ERNEST AND CELESTINE AT THE CIRCUS

Yet another charming visit with the sweetly avuncular French bear and his little significant other, a mouse, this time in an incident that parallels Ackerman's Song and Dance Man (1988). Celestine is bored, so Ernest takes her to the attic where he shows her the clown outfit that ""once made me famous."" Then the two dress up in costumes found in Ernest's old trunk and--to Celestine's mortification--proceed, so garbed, to the circus. But Ernest's return proves to be a triumph, while Celestine joins in the act and later distributes the flowers she receives to their fans. Just a few strokes of Vincent's virtuoso pen suffice to shape her wonderfully expressive figures, modestly washed in soft grays and browns warmed with only a hint of brighter hues. The content of the clown act is barely suggested; it's the warm affection between Ernest and Celestine, as well as the open-hearted welcome that the circus gives them, that makes this special.