Rating: 
Summary: There's better to be had
Review: Anyone expecting the lush extravagance of Journey of Man, the wry enchantment of Quidam or the dazzlement of the new Varekai is in for a severe disappointment. The music verges on the unendurable, with whole performances drowned in the worst kind of smooth jazz with moments of 80s synthesizer schlock. The talent of the acrobats and aerialists is matched only by the fetor of their wardrobe, an unimaginably hideous panoply of dreck, sort of 'punk rock on an acid trip' meets 'revenge of the psycho hairdresser.'There are a handful of bright moments -- a 'family' scene at the beginning that was quite touching, a nimble group of pole-climbers, and some lithe bungee-aerialists toward the end. The lead singer is striking and has a beautiful, ethereal voice - but someone should shoot her costume designer. My overall opinion is that Cirque du Soleil offers better fare for the price. Check out Varekai, Quidam, Dralion, or the Journey of Man, all of which are much superior.
Rating: 
Summary: Better for children than the live performance
Review: As is true in any similar performance, no matter where you sit you miss some detail of the action. And no matter how well behaved small children are, the live performance is long for small children. The video allows the kids to watch their favorite parts with no blocked vision and to see closeups that are unavailable to them in the live performance. For adults, the live performance is an experience only partially duplicated on the video - although the video is well-made and edited. It does, however, provide an opportunity to enjoy the Cirque until it comes around next year - without incuring the cost of a trip to Las Vegas. Other reviewers have given a good description of the show itself - high wire, contortionists, strong men, juggler, boleadoros, mime, live music, trapeze, bungee cords etc. It is a nonstop show of physical control - timing, strength ... If you can't see the Cirque live, treat yourself to this video.
Rating:
Summary: Better for children than the live performance
Review: As is true in any similar performance, no matter where you sit you miss some detail of the action. And no matter how well behaved small children are, the live performance is long for small children. The video allows the kids to watch their favorite parts with no blocked vision and to see closeups that are unavailable to them in the live performance. For adults, the live performance is an experience only partially duplicated on the video - although the video is well-made and edited. It does, however, provide an opportunity to enjoy the Cirque until it comes around next year - without incuring the cost of a trip to Las Vegas. Other reviewers have given a good description of the show itself - high wire, contortionists, strong men, juggler, boleadoros, mime, live music, trapeze, bungee cords etc. It is a nonstop show of physical control - timing, strength ... If you can't see the Cirque live, treat yourself to this video.
Rating:
Summary: Cirque Du Soleil, an Incredible Experience
Review: Cirque Du Soleil, has introduced to the world a new art form; a blend of circus, theater, high-art, and world-class athleticism. This excellent video is a spellbinding appetizer to Cirque du Soleil that will leave you wanting more. You simply will not believe your eyes. I have had the good fortune to see Cirque du Soleil live in Las Vegas and their traveling show in Chicago . . . Once you have experienced Cirque Du Soleil, you will never forget it!
Rating:
Summary: Saltimbanco: A must for your library
Review: I bought Saltimbanco right after stepping out of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba show at Downtown Disney. I was astonished with their performance and wanted a video that would keep forever the fantastic images of what my eyes had just seen. Saltimbanco is a full Cirque du Soleil performance that you watch over and over and never get tired of it. This video really captures Cirque's spirit. Saltimbanco's soundtrack is a plus!
Rating: 
Summary: Keep the show, fire the camera director!
Review: I bought this DVD because of my previous viewing of "Quidam" which was fantastic. But alas! though the show has its own character, it was ruined by mostly irritating unecessary and prolonged intercuts and over-all poor camera directing. Having worked as a producer and camera director myself, I was irritated no end by the close-up and medium shots of acts that one may view better as a full-shot. One always has a purpose for including or excluding persons and objects in a given shot. In many of these instances in Saltimbanco, as in the wire act, the blocking was never well-thought out and seemed instantaneous.
As usual, Soleil's acts, costumes and music were fantastic, especially the ball-juggling act. Well, here, the director somewhat got a good one with a glass view of the juggler and balls from below! Other than this, it's all pretty much "happen-what-may" for the one behind the booth controls, it seems.
It is for this reason that I regret having bought it. With Soleil though, you'll never go wrong, however much one of its own technical people tries to foul it up. Fire the camera-director or send him to an apprenticeship program, please!
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievably bad camera work ruins a great show
Review: I didn't really want to rate this 1 star but I wanted to make a point of how badly a 5-star performance was ruined by just terrible camera work and/or editing. As far as the actual acts this is probably the best of all the Cirque DVDs, but the bizarre
angles just ruin it. How on earth could they have released something like this? If they still have the original tapes they should put together a decent version and give it away free to atone for this mess. What evrybody else said is so true; meaningless close-ups, angles that prevent you from seeing what the performer is really doing, etc. Case in point: the juggler Miguel Herrera is just fantastic but the terrible angles and close-ups really keep you from appreciating it. For the finale of his act he walks down 4 flights of stairs juggling 5 or 6 balls and all you can see are his feet! What genius opted for this shot? The last act, the bungee jumpers, are shown from angles so that you really wouldn't even know what they were doing if you hadn't seen the title. A real travesty and a shame.
Rating:
Summary: A must for those wishing to re-live that special night!
Review: I had the previlage of seeing Saltimbance live for the last time in Australia and boy, was I impressed. This video captures the energy and power of their live performances and together with it's fantastic brand of music, keeps you entertained and amazed to the max! Included are most of the jaw dropping acts and wonderful characters that will leave you inspired. A real must for those who wish to re-live that special and magical night.
Rating:
Summary: This is the closest thing I've see to being there.
Review: I have seen four of Cirque's shows live and this video is the closest thing I've seen yet to how you experience the show in the live theater. One caveat, I haven't seen Quidam yet; so that one may be better. I've read other reviews where people complained about "annoying camera angles" and "extended closeups", but from experience if you go to a Cirque show and don't watch the stuff happening on the sides of the stage, you've missed half the show.
Rating:
Summary: Appalling, destroyed by terrible camera work
Review: I have seen the live performance for Saltimbanco and I loved it so much that I cried at the end of the performance. I own the DVD's for Quidam and Dralion, and found both to be amazing. If I had to rate the three I would have Quidam as 11 out of 10. Dralion 7 out of 10 and Saltimbanco 1 out of 10. I just cannot believe that they have released such a terrible piece of work. When watching Saltimbanco on DVD I felt like I had been transported back to 1982 when VHS was hot technology. This was not what I expected. This product was destroyed by the terrible camera work. Lights shine into the camera, the camera's are obviously being held by a bunch of guys in the audience.
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