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The Circus

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The Circus

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Also known as Circus

1928 film by Charlie Chaplin

Film · TMDB

7.9

Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and falls in love with the circus owner's stepdaughter.

Released: 1928-01-0672 minDir: Charlie ChaplinComedy, Romance, DramaBudget: $9.0M

Cast

  • Charlie Chaplin as A Tramp
  • Al Ernest Garcia as The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master
  • Merna Kennedy as The Proprietor's Step-Daughter Merna, a Circus Rider
  • Harry Crocker as Rex, a Tight Rope Walker
  • George Davis as A Magician
  • Henry Bergman as An Old Clown

Themes

  • circus
  • one-sided love
  • tramp
  • unrequited love
  • black and white
  • silent film
  • employer employee relationship

This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Ratings

IMDb

8.1/10

38,179 votes

Rotten Tomatoes

97%

Metacritic

90/100

Year
1928
Runtime
72 min
Genres
Comedy, Family, Romance
Rated
G
Awards
3 wins total

via OMDb · IMDb

Key facts

Directed by
Charlie Chaplin
Written by
Charlie Chaplin
Produced by
Charlie Chaplin
Starring
Charlie Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia , Merna Kennedy , Henry Bergman
Cinematography
Roland Totheroh
Music by
Arthur Kay , (1928 version) , Charlie Chaplin, (1967 version)
Distributed by
United Artists
Release dates
January 6, 1928 ( 1928-01-06 ) (New York) January 27, 1928 ( 1928-01-27 ) (Los Angeles)
Running time
70 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent film , English intertitles
Box office
$3.8 million (worldwide rentals)

via Wikipedia infobox

Official website

Charlie Chaplin : Filming The Circus

charliechaplin.com

Link to the official site · 8,227 chars · not written by Vinony

Wikidata facts

Duration
69
FilmAffinity ID
656790
Image
The Circus (1928), screenshot 27'38''.jpg
Show 5 more facts
publication date
1928-01-29
title
The Circus
Commons category
The Circus (1928 film)
review score
8.1/10
public domain date
2024-01-01
Sources (10)

via Wikidata · CC0

~13 min read

Article

The Circus is a 1928 silent romantic comedy film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The film stars Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis and Henry Bergman. The ringmaster of an impoverished circus hires Chaplin's Little Tramp as a clown, but discovers that he can only be funny unintentionally.

The production of the film was the most difficult experience in Chaplin's career. Numerous problems and delays occurred, including a studio fire, the death of Chaplin's mother, as well as Chaplin's bitter divorce from his second wife Lita Grey, and the Internal Revenue Service's claims of Chaplin's owing back taxes, all of which culminated in filming being stalled for eight months. The Circus was the seventh-highest-grossing silent film in cinema history, taking in more than $3.8 million in 1928. The film continues to receive high praise. The film's copyright was renewed, so it entered the public domain on January 1, 2024.

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