The Circus (1928)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (written by)

Release Date:

1928 (Turkey)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The Circus is Here!

Plot:

The Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus.

Plot Keywords:

Tramp | Police | Circus | Rival | Pickpocket

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Al Ernest Garcia	...	The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master (as Allan Garcia)
Merna Kennedy	...	Merna, His Step-Daughter - A Circus Rider
Harry Crocker	...	Rex - A Tight Rope Walker
George Davis	...	Professor Bosco - A Magician
Henry Bergman	...	An Old Clown
Tiny Sandford	...	The Head Property Man (as Stanley J. Sandford)
John Rand	...	An Assistant Property Man
Steve Murphy	...	A Pickpocket
Charles Chaplin	...	A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Albert Austin	...	Clown (uncredited)
Charles A. Bachman	...	Cop (uncredited)
Eugene Barry	...	Cop (uncredited)
Jack Bernard	...	Man in Circus Audience (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Cop (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Clown (uncredited)
Bill Knight	...	Cop (uncredited)
Toraichi Kono	...	Man in Circus Audience (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
H.L. Kyle	...	Man in Circus Audience (uncredited)
Betty Morrissey	...	The Vanishing Lady (uncredited)
L.J. O'Connor	...	Cop (uncredited)
Jack P. Pierce	...	Man Operating Ropes (uncredited)
Hugh Saxon	...	Man in Circus Audience (uncredited)
Doc Stone	...	The Prizefighter (uncredited)
Armand Triller	...	Clown (uncredited)
Max Tyron	...	Pickpocket Victim (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Chaplin		(as Charlie Chaplin)

Writing credits
Charles Chaplin		(written by) (as Charlie Chaplin)

Produced by
Charles Chaplin	....	producer (as Charlie Chaplin)

Original Music by
Charles Chaplin		(1969) (as Charlie Chaplin)

Cinematography by
Roland Totheroh		(photography) (as Rollie H. Totheroh)

Film Editing by
Charles Chaplin		(uncredited)

Casting by
Al Ernest Garcia		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Charles D. Hall		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry Crocker	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark Marlatt	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Jack Wilson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Chaplin	....	title music: sung by (1969 print) (as Charlie Chaplin)
Eric James	....	musical associate (1969 version)
Lambert Williamson	....	music arranger (1969 version)
Joseph Plunkett	....	conductor: prologue (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Toraichi Kono	....	driver: Mr. Chaplin (uncredited)

Other crew
William E. Hinckley	....	laboratory supervisor
Tony Campanaro	....	monkey trainer (uncredited)
Harry Crocker	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Henry East	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Charles Gay	....	lion trainer (uncredited)
Della Steele	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Charles Chaplin Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1928) (USA) (theatrical)
• Allied Artists (1928) (UK) (theatrical)
• Adams Filmi (????) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Dear Film (????) (Italy) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists (????) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1969) (France) (theatrical) (re-release) (as Les Artistes Associés)
• United Artists (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Arthaus Video (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Capitol International Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• De Agostini (????) (Italy) (video) (collection: Il grande cinema)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Fonit Cetra Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• MK2 Diffusion (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• Mondadori Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Park Circus (2010) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Ricordi Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Skema (????) (Italy) (video)
• Videogram (????) (Italy) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Denmark:A (2003) | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Unrated | Spain:T | Germany:6 | USA:G (re-release: 1969) | Finland:K-3 (re-rating) (2001) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

In the 1969 re-issue, the 80-year-old Charles Chaplin sang the title song.

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:

A Tramp:If you strike that girl, I'll quit! And what's more, I want what I'm worth.
The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master:I'll give you fifty dollars a week.
[the tramp shakes his head]
The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master:Sixty!
[the tramp mouths 'no']
The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master:I'll double it!
A Tramp:Nothing less than a hundred.
[the Circus Proprietor agrees and they shake on it]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)

Soundtrack:

Swing Little Girl

Perfect Chaplin, Perfect Comedy...

The Circus (1928)

Charlie Chaplin had a string of silent feature films in the 1920s that were and are his classics, ending with a couple of amazing capstones in the 1930s. And though he is famous for having carried on the silent tradition well beyond everyone else (understandably, given his style), this one finished shooting only three weeks after the first talkie, so this is a true cusp film. And it took two years to plan and film (starting in 1926).

And in some ways this is the best of them all for the simple reason that it avoids that occasional cloying sentimentality that you either love or tolerate in his other classics. It's a pure, light, clever, cinematically sophisticated comedy. And the physical tricks, the timing of certain gags, is breathtaking. It also has a deeply satisfying ending, shot in 1927...which you might see echo of in the last moments of "Being There" with Peter Sellars, from 1999.

"The Circus" is just over an hour and it never flags, never repeats, is never strained. Chaplin had the rare ability to do the most outrageous things and make them seem perfectly plausible--even though we know better. It's partly because he would do dozens of takes, "perserverance to the point of madness," as he said, until it felt right.

A note on the sound. This was a true silent film on its release. In the 1960s and 70s, Chaplin created musical soundtracks, composed by himself (and made edits, as well) for his earlier features. The song sung over the opening credits on the Warner Bros. DVD is Chaplin himself, as an old man, singing a song he composed. It's not really legit, in terms of period (1928), but it feels good. The music is fairly innocuous, but a bit too emphatic at times. Still, it's better than the add-on tracks most silent films get these days, and Chaplin was smart to have paid it attention.

Most of all, this is funny, uncompromised Chaplin genius. Maybe the best way to get introducted to his large body of work. See it!!