only seeing about half of it, I didn't rest until I found a copy. I don't know much about the Cirque du Soleil, but this film is absolutely beautiful. It's poignant, intense, and above all, just plain good. It's a simple story set against a decidedly different backdrop. It's a good date movie, and one that I would watch over and over again. Perhaps the most incredible thing about the move is Jean Bazinet, who plays the lead. He is absolutely astounding as Frac, the mime. Enough of my words. They don't do this film justice.