The Circus (1928)

• Year: 1928
• Released: 16 Nov 1928
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 1 win & 3 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018773/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Charlie_Chaplin_The_Circus
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-circus
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: None, English
• MPA Rating: Passed
• Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
• Runtime: 72 min
• Writer: Charles Chaplin
• Director: Charles Chaplin
• Cast: Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Al Ernest Garcia
• Keywords: black and white, silent film, circus, employer employee relationship, tramp,

	8.1/10
	90/100

The Circus Storyline

The owner and ringmaster of a traveling circus blames everyone but himself for the circus’ troubles. He is especially hard on his stepdaughter Merna, one of the circus riders. A poor and starving Tramp comes into the realm of the circus solely as means to get away from the police as he is mistaken for a pickpocket working the carnival midway, the Tramp who unwittingly has on his possession one of the stolen wallets. As the Tramp and his pursuers enter into the circus ring during the middle of a performance, the audience mistakenly believes he is one of the circus clowns. As such, he becomes the biggest hit of the show. Believing the Tramp the panacea for the circus’ financial problems, the ringmaster wants to hire him as a clown without really telling him how valuable an asset he would be to the show to get his employ for as cheaply as possible. Another problem may be the Tramp trying to figure out in a scripted act what made his impromptu first appearance so funny. Through his stay with the circus, he and Merna becomes friends, he wanting to be her protector from her stepfather. As he starts to fall for her, she starts to fall for Rex, the circus’ new tightrope walker. The Tramp starts to fight for Merna’s affections in the only way he knows how – by becoming a tightrope walker himself.

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The Circus Movie Reviews

much better than average silent comedy

Okay. First, in all honesty I must point out that I usually prefer the movies of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, but I have watched quite a few Chaplin films recently. While this film isn’t quite as good as a few of his later films (such as City Lights), this is still a good film and very lovely to watch–with a real artistic touch by writer/director/director/musical score creator and actor Chaplin is truly outstanding!! He at least deserves a lot of praise for being so versatile.

So, despite its beauty why do I only give it a 7? Well, aside from some very funny slapstick moments, there is, once again, a lot of “schmaltzy” moments and the film is jam-packed with pathos. In other words, the movie tries VERY VERY VERY hard to be poignant and touching–and I am the type of person that prefers a little more humor and a little less of the sappy hero. I know this ISN’T the opinion of everyone–so if you LIKE when he tugs at your heartstrings and helps a damsel in distress (yet again), then you’ll be thrilled. I just thought I’d seen this theme one time too many.

BY THE WAY–Chaplin was well-known for being very obsessive-compulsive about his films–doing scenes again and again to get it “just right”. Well, he made a big blunder here and I was surprised it wasn’t caught. While doing the very funny high-wire act, his right pant leg came off while he was holding on to the pole for balance and monkeys were climbing all on and around him. Then, when the shot cut back, the pants leg was back ON!! Oops. This doesn’t spoil the movie at all–it’s just a funny little mistake. Or, maybe, one of the cute monkeys crawling all over him during this scene put his pants leg back on him!

PPS–only a few weeks after I first wrote this review, I have seen about 8 more Chaplin movies. After each one, my appreciation for his talents increased. In hindsight, I think a score of 8 is more in order. While it’s true I’m not much for pathos, I must acknowledge his amazing talents.

Not Charlie Chaplin’s best, but still a must watch

I like Charlie Chaplin a lot, and I love a lot of his films. While I consider The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator and especially City Lights better films, The Circus is still a must watch for any fans of one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived(that is my opinion of course).

The Circus while it is very funny is also very sweet and beautiful. It looks lovely, and has a beautiful score. I also loved the recurring despondent theme of love, which provided The Circus’s more touching moments, but there are also some truly brilliant slapstick set-pieces especially when Chaplin walks a tightrope with falling trousers and a clinging monkey, while the chase through the hall of mirrors and the scene in the lion’s cage are also inspired. Chaplin’s direction is superb, and he is even better in the title role of the Tramp.

Overall, a great film while not quite Chaplin’s best. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Good Chaplin movie

The ringmaster/owner is a cruel man who even forbids his daughter food for missing a trick. The Tramp (Charles Chaplin) is at the fair unknowingly given a wallet by a pickpocket. The cops go after him and he escapes to the circus. He becomes a big hit and the owner hires him as the funny man. However, he’s not good at training to be a traditional clown. When he bumbles his way onto the spotlight, he is still a star. The shrew owner keeps him cheaply as a property man. Despite being the star, he is treated poorly. He falls for the abused daughter. Just as the Tramp starts getting his due, a new tightrope-walking rival Rex appears for the daughter.

Charlie Chaplin has some fun physical gags. The leading girl Merna Kennedy does a good job. She has one great scene early on scarfing down food. The story is simple. The ending is interesting and I understand it. The romantic chemistry never really took off and it’s better that he goes off into the horizon alone.