The Circus (1928)

Directed by Charlie Chaplin. Starring Charlie Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Henry Bergman, Harry Crocker, Tiny Sandford, George Davis, Steve Murphy.

Chaplin’s Tramp character gets chased under the Big Top, becomes an accidental comedy sensation with the otherwise listless crowds, and tries romancing abused circus rider Kennedy, but she’s smitten by the new tightrope-walker (Crocker). Side-splitting scenes include the pickpocket mixup and the shenanigans on the tightrope with a wayward wire and some frisky monkeys, but a lot of mild stretches make the enterprise feel longer than it is. Some sequences are botched despite good staging and conceptualization (e.g., the lion encounter and the slap-happy shaving cream burlesque) by not knowing how to end and ultimately overstaying their welcome, but the laughs are still plentiful enough for a solid outing from the supremely talented writer/director/producer/star. Chaplin also composed a musical score for a 1969 re-release that comes standard on most modern prints. Troubled production was significantly hindered by Chaplin’s messy divorce, his mother passing away, his battles with the IRS, his assets being frozen, the circus set being destroyed in a storm, and his studio burning down; that the film was completed at all is something of a miracle.

70/100