NZIFF Classic Film Review: "The Circus" (1928).

"Charlie Chaplin in the Greatest Picture of His Entire Career..." This is The Circus. This silent romantic comedy film written and directed by Chaplin. The Tramp is hired by the proprietor of a circus after he stumbles into the middle of a performance and becomes the star attraction. He ends up falling in love with a horse rider.

As early as 1920, Chaplin first began discussing his ideas for a film about a circus. In late 1925, he returned from New York to California and began working on developing the film. Set designer Danny Hall sketched out Chaplin's early ideas for the film, with Chaplin returning to one of his older films, The Vagabond (1916), and drawing upon similar story ideas and themes for the film. Chaplin was a long time admirer of French comedian Max Linder, who had died in October 1925, and often borrowed gags and plot devices from Linder's films. Some critics have pointed out the similarities between The Circus and Linder's last completed film The King of the Circus (1925). By early January 1926, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis and Henry Bergman rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced Filming took place at Chaplin Studios in Hollywood, as well as Glendale and Venice, California. After the first month of filming, it was discovered that the film negative had been scratched. Chaplin practiced tightrope walking for weeks before filming. He actually performed on a rope forty feet in the air. However, the footage was lost when the negative was scratched during processing. The scene had to be reshot, and the footage included in the film was not as good, in Chaplin's estimation, as that which had been lost. Furthermore, a major fire broke out at Chaplin's studios in September, delaying production for a month. In addition, Chaplin was served divorce papers by Lita Grey after two years of marriage. She started working with Chaplin when she was twelve, and he began having an affair with her soon after. They married when she was fifteen after she lied about being pregnant, but she ended up having two sons during their marriage. Grey dragged his sex life into the media with sensational claims in the court documents that severely tarnished Chaplin's image. Then the IRS got involved, claiming Chaplin owed a $1 million in back taxes. All these led to his nervous breakdown, and he spent time recovering in New York after about two-thirds of the film had been shot and delayed the release of the film for another year. The stress was so great that his hair, graying when production began, went completely white by the time filming resumed and had to be dyed to match. Filming ultimately wrapped in late November 1927.

Chaplin's slapstick comedy worked to great effect, especially thanks to the talented cast that surrounded him.

While it is hardly Chaplin's best film, the film is packed with enough memorable moments, a few of which rank among Chaplin's greatest comic achievements, to stand firmly on its own.

Simon says The Circus receives:

Also, see my review for Easy Street and May December.