Carnival: the Story Of Mas

Every Labor Day in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, West Indian emigrants (and a steadily growing number of other folk) get together to celebrate "carnival." Kenneth Antrobus' documentary combines interviews with organizers, costume makers, and parade participants, to offer a eye-popping introduction to the "mas" (short for "masquerade")--Crown Heights style. The main attraction of the video are the costumes which have the approximate wingspan of a medium-sized jet (the smaller ones, anyway). These one-person human floats often need extra wheels to keep the vibrantly colored costumes erect. How somebody can dance with such an unwieldy burden on his shoulders is a true mystery, but backed by the ringing sounds of kettle drums, these people kick out the jams (carefully). Unfortunately, some of the footage--though wondrous to behold--is repetitious, and viewers won't really get a good feel for the history of West Indian carnival (though there's a fair amount of commentary on present day funding problems in Brooklyn). Finally, while the outfits are a major blast to look at, $330 seems a bit stiff for a costume show. Not a necessary purchase. (R. Pitman)