| Company: |
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United Artists |
| Year: |
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1928 |
| Genre: |
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Comedy |
| Runtime: |
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71 min. |
| Country: |
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USA |
| Language: |
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English |
| Color: |
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Black & White |
| Sound Mix: |
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Silent |
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Technical Specifications
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CYRK
The Circus
 |
| Directed by: |
|
Charles Chaplin |
| Writing credits: |
|
Charles Chaplin |
| Produced by: |
|
Charles Chaplin |
| Original Music: |
|
Charles Chaplin |
| Film Editing by: |
|
Charles Chaplin |
| Cinematography: |
|
Roland Totheroh |
| Camera Operator: |
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Jack Wilson Mark Marlatt |
| Second Unit Director or Assistant Director: |
|
Harry Crocker |
| Art Direction: |
|
Charles D. Hall |
| Unit Publicist: |
|
Harry Crocker |
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more: photo gallery |
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 |
Cast overview:
|
| Charles Chaplin |
.... |
A Tramp |
| Al Ernest Garcia |
.... |
The Circus Propietor and Ring Master |
| Merna Kennedy |
.... |
His Step-daughter, A Circus Rider |
| Harry Crocker |
.... |
Rex, A Tight Rope Walker/Disgruntled Property Man/Clown |
| George Davis |
.... |
A Magician |
| Henry Bergman |
.... |
An Old Clown |
| Tiny Sandford |
.... |
The Head Property Man |
| John Rand |
.... |
An Assistant Property Man/Clown |
| Steve Murphy |
.... |
A Pickpocket |
| Doc Stone |
.... |
Twin Prizefighters |
| Albert Austin |
.... |
Clown |
| Charles A. Bachman |
.... |
Cop |
| Eugene Barry |
.... |
Cop |
| Jack Bernard |
.... |
Man in circus audience |
| Stanley Blystone |
.... |
Cop |
| Heinie Conklin |
.... |
Clown |
| Bill Knight |
.... |
Cop |
| Toraichi Kono |
.... |
Man in circus audience |
| H.L. Kyle |
.... |
Man in circus audience |
| Betty Morrissey |
.... |
The Vanishing Lady |
Trivia:
Premiere included live stage prologue written by Joseph Plunkett.
Final Charles Chaplin film of the silent era. He would make two more "silent" films, bucking the trend towards sound, however both City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) would nonetheless include significant compromises to incorporate sound.
Chaplin's studio burnt down during production. This, combined with a number of major personal issues that arose during production, led to Chaplin's nervous breakdown (he spent time recovering in New York after about two-thirds of the film had been shot).
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 re-shot, and the footage included in the film was not as good as that which had been lost, in Chaplin's estimation.
In the 1969 re-issue, the 80-year-old Chaplin sang the title song.
Because of the problems with the film, not the film itself, Chaplin did not mention it once in his autobiography. But, five years after his autobiography was released, Chaplin re-issued it for the first time in forty-one years.
Is the only of Charles Chaplin's feature films not to be mentioned in his autobiography.
Synopsis:
When we first meet Chaplin's Tramp in this comic gem, he's in typical straits: broke, hungry, destined to fall in love and just as sure to lose the girl. Mistaken for a pickpocket and pursued by a peace officer into a circus tent, the Tramp becomes a star when delighted patrons think his escape from John Law is an act. Classic highlights include a frenetic fun-house sequence, the Tramp turning a magic skit into mayhem and his teetering tightrope walk while monkeys cling to his head. This is comedy without a net!
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