Romancefest 2021: The Circus

Written and Directed by Charlie Chaplin

Starring Charlie Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy and Henry Bergman

USA, 1928

You always know you're in for a good time when it's time for a Charlie Chaplin film, and although this one is not as well regarded as major groundbreaking classics like CITY LIGHTS and MODERN TIMES, it was still great.

Chaplin's familiar Tramp character falls in with a circus and through a series of mishaps and coincidences becomes the comedic star of the show. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize he's the main draw, so the guys who run the circus underpay him and take advantage of him. In the mean time, the Tramp falls for a girl in the circus who has a horse-riding act, and attempts to protect her as she is mistreated by the ringmaster, her stepfather.

Throughout the film there are many comedic set pieces, one more spectacular than the last, culminating in a scene where the Tramp attempts to walk the tightrope and everything you can imagine goes wrong. Just when you think Chaplin can't top himself, he always does. How'd he come up with this stuff?

Eventually there's a love triangle between the Tramp, his crush and the handsome tightrope walker, and this leads to the Tramp making an ultimately selfless sacrifice in a bittersweet and somewhat unexpected ending that elevates the previous material with a beautiful and iconic final shot. This injection of heart is the unique thing Chaplin had as compared to some of his contemporaries. Some might call it schmaltzy, but I like it.