Circus World (1964)

When circus proprietor Matt Masters decides to take his show on a European tour, it is beset by problems, while he searches for Lili, the mother of his adopted daughter, who disappeared years before.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay), Julian Zimet (screenplay) (as Julian Halevy)

Stars:

John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Claudia Cardinale

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Matt Masters
Claudia Cardinale	...	Toni Alfredo
Rita Hayworth	...	Lili Alfredo
Lloyd Nolan	...	Cap Carson
Richard Conte	...	Aldo Alfredo
John Smith	...	Steve McCabe
Katharyna	...	Giovana
Katherine Kath	...	Hilda
Wanda Rotha	...	Mrs. Schuman
Maggie Rennie	...	Anna (as Maggie Macgrath)
Miles Malleson	...	Billy Hennigan
José María Caffarel	...	Barcelona's Mayor (as Jose Maria Cafarell)
Kay Walsh	...	Flo Hunt
Francois Calepides	...	Ringmaster
Robert Cunningham	...	Ringmaster

Storyline

In the early years of the 20th century, Matt Masters takes his rambling Wild West Show to Europe. His decision is prompted by his desire to find Lili Alfredo, who disappeared fourteen years earlier following the death of her husband, The Flying Alfredo. At the time it was believed that Alfredo dived to his death deliberately when he realized his wife loved Matt and not him. Toni, a beautiful trapeze performer, raised by Matt is actually Lili's daughter, and she is in love with Steve McCabe, one of the stars on Matt's show. Doing their first show in Barcelona, aboard a ship, the ship keels over and Matt loses his show. Now broke, he leaves for Paris with Toni, Steve and his long-time friend, Cap Carson, to seek a job with Colonel Purdy's Wild West Show. But a year later, Matt has rebuilt his own show. First to be signed is a remarkable 12-year-old wire-walker named Giovana, and her guardian, Tojo the Clown, whose real named is Aldo Alfredo, formerly of the Flying Alfredos. Continuing ...

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Plot Keywords:

circus | wild west show | search | trapeze | redheaded woman | 

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Taglines:

All WAYNE...And a World Wide...

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Henry Hathaway's Circus World

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Bronston Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Circus buffs will recognize the headlining routine at the film's climax as the routine Lillian Leitzel performed at one time.

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Goofs

Whilst the film is taking place in 1901, there are several mistakes with the European flags. One example is the Finnish flag that is seen in the movie. Finland didn't achieve independence (and the flag) until 1918.

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Quotes

Toni Alfredo: Kid? I am a Woman... with Sicilian blood in her. You ever hear of a vendetta?

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Connections

Referenced in De barro y oro (1966)

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Soundtracks

Kingdom Coming
(uncredited)
Music by Henry Clay Work
Arranged by Dimitri Tiomkin

User Reviews

Lions and tigers and a troubled production, oh my!

Worth seeing for the odd pairing of John Wayne and Rita Hayworth. They actually interact well but Rita's part is minor considering her star status, by this point she was beginning to really suffer with memory loss and her scenes were a trial to complete, and the story is weak. Claudia is lovely but totally unbelievable as Duke's daughter speaking with her natural Italian accent while supposedly being raised by him, he of course talks like John Wayne. Not a terrible film but diffuse and without a strong point of view, that may be because the production was fraught with issues, begun by Frank Capra and finished by Henry Hathaway there was no clear vision to the shape what the film was supposed to offer.