The Circus (1928)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (written by)

Release Date:

1928 (Turkey)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Circus is Here!

Plot:

The Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus.

Plot Keywords:

Tramp | Police | Circus | Pickpocket | Underwear

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Al Ernest Garcia	...	The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master (as Allan Garcia)
Merna Kennedy	...	His Step-daughter, A Circus Rider
Harry Crocker	...	Rex, A Tight Rope Walker / Disgruntled Property Man / Clown
George Davis	...	A Magician
Henry Bergman	...	An Old Clown
Tiny Sandford	...	The Head Property Man (as Stanley J. Sandford)
John Rand	...	An Assistant Property Man / Clown
Steve Murphy	...	A Pickpocket
Charles Chaplin	...	A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:T | Germany:6 | USA:G (re-release: 1969) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Denmark:A (2003) | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

Chaplin's studio burnt down during production. This, combined with a number of major personal issues that arose during production, led to Chaplin's nervous breakdown (he spent time recovering in New York after about two-thirds of the film had been shot).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the tramp washes the shaving cream from his face, he dries himself with a towel but the towel never touches his face (this is probably so that it won't mess up the stage makeup).

Quotes:

Merna: I've run away from the circus.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

This may make you want to run away and join the circus.

Although I didn't actually see the whole movie, "The Circus" is a hoot nonetheless. Charlie Chaplin plays a guy who joins the circus and before too long gets his own act. You'll die laughing in the scenes where he's attached to the rope. I actually watched it on TV while living with a family in St. Petersburg, Russia, and they laughed their heads off just watching him perform his stunts. That shows why these silent comedies were so great: you can laugh even if you don't know what they're saying. It's truly movies like these that make life worth living, and Chaplin remains possibly the greatest comedian in all history. 10/10.