I can see why this is considered one of Chaplin’s more underrated films. In comparison to the other two Chaplin films that we have watched (The Kid and Gold Rush), I put this movie at number three but that also doesn’t mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that I didn’t enjoy the film. I did. Quite a bit.
The plot centers around a circus that comes to town and Chaplin unwittingly becoming the star of the show when getting chased by police after being mistaken as a pick-pocket. As one can imagine, there is the usual array of Chaplin shenanigans that come with being involved in a circus. However, I also found a darker tinge to the film and I assume that it comes from personal issues that affected Chaplin while making the movie – death of his mother, divorce from his second wife, owing a large sum of money in back taxes, the entire set burning down.
The end was quite melancholy and led me to wonder if this is what Chaplin feels about life and love – that it is better to let the woman you love be with another man because he can support her better and, in the end, we all end up by ourselves anyway?
I don’t mean to imply that this is a depressing movie. It is quite funny and worth watching just to see the House of Mirrors scene. In my opinion, absolutely brilliant and well filmed.
I have enjoyed the progression of Chaplin, and I look forward to seeing more – either with Cinema Cram or without. Overall, I give this 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
Juror #3 says:
Imagine this, a man in his mid-30's is sitting on a couch in his apartment wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. He is alone. The only light in the room emits from the television hanging on the wall, which is projecting black and white images from the 1928 Charlie Chaplin movie "The Circus." The movie has just finished its setup and a title card appears saying something to the effect of "around the corner, tired and hungry". The underwear clad man breaks into applause because he knows The Tramp, Charlie Chaplin's famed character, will be re-introduced in the next frame. Yes, this sad man in his skivies was me...last night. The Circus contained many of the elements I have come to love in a Chaplin film - comedy mixed with heartache. I enjoyed The Circus but less so than The Kid or The Gold Rush. I felt like the circus jokes got a bit old at times. Maybe my expectations were too high. There were still laugh-out-loud moments and The Tramp's unattainable love interest - I root so hard for the tramp to get the girl but alas, he fails again. Only this time the Tramp plays the selfless card and "saves" the girl by facilitating a marriage between her and man she has expressed an interest in. The Circus shows advancements in film including Chaplin himself singing the opening song. And the credits contain fade-in's which weren't present in the previous films we watched. Chaplin is still amazing but the Circus is just okay. I rate it 3/5
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