10 extraordinarily beautiful circus films

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

"Big Fish", "The Greatest Showman", "Water for Elephants!" and not only.

1. Circus

• USA, 1928.
• Melodrama, comedy.
• Duration: 72 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

A circus comes to the city, the owner of which is a very cruel and unpleasant person. Due to the ridiculous situation with pickpocketing, little Tramp ends up in the arena and briefly becomes the star of the show.

After the resounding success of the "Gold Rush", Charlie Chaplin undertook to shoot his new work in the surroundings of the circus. Like any painting by the master, the film brings a smile half-and-half with tears. And for all this time, it has not become outdated at all.

2. The Greatest Show in the World

• USA, 1952.
• Drama, melodrama, family.
• Duration: 152 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

Brad Braden, director of the largest circus troupe in the world, hires a famous aerialist named Sebastian to save his show. However, Brad's friend Holly does not want to give her place to a newcomer. And then the chief decides to arrange a pair performance for the circus performers.

In addition to the main Oscar, the film also received a statuette for best screenplay, became a box office hit and even inspired the great Steven Spielberg to make a career in the field of cinema. The director saw this picture when he was very young, and he was very impressed by the episode with the train accident. After a while, Stephen asked his parents to buy him a toy train and used the gift in his first creative experiments.

3. Road

• Italy, 1954.
• Drama.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

The strongman Giacomo buys out the village idiot Jelsomina to work for him as an assistant. Together they travel across Italy until they meet a wandering circus.

Federico Fellini's masterpiece brought the director the first Oscar and forever entered the history of cinema. The film also glorified his wife and muse Juliet Mazina, who was nicknamed Chaplin in a Skirt for her funny antics.

4. Large fish

• USA, 2003.
• Drama, melodrama, fantasy.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Edward Bloom often told his son stories about how he met a witch, met a giant and visited the circus. But all these stories sounded so implausible that the boy eventually stopped believing in them.

Tim Burton knows how to combine dark mysticism with humor, but "Big Fish" by Daniel Wallace's bestseller is not like most of his works. This is a very light, kind fairy tale with cute characters. And although the author's trademark surrealism remained in place, here it emphasizes the uniqueness of the tape in the best possible way.

5. Water for elephants

Water for elephants

• USA, 2011.
• Melodrama, drama.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

A young veterinarian, Jacob Jenkowski, takes a job at a traveling circus. There, the hero falls in love with the manager's beautiful wife Marlene, which promises him continuous trouble.

After the "twilight" franchise, Robert Pattinson tried to get out of the role of a hero-lover, but for some time he was offered the roles of romantic handsome men by inertia. Nevertheless, in the circus drama of Francis Lawrence, he looks very dignified.

Reese Witherspoon is no less good here, and Christoph Waltz again plays the charming villain with rapture.

6. Oz: the great and terrible

• USA, 2013.
• Fantasy, adventure, comedy.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 3.

Oscar Diggs, a roguish but talented circus performer and magician from Kansas, accidentally finds himself in a magical land. There he is mistaken for a legendary wizard who is destined to defeat an evil sorceress.

Sam Raimi's picture will definitely appeal to those who love unusual interpretations of children's stories - for example, as in the movie "Into the Woods" or the TV series "Once Upon a Time".

James Franco's sincere performance makes up for the script's shortcomings. The actor is accompanied by other Hollywood celebrities: Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz.

7. Chocolate

• France, 2015.
• Drama, biography.
• Duration: 119 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The once famous clown Futit is trying to regain his former popularity, but for this he needs to change his repertoire. Then he invites to work in a pair of Rafael Padilla, a black artist. Their cheerful tandem is wildly successful, but the bohemian life in Paris turns out to be filled not only with fame, but also with problems.

The tape tells the real story of the first black clown who became famous in France at the end of the 19th century. The main roles were played by James Thierre (the grandson of Charlie Chaplin himself) and the brilliant Omar Sy, whom viewers all over the world know and love from the movie "1 + 1" and the hit Netflix series "Lupine".

8. Greatest Showman

• USA, 2017.
• Biography, musical, drama.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The desperate inventor Phineas Taylor Barnum dreams of becoming famous and rich. One day he comes up with the idea to arrange performances of unusual people in the building of the former museum. Along with its wild success, the show gains a reputation for being an obscene show, and now Barnum has to prove that it is not.

The film is based on the biography of a real famous entrepreneur who came up with a circus named after himself. The plot may seem very simple to some, but the main thing here is the stunning musical numbers.

Hugh Jackman, by the way, is not at all like the real Barnum. But the actor's ability to sing and dance magnificently came in handy.

9. Show "Mystico"

• Brazil, Portugal, France, 2018.
• Drama.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 1.

Frederick Keeps, the son of a respected doctor, falls madly in love with the dancer Beatrice. Against the wishes of his parents, he takes the girl as his wife and spends all his savings to buy a traveling circus for her.

Brazilian director Carlus Diegis, a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, relied on the aesthetics of the circus and the big name of Vincent Cassel in the credits. This film cannot be recommended to very young viewers: there are too many explicit scenes in it.

10. Dumbo

• USA, 2019.
• Fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 112 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 3.

The famous rider Holt Farrier, having lost his hand in the war, returns back to the circus. Manager Max Medici, instead of his previous job, offers him to look after the elephant Jumbo. She gives birth to a baby elephant with giant ears, which also knows how to fly. Such a rarity soon attracts the attention of circus magnate Vandemer.

Disney Studios, re-filming their classic cartoons, often involve eminent directors in the creation of game remakes. So, Guy Ritchie was called to adapt "Aladdin", and Tim Burton was entrusted with the work on the film version of "Dumbo".

The signature style of the master of the grotesque is immediately visible: there is a lot of dark humor in the film, the theme of death is often played up, and Dumbo himself looks a little scary - especially in those scenes where he has an eerie make-up on his face.