When I was a kid, I worked in the circus. It was a touring circus that was owned by a man named Terrell Jacobs.
It was just one big tent, and he was a lion tamer.
He didn't have any kids, but the bit was that I would dress up as his son in an identical outfit.
—Christopher Walken
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There are lots of examples of people who straddled the worlds of movies and circuses, like Jack Earle, Major Mite, and Bill Irwin. Burt Lancaster started as a circus acrobat and starred in Trapeze.
More importantly, movies make it possible for us to get a taste of the circus as it used to be. I call these paradigms to your attention:
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 The Circus
1928 Charlie Chaplin silent film: great fun. |
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 Freaks
1932 Tod Brownings cult classic: audiences at the time patronized
actual sideshows
but found this movie offensive. Go figure. It has a haunting climax.
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At the Circus
1939 Marx Brothers film: a must see for all who love the brothers, with great peeks into circus life.
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 Dumbo
1941 Disney animated film: vilifies clowns and raises issues of animal abuse, but also cherishes much about the circus. Who can resist this movie? |
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 La Strada
1954 Felini film: a charming look
at the tiniest of circuses, a strongman
and his clown assistant. |
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There are many more movies about the circus of course, ranging from Charlie Chan to documentaries.
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