Title: The Circus
Release Date: January 6, 1928
Director: Charles Chaplin
Production Company: United Artists
Summary/Review:
This Charlie Chaplin film comes in-between The Gold Rush and City Lights but is not as highly acclaimed as those two movies, and I can see why. Chaplin’s Tramp stumbles into a circus and inadvertently becomes a comic star. He also falls in love with the horse rider Merna (Merna Kennedy) who is brutally abused by the Ringmaster (Al Ernest Garcia). The arrival of a new tightrope walker, Rex (Harry Crocker), leads to a love triangle among the Tramp, Myrna, and Rex. There are a number of good gags and stunts in the film, but overall the movie just feels thin. It’s like a good short film got stretched to be a feature. Still, Chaplin’s comedic brilliance is always worth a watch.
Rating: ***
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