Runtime: 72 minutes
Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
Starring: Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Al Ernest Garcia, Harry Crocker, George Davis
From: Charles Chaplin Productions
The content warning I could give for this revolves around a stepfather physically abusing his stepdaughter instead of how any animals were treated as part of the circus. There are some seen but never as part of a routine; there’s a quality gag involving both a lion & a tiger… oh my. Simply, I realized it’s been a little while since watching a silent & even longer since anything starring Chaplin.
The Tramp is a victim of circumstance so he is on the run from the cops. By happenstance he entertains the crowd while attempting to avoid the po-po at the circus. He’s hired by the ringmaster (the aforementioned stepfather) and he takes a fancy to his pretty young stepdaughter; those feelings aren’t reciprocated. This was more melancholy than I expected; his mood impacted his ability to deliver comedy.
That said, there are still many great gags & setpieces; this includes walking the tightrope and his inadvertent spoiling a magician’s act. There’s also a hall of mirrors bit; the number of mirrors present and how the camera was never seen: incredibly impressive for something filmed 97 years ago. It was a production fraught w/ turmoil… a divorce, his mom died, delays, a studio fire, etc. It doesn’t show on screen. For those that are fans of The Tramp, this movie’s a must. Chaplin in a circus milieu was a treat.
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