Cirque du Soleil: Varekai

Prater

February 2007 •German

Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, no novel idea or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The diverse story-telling in Ulrike Ottinger’s film “Prater” transforms this place of sensations into a modern cinema of attractions. The Prater’s history from the beginning to the present is told by its protagonists and those who have documented it, including contemporary cinematic images of the Prater, interviews with carnies, commentary by Austrians and visitors from abroad, film quotes, and photographic and written documentary materials. The meaning of the Prater, its status as a place of technological innovation, and its role as a cultural medium are reflected in texts by Elfriede Jelinek, Josef von Sternberg, Erich Kästner and Elias Canetti, as well as in music devoted to this amusement venue throughout the course of its history.

Back To Africa

April 2008 •English

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

October 1996 •English

A 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The film is comprised of two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards.

The Circus: Premiere

January 1928 •English

Footage from the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's 1928 film 'The Circus'.

A Bug's Life

November 1998 •English

On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere," an inventive ant named Flik hires a troupe of warrior bugs to defend his bustling colony from a horde of freeloading grasshoppers led by the evil-minded Hopper.

Dumbo

October 1941 •English

Dumbo is a baby elephant born with over-sized ears and a supreme lack of confidence. But thanks to his even more diminutive buddy Timothy the Mouse, the pint-sized pachyderm learns to surmount all obstacles.

Girl on the Ball

March 1967 •Russian

The story of a nine-year-old boy Denis, who first enters the circus. The new world captures his imagination. He falls in love with a little actress, an equilibrist — a girl on a ball. After a while, Denis persuades his father to go with him to the circus again. But the performances in Moscow ended, the fairy flew away to another city... Once, being in a museum, he sees a painting by Pablo Picasso "Girl on a Ball". In this picture he recognizes his love — Tanya ...

Cirque du Soleil: Toruk - The First Flight

December 2016 •English

When a natural catastrophe threatens to destroy the sacred Tree of Souls, Ralu and Entu, two Omaticaya boys on the brink of adulthood, fearlessly decide to take matters into their own hands. Upon learning that Toruk can help them save the Tree of Souls, they set out, together with their newfound friend Tsyal, on a quest high up in the Floating Mountains to find the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Prophecy is fulfilled when a pure soul rises among the clans to ride Toruk for the first time and save the Na’vi from a terrible fate.

Red's Dream

July 1987 •English

Life as the sole sale item in the clearance corner of Eben's Bikes can get lonely. So Red, a unicycle, dreams up a clown owner and his own juggling act that steals the show. But all too soon, the applause turns into the sound of rainfall, as reality rushes back. Red must resign himself to sitting in the corner and await his fate.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao

March 1964 •English

An old Chinese man rides into the town of Abalone, Arizona and changes it forever, as the citizens see themselves reflected in the mirror of Lao's mysterious circus of mythical beasts.

Fakir

July 2019 •Portuguese

The feature-length documentary Fakir portrays the success of fakirism in Brazil, Latin America and France. This circus art origin show is presented and analyzed through archives that reveals the success of these presentations with their pain resistance championships and the great public presence, including politicians and government officials. Fakir spans current footage from contemporary artists who keep this art alive in performances and shows.

Pippi Longstocking

August 1997 •English

Pippi Longstocking is an extraordinary little girl who lives alone in her house, while her father sails the seven seas. Pippi's irrepressibly fun nature makes her easy to befriend, as neighbors Tommy and Annika find, but can also earn ire, especially from social worker Mrs. Prysselius.

Cirque du Soleil: Alegria

November 2001 •English

Alegría is a mood, a state of mind. The themes of the show, whose name means "jubilation" in Spanish, are many. Power and the handing down of power over time, the evolution from ancient monarchies to modern democracies, old age, youth - it is against this backdrop that the characters of Alegría play out their lives. Kings' fools, minstrels, beggars, old aristocrats and children make up its universe, along with the clowns, who alone are able to resist the passing of time and the social transformations that accompany it.

Cirque du Soleil : Saltimbanco

January 1997 •English

From the Italian 'saltare in banco' – which literally means 'to jump on a bench' – Saltimbanco explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, it takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart and soul of the modern city.

Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

May 2000 •English

A child is born. We see underwater swimmers representing this. He is young, in a jungle setting, with two fanciful "instincts" guiding him as swooping bird-like acrobats initially menace, then delight. As an adolescent, he enters a desert, where a man spins a large cube of metal tubing. He leaves his instinct-guides behind, and enters a garden where two statues dance in a pond. As he watches their sensual acrobatics of love, he becomes a man. He is offered wealth (represented by a golden hat) by a devil figure. In a richly decorated room, a scruffy troupe of a dozen acrobats and a little girl reawaken the old man's youthful nature and love.

Incanto

Invalid date •Italian

On his deathbed, Ludovico entrusts his daughter Margot to the housekeeper, Felicia, asking that the family villa be transformed into an orphanage so that the little girl can grow up in joy with other children. But the wicked Felicia only wants the little girl's assets and not take care of her. With the complicity of her suitor, Max, she exploits the orphaned children and keeps Margot segregated and neglected to the point that the child withdraws into herself and no longer speaks. One night, however, Margot manages to escape and, after overcoming the darkness of the woods, she comes across a circus.

Cirque du Soleil: Kooza

January 2008 •English

The story of an innocent and charming clown who strives to find his own place in the world. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil. It combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. Between strength and fragility, laughter and chills and turmoil and harmony. KOOZA is set in an electrify8ing and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, audacity and total involvement. filmed live in Toronto, Canada with 8 cameras in high definition.

The Circus

January 1928 •English

Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and falls in love with the circus owner's stepdaughter.

Bogus

September 1996 •English

Recently orphaned, a young boy is taken in by his godmother who is shocked to realize that she can see the boy's imaginary friend: a flamboyant, French magician named Bogus.

A Short Story

January 2015 •Bengali

Focusing on the predicaments of those born with genetic defect causing dwarfism, the film is the love story between Khoka and Soma.