The Last Circus (2010)

A young trapeze artist must decide between her lust for Sergio, the Happy Clown, or her affection for Javier, the Sad Clown, both of whom are deeply disturbed.

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writer:

Álex de la Iglesia

Stars:

Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Carolina Bang

11 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carlos Areces	...	Javier
Antonio de la Torre	...	Sergio
Carolina Bang	...	Natalia
Manuel Tallafé	...	Ramiro
Alejandro Tejerías	...	Motorista-fantasma (as Alejandro Tejería)
Manuel Tejada	...	Jefe de pista
Enrique Villén	...	Andrés
Gracia Olayo	...	Sonsoles
Sancho Gracia	...	Coronel Salcedo
Paco Sagarzazu	...	Anselmo
Santiago Segura	...	Padre-Payaso tonto
Fernando Guillén Cuervo	...	Capitán miliciano
Jorge Clemente	...	Javier (Joven 1943)
Fofito	...	Payaso listo
Sasha Di Bendetto	...	Javier (Niño 1937) (as Sasha Di Bendetto)

Storyline

1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A "Happy" circus clown is interrupted mid-performance and forcibly recruited by a militia. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and led into battle against National soldiers, where he single handedly massacres an entire platoon. Fast forward to 1973, the tail end of the Franco regime. Javier, the son of the clown, dreams of following in his father's career footsteps, but has seen too much tragedy in his life-he's simply not funny and is only equipped to play the role of the Sad Clown. He finds work in a circus where he befriends an outlandish cast of characters, but as the Sad Clown he must take the abuse of the brutish Happy Clown Sergio, who humiliates Javier daily in the name of entertainment. It is here that he meets Natalia, a gorgeous acrobat, and abused wife of Sergio. Javier falls deeply in love with Natalia and tries to rescue her from her cruel and violent husband, unleashing Sergio's jealousy. But Natalia ...

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Plot Keywords:

violence | sex scene | song in title | graphic violence | title based on song | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal and bloody violence throughout, some strong sexual content, nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous "Wilhelm Scream" can be heard several times in this movie, but most prominently when two midgets are thrown out of the Wonderland Cirgo tent at 20:15.

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Goofs

When Andres is arrested, he says "maderos" to the policemen, but this word was not yet used at this time. He shoould have said "grises" (grey) because this is the color of the police uniform - only years later would it become brown. ("Madero" is log or piece of wood, which is why people called policemen "maderos").

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Scariest Clowns in Movies and TV (2014)

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Soundtracks

Marcha de procesión
Performed by 'La Banda de Cornetas y Tambores) de la Fundación Julián Santos'
© 2015 Melliam Music

User Reviews

Crazy Clowns with guns....what could be wrong?

Great movie. Not for everyone. At the very beginning you will know what kind of movie you are going to watch. Very dramatic, funny and terrifying. Has every ingredient, but you will find it difficult to classify it in a genre. The story is not different from what you've probably seen before, what makes the difference is the way it is told. 10 points for the acting. You actually feel the changes every character has as the movie goes along. The music also flows great with the film in every way, and creates fantastic atmospheres in every moment. The editing may be the weakest thing of the film. Anyway, great. You don't get to watch a dark funny film very often...

Details

Official Sites:

Official Blog [Spain] Official Facebook

Country:

Spain France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

17 December 2010 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Last Circus

Filming Locations:

Alcoy, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,757, 21 August 2011

Gross USA:

$40,548

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,604,598

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tornasol Films, La Fabrique 2, uFilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1