Circus of Books (2019)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 32min
- Documentary, Biography
- 22 Apr 2020 (USA)
- Movie
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was...
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Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Karen Mason | ... |
Self
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| Barry Mason | ... |
Self
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| Micah Mason | ... |
Self - Karen and Barry's Son
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| Rachel Mason | ... |
Self - Karen and Barry's Daughter
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| Josh Mason | ... |
Self - Karen and Barry's Son
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| Fernando Aguilar | ... |
Self - Former Employee
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| Freddie Bercovitz | ... |
Self - Former Employee
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Gisella Colindres | ... |
Self
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Ellen Friedman | ... |
Self
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| Larry Flynt | ... |
Self - Publisher of Hustler Magazine
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| David Gregory | ... |
Self - Former Employee
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Joseph Hawkins | ... |
Self
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Alexandr Jonah Ivolgin | ... |
Self
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Harold Kameya | ... |
Self
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Ellen Kameya | ... |
Self
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Polly Kim | ... |
Self
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| Ben Liefke | ... |
Self - Employee
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Billy Miller | ... |
Self - Magazine Publisher
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| Paulo Morillo | ... |
Self - Customer and Writer
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| Don Norman | ... |
Self - Customer
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Jorge Rodriguez | ... |
Self
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| Alexei Romanoff | ... |
Self - LGBT Rights Activist
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| Jeff Stryker | ... |
Self - Adult Film Star
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| Phil Tarley | ... |
Self - Adult Film Director
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| Alaska Thunderfuck | ... |
Self - Former Employee and Drag Queen
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Alex Valdes | ... |
Self
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| John Weston | ... |
Self - First Amendment Attorney
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| Ellen Winer | ... |
Self - Karen's Childhood Friend
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| Dorian Wood | ... |
Self - Customer and Artist
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Connie Chung | ... |
Self - Reporter (archiveFootage)
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| Ted Koppel | ... |
Self - News Anchor (archiveFootage)
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| Simon L. Leis Jr. | ... |
Self - County Prosecutor, Ohio (archiveFootage)
(as Simon Leis)
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| Ed Meese | ... |
Self - Attorney General of the United States, Reagan Administration (archiveFootage)
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| Jim Morrison | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Ronald Reagan | ... |
Self - President of the United States (archiveFootage)
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Matt Sterling | ... |
Self - Adult Film Director (archiveFootage)
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| Potter Stewart | ... |
Self - Supreme Court Justice (archiveFootage)
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Directed by
| Rachel Mason | ... | (directed by) |
Written by
| Rachel Mason | ... | (screenplay by) |
| Kathryn Robson | ... | (screenplay by) |
Produced by
| Adam Baran | ... | producer |
| John Battsek | ... | executive producer |
| Josh Braun | ... | executive producer |
| Wendy Jo Carlton | ... | associate producer |
| Cynthia Childs | ... | producer (produced by) |
| Lizzie Gillett | ... | associate producer |
| Camilla Hall | ... | producer (produced by) |
| Robert Hawk | ... | consulting producer |
| Gerald Herman | ... | executive producer |
| Rhianon Jones | ... | executive producer |
| Rachel Mason | ... | producer (produced by) |
| Ryan Murphy | ... | executive producer |
| Kathryn Robson | ... | producer (produced by) |
| Gina See-yuen Wong | ... | co-producer |
Music by
| Ian M Colletti | ... | (as Colletti) |
Cinematography by
| Gretchen Warthen | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Kathryn Robson | ||
Editorial Department
| Luis Amaya | ... | Color Assistant |
| LaRue Anderson | ... | digital intermediate executive producer: Digital Color Correction |
| Taylor Black | ... | colorist |
| Colin Cardwell | ... | assistant editor |
| Erik Choquette | ... | digital intermediate associate producer |
| David B. Guthrie | ... | additional editor |
| George C. Hall | ... | assistant editor |
| Myles Kramer | ... | additional editor |
| Rigoberto Madrigal | ... | on-line editor |
| Stefanie Schaldenbrand | ... | digital intermediate producer |
| Gabriele Urbonaite | ... | additional editor |
| Candice Young | ... | assistant editor |
Sound Department
| Alexander Anikin | ... | sound recordist |
| Phil Evans | ... | dialogue editor |
| Kathryn Korniloff | ... | production sound mixer |
| Veronica Lopez | ... | additional production sound mixer |
| Jon Plane | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Mike Regan | ... | Additional Sound Design |
| Vaudeville_Sound_Group | ... | sound department |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Alexander Anikin | ... | camera operator |
| Rita Baghdadi | ... | additional cinematographer |
| Clare Major | ... | camera operator |
| Yamit Shimonovitz | ... | additional cinematographer |
Music Department
| Rafaël Leloup | ... | additional music by |
| Taylor Rowley | ... | music supervisor |
Additional Crew
| Katy Alimohammadi | ... | clearance counsel |
| Alexandra Christensson | ... | Assistant to executive producer: Alexis Martin Woodall. |
| Jonathan G. Fisher | ... | clearance counsel (as Jonathan Fisher) |
| Michael Gray | ... | lgbt consultant: pre-production |
| Chris Perez | ... | clearance counsel |
Thanks
| Joanne Duray | ... | special thanks |
| James Gadon | ... | special thanks |
| Vanessa Meyer | ... | thanks |
| Madeleine Molyneaux | ... | special thanks |
| Lisa Vangellow | ... | special thanks |
Production Companies
- Future Clown
- Passion Pictures (in association with)
- Neon Heart Productions (in association with)
Distributors
- Netflix (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (American Samoa) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Argentina) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Bermuda) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (British Virgin Islands) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Canada) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Falkland Islands) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Gibraltar) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Guam) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Ireland) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Isle of Man) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Israel) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (New Zealand) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Puerto Rico) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (St. Helena) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (Singapore) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (U.S. Virgin Islands) (video) (VOD)
- Netflix (2020) (United Kingdom) (video) (VOD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- APM Music (music)
- APM Music (production library music)
- Endcrawl.com (end titles made with)
- Oddball Films (archival footage)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Books. A decade later, they had become the biggest distributors of gay porn in the US. The film focuses on the double life they led, trying to maintain the balance of being parents at a time when LGBT culture was not yet accepted. Their many challenges included facing jail time for a federal obscenity prosecution and enabling their store to be a place of refuge at the height of the AIDS crisis. Circus of Books offers a rare glimpse into an untold chapter of queer history, and it is told through the lens of the owners' own daughter, Rachel Mason, an artist, filmmaker and musician. |
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| Taglines | Neighborhood entrepreneurs. Local heroes. See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Movie Connections | Featured in The 2020 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2020). See more » |
| Quotes |
Karen Mason:
Don't drop the soap. Let me see what it says about that one. Self - Karen and Barry's Daughter: What are you looking for? Karen Mason: I'm just trying to find something that..uh... isn't quite as explicit. Self - Karen and Barry's Daughter: What does he want? Karen Mason: He wants white men and no penetration, he said. [pauses a beat] Karen Mason: Do these guys look white to you, Jorge? See more » |