DVD REVIEW: CÉLINE THROUGH THE EYES OF THE WORLD

Although I've reviewed the theatrical release of Céline Through the Eyes of the World previously, I want to draw your attention to how fantastic a release this is.  The DVD version of the documentary adds a bonus hour of footage not seen before as the Canadian diva goes from city to city on her worldwide Taking Chances Tour.  I regret sincerely not having gone to this tour as the footage seen in this documentary is absolutely stunning.  Dion puts on a fantastic, tightly-tuned show.  On the DVD you see Chinese fans serenading her with To Love You More on the street, Dion singing in Japanese, additional interviews with foreign media and more of her interacting with her crew and fans.  Completely and utterly boring on paper, but remarkably mesmerizing on your TV screen. In case you don't have three hours to sit through this DVD, you have the option of scrolling by country to get to the bits you love most. How thoughtful.

Interestingly this release is made available through Sony Music and not its Home Video division.  Stéphan Laporte's Céline Through the Eyes of the World is now in stores and available separately is the actual Taking Chances Tour CD/DVD set.  Grade: A

FILM REVIEW: CÉLINE: THROUGH THE EYES OF THE WORLD

I have nothing but the utmost respect for Céline Dion.  Say what you will about her being over-the-top or her actions contrived,  but at the end of the day sheer talent cannot be denied.  In this day and age of artists who pop up on blogs, getting loads of buzz and then disappearing by the time they actually release an album, Dion is a reminder of what it takes to stay in the game for good.  She has rightfully earned her place in pop music history as a legend.  I challenge you to go through her My Love-Ultimate Essential Collection and admit to not knowing the words to at least half of these songs.

Her first ever authorized film Céline Dion: Through the Eyes of the World is a documentary which follows her along with husband René and son René-Charles on their travels during her 2008-2009 Taking Chances World Tour.  Along the way, we witness memorable visits to South Africa where we see a nurturing Dion cuddling with Baby White Tigers and then lying down in Nelson Mandela's former prison cell.  We see her breaking down emotionally in Germany where she visits a Concentration Camp, standing over a pit where ashes of the deceased were scattered.  In South Korea, she introduces one of her dancers who after being born there, emigrated to America as a child.  That dancer was reunited tearfully with her motherland, being welcomed with a resounding round of applause from the audience, making for a very genuinely heartfelt moment.  

During a press conference in China, Dion is grilled by the difficult media about what "China Power" means to her.  Always politically correct and vaguely inspirational, she handles the tricky moment with grace in speaking convincingly about the importance of standing behind one's dream no matter where they might come from.  Of course, this didn't quite answer the question, but it drew nods of approval from the media.  We see Dion in Paris where she is awarded a Legion of Honour medal by Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy for her outstanding contributions to French culture, in taking the language far beyond the borders of that nation.  Outside her hotel, we see her being boxed-in by thousands of fans after a two hour-long show, where she takes the time to sign 300+ autographs for her fans from within her car.  Now that's dedication.  And I haven't even mentioned the amount of love and respect she gets from her native Montreal, where hoards of fans are seen chasing her vehicle outside the Bell Centre after her show. Canadians tend to be tougher on their own talent so accomplishing this level of pandemonium is no easy feat.