10 extraordinarily beautiful films about the circus

1. The circus

The Circus

• USA, 1928.
• Melodrama, comedy.
• Duration: 72 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.1.

A circus comes to the city, the owner of which is a very cruel and unpleasant person. Due to the ridiculous situation with pickpocketing, little Tramp ends up in the arena and briefly becomes the star of the show.

After the resounding success of the Gold Rush Charlie Chaplin undertook to shoot his new work in the surroundings of the circus. Like any painting by the master, the film brings a smile half-and-half with tears. And for all this time, it has not become outdated at all.

2. The Greatest Show in the World

The Greatest Show on Earth

• USA, 1952.
• Drama, melodrama, family.
• Duration: 152 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

Brad Braden, director of the largest circus troupe in the world, hires a famous aerialist named Sebastian to save his show. However, Brad's friend Holly does not want to give her place to a newcomer. And then the chief decides to arrange a pair performance for the circus performers.

In addition to the main Oscar, the film also received a statuette for the best screenplay, became a box office hit and even inspired the great Steven Spielberg make a career in the field of cinema. The director saw this picture when he was very young, and he was very impressed by the episode with the train accident. After some time, Stephen asked his parents to buy him a toy train and used the gift in his first creative experiments.

3. Road

La strada

• Italy, 1954.
• Drama.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.0.

The strongman Giacomo buys out the village idiot Jelsomina to work for him as an assistant. Together they travel across Italy until they meet a wandering circus.

Federico Fellini's masterpiece brought the director his first Oscar and has gone down in cinema history forever. The film also glorified his wife and muse Juliet Mazina, who was nicknamed Chaplin in a Skirt for her funny antics.

4. Big fish

Big fish

• USA, 2003.
• Drama, melodrama, fantasy.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.0.

Edward Bloom often told his son stories about how he met a witch, met a giant and visited the circus. But all these stories sounded so implausible that the boy eventually stopped believing in them.

Tim Burton knows how to combine dark mysticism with humor, but "Big Fish" according to Daniel Wallace's bestseller is not like most of his works. This is a very light, kind fairy tale with cute characters. And although the author's trademark surrealism remained in place, here it perfectly underlines the uniqueness of the tape.

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

5. Water for Elephants!

Water for elephants

• USA, 2011.
• Melodrama, drama.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

A young veterinarian, Jacob Jenkowski, takes a job at a traveling circus. There, the hero falls in love with the manager's beautiful wife Marlene, which promises him continuous troubles.

After the Twilight franchise Robert Pattison tried to get out of the role of a hero-lover, but for some time, by inertia, he was offered the role of romantic handsome men. Nevertheless, in the circus drama of Francis Lawrence, he looks very dignified.

Reese Witherspoon is no less good here, and Christoph Waltz again plays the charming villain with rapture.

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

6. Oz: the great and terrible

Oz the Great and Powerful

• USA, 2013.
• Fantasy, adventure, comedy.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.3.

Oscar Diggs, a roguish but talented circus performer and magician from Kansas, accidentally ends up in a magical land. There he is mistaken for a legendary wizard who is destined to defeat an evil sorceress.

Sam Raimi's picture will definitely appeal to those who love unusual interpretations of children's stories - for example, as in the movie "Into the Woods" or the TV series "Once Upon a Time".

James Franco's sincere performance makes up for the script's shortcomings. The actor is accompanied by other Hollywood celebrities: Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz.

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

7. Chocolate

Chocolat

• France, 2015.
• Drama, biography.
• Duration: 119 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

The once famous clown Futit is trying to regain his former popularity, but for this he needs to change his repertoire. Then he invites to work in a pair of Rafael Padilla, a black artist. Their cheerful tandem is wildly successful, but the bohemian life in Paris turns out to be filled not only with fame, but also with problems.

The tape tells the real story of the first black clown who became famous in France at the end of the 19th century. The main roles were played by James Thierre (the grandson of Charlie Chaplin himself) and the brilliant Omar Sy, whom viewers all over the world know and love from the movie "1 + 1" and the hit series Netflix "Lupine».

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

8. Greatest Showman

The greatest showman

• USA, 2017.
• Biography, musical, drama.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.6.

The desperate inventor Phineas Taylor Barnum dreams of becoming famous and rich. One day he comes up with the idea to arrange performances of unusual people in the building of the former museum. Along with its wild success, the show gains a reputation for being an obscene spectacle, and now Barnum has to prove that it is not.

The film is based on the biography of a real famous entrepreneur who came up with a circus named after himself. The plot may seem very simple to some, but the main thing here is the stunning musical numbers.

Hugh Jackman, by the way, does not at all look like the real Barnum. But the actor's ability to sing and dance magnificently came in handy.

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

9. Show "Mystico"

O Grande Circo Místico

• Brazil, Portugal, France, 2018.
• Drama.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 5.1.

Frederick Keeps, the son of a respected doctor, falls madly in love with the dancer Beatrice. Against the wishes of his parents, he takes the girl as his wife and spends all his savings to buy a traveling circus for her.

Brazilian director Carlus Diegis, a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, relied on the aesthetics of the circus and the big name of Vincent Cassel in the credits. This film cannot be recommended to very young viewers: there are too many frank scenes.

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

10. Dumbo

Dumbo

• USA, 2019.
• Fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 112 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.3.

The famous rider Holt Farrier, having lost his hand in the war, returns back to the circus. Manager Max Medici, instead of his previous job, offers him to look after the elephant Jumbo. She gives birth to a baby elephant with giant ears, which also knows how to fly. Such a rarity soon attracts the attention of circus magnate Vandemer.

Disney Studio, reshooting his classic cartoons, often attracts eminent directors to the creation of game remakes. So, Guy Ritchie was called to adapt "Aladdin", and Tim Burton was entrusted with the work on the film version of "Dumbo".

The signature handwriting of the master of the grotesque is immediately visible: there is a lot of dark humor in the film, the theme is often played up death, and Dumbo himself looks a little scary - especially in those scenes where he has a creepy makeup.

Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →