The Circus (1928)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

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 | Circus | Police | Pickpocket | Comb

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 practiced tightrope walking for weeks before filming. He actually performed on a rope forty feet in the air. However, the footage was lost when the negative was scratched during processing. The scene had to be re-shot, and the footage included in the film was not as good as that which had been lost, in Chaplin's estimation.

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:

Referenced in Changeling (2008)

Chaplin's comedy about comedy is sweet, funny and beautiful

The Little Tramp is chased into a circus tent during a performance; his antics prove funnier than those of the clowns, and the ringmaster hires him for the show.

When a comedian plays a character who is inadvertently hilarious, it can seem narcissistic: just check out Jerry Lewis's "The Errand Boy" where Lewis has his supporting cast praise the comic genius of the character played by Jerry Lewis. Despite this danger, and despite Chaplin's off-screen egotism, the premise plays beautifully, especially since The Little Tramp (though not Chaplin) is such a terrible comedian when he's trying to be one. My favorite moment is when the ringmaster demands the auditioning Tramp to be funny right that instant: the Tramp grins and shyly dances around a bit, gingerly falls down, puts his cane between his legs and meekly lifts himself back up. "Terrible!" roars his would-be employer.

This film has more self-awareness over comedy conventions that any other Chaplin I know of. The Tramp ineptly (but hilariously) performs a couple of standard comedy routines with the other circus clowns. Later, there's a funny twist to the old banana peel gag; and near the end he crashes into an old general store, looking as if he's thrust himself back into his old Keystone days. This is Chaplin's last true silent film, and the Keystone moment feels like a nostalgic farewell to the past.

"The Circus" is funny throughout, but the opening scenes are probably the best. There's a marvelous funhouse sequence and a priceless routine where The Tramp pretends to be a motorized dummy. (Has anyone seen the Swiss clock routine from "Your Show of Shows"?) He also falls in love with the ringmaster's cruelly treated daughter, which leads to a poignant ending.

I enjoyed the music, which Chaplin composed for this film in 1969. His scores are always repetitive; but they're also sweet and funny and they enhance the action. I could have done without the title-sequence song (which he sings himself)—something about looking up at rainbows. Otherwise, this comedy is near-perfect and holds its own against Chaplin's even greater features, "The Gold Rush," "City Lights" and "Modern Times."