The Circus (1928)

Directed by

Charlie Chaplin

Genre

drama film, comedy film, silent film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 09m

Rated

G

Rating

7.9 of 10 from 901 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A down-on-his-luck tramp joins a struggling circus. His comedic clumsiness amuses audiences, but he cannot be funny on purpose. He falls for the ringmaster's daughter while navigating the hardships of circus life.

slapstickmelancholicbittersweetlightly comicpoignantunintentionally funnytender

What happens

The Circus is a 1928 silent romantic comedy film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The film stars Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis and Henry Bergman. The ringmaster of an impoverished circus hires Chaplin's Little Tramp as a clown, but discovers that he can only be funny unintentionally. The production of the film was the most difficult experience in Chaplin's career. Numerous problems and delays occurred, including a studio fire, the death of Chaplin's mother, as well as Chaplin's bitter divorce from his second wife Lita Grey, and the Internal Revenue Service's claims of Chaplin's owing back taxes, all of which culminated in filming being stalled for eight months. The Circus was the seventh-highest-grossing silent film in cinema history, taking in more than $3.8 million in 1928. The film continues to receive high praise. The film's copyright was renewed, so it entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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