Nice films about circus (and a terrible one)
by guisreis | created - 03 Oct 2016 | updated - 05 Jan 2023 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Big Fish (2003)
PG-13 | 125 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange
Votes: 458,808 | Gross: $66.26M
2. Behind the Sun (2001)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama
When ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother, a young man questions the tradition of violence between two rival families.
Director: Walter Salles | Stars: José Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Votes: 7,402 | Gross: $0.06M
3. Limelight (1952)
G | 137 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A fading comedian and a suicidally despondent ballet dancer must look to each other to find purpose and hope in their lives.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce, Buster Keaton
Votes: 22,127 | Gross: $1.00M
4. Dumbo (1941)
G | 64 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Ridiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential.
Directors: Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen, John Elliotte | Stars: Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing, Billy Bletcher
Votes: 142,029 | Gross: $1.60M
5. The Mercenary (1968)
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Western
A greedy Polish mercenary helps a mine worker and a peasant girl lead a revolution against the Mexican Government, all while being pursued by an American rival.
Director: Sergio Corbucci | Stars: Franco Nero, Tony Musante, Franco Giacobini, Eduardo Fajardo
Votes: 6,152 | Gross: $0.03M
6. Lisbela and the Prisoner (2003)
106 min | Comedy, Romance
This is the fun story of the mischievous, adventurous and conquering Leléu and the dreamy Lisbela, who loves watching American movies and dreams of movie heroes.
Director: Guel Arraes | Stars: André Mattos, Aramis Trindade, Bruno Garcia, Carlos Casagrande
Votes: 6,990
7. The Circus (1928)
Passed | 72 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
The Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Al Ernest Garcia, Harry Crocker
Votes: 36,033
8. Tale of Tales (2015)
R | 134 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
From the bitter quest of the Queen of Longtrellis, to two mysterious sisters who provoke the passion of a king, to the King of Highhills obsessed with a giant Flea, these tales are inspired by the fairytales by Giambattista Basile.
Director: Matteo Garrone | Stars: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, John C. Reilly
Votes: 31,193 | Gross: $0.08M
Not properly a circus but many artists and shows of that kind.
9. Jubiabá (1986)
100 min | Drama
Jubiabá is a French-Brazilian film based on the homonym novel by Jorge Amado. The film tells the story of the interracial love between the daughter of a rich Commander and Antonio Balduíno, a rascal, fighter and famous lover from Salvador.
Director: Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Stars: Grande Otelo, Julien Guiomar, Charles Baiano, Catherine Rouvel
Votes: 88
10. Leningrad: Kolshchik (2017 Music Video)
4 min | Short, Action, Comedy
Going on in reverse this music video reveals step by step a bizarre chain reaction of catastrophic events in an ordinary Russian circus.
Director: Ilya Naishuller | Stars: Leningrad, Aleksei Velikotnyi, Anna Baranovskaya, Alena Ermolaeva
Votes: 362
https://youtu.be/ktiONWfSL48
11. A Luneta do Tempo (2014)
99 min | Drama, Musical, Western
In arid and treacherous lands, Lampião and his band are pursued by Antero Tenente and his troop, which faces the capture of the bandit as a matter of honor.
Director: Alceu Valença | Stars: Hermila Guedes, Irandhir Santos, Alceu Valença, Ari de Arimateia
Votes: 129
12. Bye Bye Brazil (1980)
R | 110 min | Drama
The Caravana Rolidei rolls into town with the Gypsy Lord at the mike: he does magic tricks, the erotic Salomé dances, and the mute Swallow performs feats of strength. A young accordion ... See full summary »
Director: Carlos Diegues | Stars: José Wilker, Betty Faria, Fábio Jr., Zaira Zambelli
Votes: 1,949
13. O Profeta da Fome (1969)
93 min | Drama
The story of a fakir who works in a decadent circus. He and his colleagues do weirder numbers each day to attract audience, and warrant their survival. The numbers resemble a horror-show ... See full summary »
Director: Maurice Capovilla | Stars: José Mojica Marins, Maurício do Valle, Julia Miranda, Sérgio Hingst
Votes: 114
14. Dumbo (2019)
PG | 112 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green
Votes: 82,504 | Gross: $114.77M
15. La Yuma (2009)
R | 90 min | Action, Drama, Romance
This is the story of Yuma a strong-willed and rebellious girl from the poor neighborhoods of Managua who dreams of being a boxer.
Director: Florence Jaugey | Stars: Alma Blanco, Rigoberto Mayorga, Gabriel Benavides, Juan Carlos García
Votes: 255
16. The Serpent's Egg (1977)
R | 119 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Berlin, 1923. Following the suicide of his brother, American circus acrobat Abel Rosenberg attempts to survive while facing unemployment, depression, alcoholism and the social decay of Germany during the Weimar Republic.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Liv Ullmann, David Carradine, Gert Fröbe, Heinz Bennent
Votes: 6,354
The main characters are former circus artists.
17.
Gotham (2014–2019)
Episode:
The Blind Fortune Teller
(2015)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The circus comes under attack while Gordon and Dr. Thompkins are in attendance.
Director: Jeffrey G. Hunt | Stars: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Zabryna Guevara
Votes: 4,127
18.
Irmão do Jorel (2014– )
Episode:
Profissão: Palhaço
(2015)
TV-PG | Animation, Short, Comedy
Directors: Juliano Enrico, Hernan La Greca, Fernanda Tomasoni Laender, Rodrigo Soldado, Daniela Vieira, Pablo Zucarrino, Flavia Prats Feffer, Melissa Garcia | Stars: Andrei Duarte, Juliano Enrico, Tânia Gaidarji, Melissa Garcia
Votes: 29
19. Bear Story (2014)
G | 11 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
An old, lonesome bear tells the story of his life through a mechanical diorama.
Director: Gabriel Osorio Vargas
Votes: 3,572
20. Nights of Cabiria (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A waifish prostitute wanders the streets of Rome looking for true love but finds only heartbreak.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi, Dorian Gray
Votes: 51,917 | Gross: $0.75M
Just a small part of the movie. The circus show happens inside a theatre.
21. Octopussy (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A fake Fabergé egg recovered from the body of a fellow agent leads James Bond to uncover a jewel smuggling operation led by the mysterious Octopussy, and a plot to blow up a NATO air base.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn
Votes: 112,958 | Gross: $67.90M
22. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
PG | 130 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis
Votes: 214,263 | Gross: $234.91M
23. Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
R | 76 min | Animation, Action, Crime
As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness.
Director: Sam Liu | Stars: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Ray Wise
Votes: 61,523 | Gross: $3.78M
There is a mix of amusement park and freak circus.
24. A Mother of Monsters (2017)
9 min | Short, Fantasy, Horror | Completed
An adaptation of the Guy de Maupassant's tale, a film about how far we can go with entertainment.
Director: Julia Zanin de Paula | Stars: Carlo Cancelli, Delson Rabello, Laura Hickmann, Marcos Sigales
Votes: 12
25. The Clown (2011)
88 min | Comedy, Drama
Father and son work as clowns Puro Sangue/Valdemar and Pangare/Benjamin in a circus in the Brazilian countryside. Benjamin decides to follow a different path and meets several people on the way.
Director: Selton Mello | Stars: Selton Mello, Paulo José, Larissa Manoela, Giselle Motta
Votes: 5,462
26. Mr. Go (2013)
132 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Story about the first gorilla playing baseball in Korean Baseball League.
Director: Yong-hwa Kim | Stars: Sung Dong-il, Jiao Xu, Kim Hee-won, Kim Kang-woo
Votes: 936
27. Water for Elephants (2011)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Jacob takes a job as an animal caretaker in a traveling circus. There he meets Marlena, a beautiful circus performer. Their shared compassion for a special elephant Rosie leads to love, but Marlena's cruel husband stands in their way.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider
Votes: 120,389 | Gross: $58.71M
28. Her Alibi (1989)
PG | 94 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Phil has writer's block after 30 detective novels. In court for inspiration, he sees a cute Romanian murder suspect. He provides her alibi. She stays with him. Will he live to write another novel?
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Tom Selleck, Paulina Porizkova, William Daniels, James Farentino
Votes: 7,801 | Gross: $18.70M
29. Os Saltimbancos Trapalhões (1981)
95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Four humble and goofy employees of a prominent circus, all of them with a natural comedic talent, rebel against their tyrannical boss and his unscrupulous illusionist assistant.
Director: J.B. Tanko | Stars: Renato Aragão, Dedé Santana, Mussum, Zacarias
Votes: 786
30. BloodRayne (2005)
R | 95 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
In the eighteenth century, a vampire escapes from the freak show, in which she once participated, and teams up with a group of vampire slayers to kill the man who raped her mother.
Director: Uwe Boll | Stars: Kristanna Loken, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Madsen
Votes: 37,193 | Gross: $2.41M
31. Das boxende Känguruh (1895)
1 min | Short
The third sequence of the "Wintergartenprogramm (1895)" by the Skladanowsky Brothers. In it, a man and a kangaroo stand up in front of each other with boxing gloves, and simulate a boxing match on a theatre stage.
Director: Max Skladanowsky | Star: Delaware
Votes: 625
One of the earliest German films. It shows a man boxing a kangaroo at the Circus Busch. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/43jkqQmuajM
32. Batman Forever (1995)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure
Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
Votes: 266,508 | Gross: $184.03M
The film is awful, but the Flying Graysons' scene is nice.
33. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
PG-13 | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Teenager Darren Shan meets a mysterious man at a freak show who turns out to be a vampire. After a series of events, Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque du Freak, becoming a creature of the night.
Director: Paul Weitz | Stars: Chris Massoglia, John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek, Josh Hutcherson
Votes: 48,066 | Gross: $14.05M
34. The Great Mystical Circus (2018)
105 min | Drama
Follows a century in the lives of the Knieps, an Austrian family of circus owners.
Director: Carlos Diegues | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Nuno Lopes, Dawid Ogrodnik, Albano Jerónimo
Votes: 634
35. O Grande Monteleone (2011)
15 min | Short, Drama
Old Monteleone lives alone in a house littered with the relics of his past life in the circus. He hasn't worn his clown suit in years, but now he has good reason to. Today he'll wear his old makeup one last time.
Director: João Leitão | Star: José Pinto
Votes: 44
Honorable mention: Not a movie about circus, but a nice short film on clowns.
36. Mussum, Um filme do Cacildis (2019)
75 min | Documentary
The trajectory of musician and comedian Mussum as vocalist of the group "Os Originais do Samba" and later in cinema and TV as a member of "Os Trapalhões", a group that revolutionized the way of making humor on Brazilian television.
Director: Susanna Lira | Stars: Mussum, Alcione, Renato Aragão, Joel Zito Araújo
Votes: 401
Another honorable mention: not a main issue, but it is there.
37. Fakir (2019)
93 min | Documentary
Fakir portrays the success of fakirism in Brazil, Latin America and France. This show of popular art from the circus is presented and analyzed through a collection that reveals the success ... See full summary »
Director: Helena Ignez
Votes: 14
38. The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006 Video)
G | 69 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Tod and Copper still go together like an itch and a scratch, but when Copper gets a shot at the big time with a nutty group of hound dog howlers, their purebred friendship is put to the test.
Director: Jim Kammerud | Stars: Reba McEntire, Patrick Swayze, Jonah Bobo, Harrison Fahn
Votes: 5,880
39. A Compadecida (1969)
92 min | Comedy, Drama
Clown tells the story of João Grilo, a rich couple's lively employee who cheats everybody in town: arranges a funeral for a dog, bribes the priest and the bishop into celebrating a mass in ... See full summary »
Director: George Jonas | Stars: Armando Bógus, Antônio Fagundes, Felipe Carone, Jorge Cherques
Votes: 58
40. As Moças Daquela Hora (1973)
97 min | Comedy
Film in three segments. In the first, engaged girl falls in love with an acrobat. In the second, married woman is loved by two men. In the last, the daughter of a traditional family is rejected on her wedding night.
Director: Paulo Porto | Stars: Nidia de Paula, Gracindo Júnior, Marco Nanini, Tina Luiza
Votes: 41
41. Pagliacci (2018)
73 min | Documentary
"Pagliacci", the documentary serves as both an homage to La Minima's 20 years anniversary, a meditation on the laugh and also a memory of Domingos Montagner great work as a Circus artist. ... See full summary »
Directors: Chico Gomes, Julio Hey, Luiza Villaça Moreira, Pedro Moscalcoff, Luiz Villaça | Stars: Carla Candiotto, Alice Viveiros de Castro, Fernando Paz, Chico Pelúcio
Votes: 14
42. O Crime da Cabra (2016)
90 min | Comedy
A country town has its routine interrupted by an unexpected crime: the money from the sale of a goat has been stolen. After investigations, it is discovered that the goat ate the money. ... See full summary »
Directors: Teresa Aguiar, Ariane Porto | Stars: Joel Barbosa, Matheus Braga, Laura Cardoso, Lima Duarte
Votes: 23
TERRIBLE!!!!
43. Cemetery of Lost Souls (2020)
134 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
Corrupted by the power of Cipriano's Black Book, a Jesuit and his followers begin a reign of horror in colonial Brazil, until they be cursed to live forever trapped under the graves of a ... See full summary »
Director: Rodrigo Aragão | Stars: Carol Aragão, Renato Chocair, Diego Garcias, Francisco Gaspar
Votes: 217
44. O Circo (1965)
28 min | Documentary, Short
Documentary about the dying art of popular circuses in Rio de Janeiro.
Director: Arnaldo Jabor | Stars: Gentileza, Arnaldo Jabor
Votes: 39
45. Chocolat (2016)
119 min | Biography, Drama
The rise and fall of the famous clown Chocolat, the first black circus performer who revolutionised the stagnant circus acts and conquered Paris of the Belle Époque with his exuberance and originality.
Director: Roschdy Zem | Stars: Omar Sy, James Thierrée, Clotilde Hesme, Olivier Gourmet
Votes: 8,228
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