Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2017 -

Taken together, these essays provide a comprehensive exploration of the unique circumstances in Francophone Quebec that led to a flourishing circus culture. The essays explore the best-known product of that culture, the entertainment and corporate phenomenon Cirque du Soleil, which currently has eight permanent shows in Las Vegas and others around the world. Although Quebec has no indigenous circus tradition, it has a vibrant culture of street performance. This culture--combined with the founding (in 1981) of Montreal's National Circus School (which was modeled after the Soviet circus system schools), government patronage, and the influence of touring Chinese acrobatic shows unified by theme--contributed to the evolution of Cirque du Soleil. Although each Cirque du Soleil production is unique, there is a pervasive Cirque du Soleil style: highly skilled, anonymous performers, often masked, create vaguely defined stories that are beautiful but barely comprehensible. This elegant, crowd-pleasing exoticism proved so popular that in 2015 Cirque du Soleil was purchased by investment firms in China and Texas. The impact of this purchase on Cirque du Soleil and on the social programs it operates outside the circus is yet to be seen. But Montreal circus culture continues to thrive, as evidenced by the outpouring (in 2012) of street protests by circus people against proposed tuition hikes.Summing Up: Essential. All readers.

Decker (music, Washington Univ., St. Louis) identifies 35 films (made from 1978 to 2014) he deems "prestige combat films," a group that includes The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan, and films by Clint Eastwood and Kathryn Bigelow. Decker discusses these films in terms of cycles--e.g., Vietnam, global war on terror--looking at their generic conventions. Then he turns to the soundtracks, concentrating on use of dialogue, voice-over, weapon and helicopter sound effects, and music. He seamlessly interweaves production information--e.g., Coppola's difficulty obtaining the rights to Georg Solti's version of "Ride of the Valkyries"--comparing original texts, scripts, and the historical record and providing close analysis. This reviewer would trade some of Decker's discussions of less-known films for more theoretical and historical discussion of Hollywood's practice of using music to "otherize." But overall this well-written study proves the importance of the soundtrack for genre studies. Decker proves the essential role these films have played for the American viewing public as "hymns for the fallen." Marked on every page by clear logic, sensitive perception, and emotional commitment, this is a welcome and original study.Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.