The Circus

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The Circus

G,

1928,

1h 12m,

Comedy

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Watchlist

97%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

94%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Charlie Chaplin paid tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls in this gag-packed comedy, an uproarious high-wire act that ranks among the director-performer's finest work - and the last film he made during the silent era at the peak of his comic powers. After being mistaken for a pickpocket, Chaplin's Tramp flees into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show, falling for the troupe's bareback rider along the way.

SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

Apr 2, 2019

[Charles Chaplin] does not seem satisfied with the hearty laughs that used to greet him, but seeks to embroider his farce with touches of pathos that make one uncomfortable with their incongruity.

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Andrew O'Hehir

Salon.com

Jul 14, 2010

It's a brilliant combination of light and darkness, tenderness and violence and, yes, laughter and tears.

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

Jul 14, 2010

5/5

There's an edge to The Circus that suggests a man gazing deep into the void, laughing at the darkness and urging us to do the same.

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Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

Oct 4, 2021

Suffice it that Charlie has gone back to the elementary principles of custard pie comedy, and has proved that it is in this simplified, unpretentious form that his genius is most thoroughly at home.

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D. Winter Hall

New Zealand Herald

Feb 10, 2021

The story is slender, but Chaplin is unequalled in dropping on unique situations that are laugh provoking to an extreme.

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Shadow Stage

Photoplay

Jan 5, 2021

Charlie Chaplin turns circus performer in a story which teems with spontaneous humor and yet maintains the plaintive heart interest we have learned to expect from Chaplin.

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Abraham W

Mar 23, 2019

A rather tight, simple premise that blossoms under the influence of Charlie Chaplin's expert touch, like a majority of his timeless classics. This go-around, he happens upon a traveling circus, inadvertently stumbles his way into becoming a star attraction, falls for the trapeze girl and finds trouble with her father, the ringmaster. Sprinkled along the way are frequent doses of brilliant physical comedy, inventive and original as ever, which playfully goof around with the trappings of daily life around the carnival grounds. Chaplin suffered several personal hardships during filming - a messy public divorce, a ruinous studio fire, the death of a parent - and tucked in amidst all the hijinx and gags I found a tinge of quiet sadness and reflection. Particularly late in the picture, when the plucky Tramp falls into the friend zone and struggles with jealousy over his girl's new fling, he emits an air of desperation, then acceptance, that organically develops into a sweet, unexpected climax. It's easy to get the sense that he worked through quite a bit with this picture, both behind the camera and before it, which elevates the product from a very good silent comedy into something more significant, something lasting. The parting shot, in which the show noisily rides off to the next town while Chaplin is left in the dust, serves as a potent metaphor for his fears over the steamrolling arrival of sound cinema (The Jazz Singer opened a mere three months before The Circus) and adds yet another layer to the complex emotional undercurrent. A phenomenal, and oft-overlooked, bit of understated work from one of Hollywood's brightest stars.

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Jan 27, 2019

The best comedy movie ever made!

Albus L

Nov 20, 2018

Yet another genius work from the legendary Charlie Chaplin. Hilarious, at times moving and cleverly made work of art.

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Abraham R

Aug 2, 2018

Less good than some other Chaplin's works but still excellent! The ending is quite poignant.

Albus S

May 22, 2018

One of the best comedies I've ever seen, I loved it. One of the best films by Charles Chaplin, a movie that makes everyone laugh. Highly recommend.

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Ron S

Feb 27, 2018

I can't believe that I suddenly like slapstick, but then this is Chaplin!

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Synopsis

Charlie Chaplin paid tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls in this gag-packed comedy, an uproarious high-wire act that ranks among the director-performer's finest work - and the last film he made during the silent era at the peak of his comic powers. After being mistaken for a pickpocket, Chaplin's Tramp flees into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show, falling for the troupe's bareback rider along the way.

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Producer: Charlie Chaplin
Screenwriter: Charlie Chaplin
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Charles Chaplin Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 6, 1928, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Runtime: 1h 12m
Aspect Ratio: Academy (1.33:1)

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