Filmed live in Egypt in 2007, this Vegas-style 90-minute concert spectacle features Egyptian-born, Canada-based pop singer Chantal Chamandy performing 17 numbers (mostly originals, although there is a cover of "Somewhere" from West Side Story) in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, a nine-piece band, and dozens of dancers sporting filmy outfits that float when they move (an effect that director Gérard Pullicino, who has worked with Beyoncé, Madonna, and Celine Dion, reinforces through slow-motion). It's not surprising to learn that the choreographers and set designers from Montreal's Cirque du Soleil helped mount the show, since the event itself bears the troupe's melodramatic imprint. Chamandy is a glamorous woman with a voice that evokes Barbra Streisand, Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza, and Ray of Light-era Madonna, but her lyrics are banal at best ("Turn the flame into fire / feel this burning desire"). Nonetheless, Chamandy's universal appeal (known as the "Daughter of the World," she sings primarily in English, but also in Arabic, French, Italian, and Spanish) has helped to build her international reputation. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo, DVD extras on this double-disc set include five “making-of” featurettes and two music videos ("You Want Me" and "Feels like Love"). A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)
Beladi: A Night at the Pyramids
(2008) 2 discs. 90 min. DVD: $18.98. Ninemuse Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 3
Beladi: A Night at the Pyramids
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