Welcome back for another look at an entry on one of the featured Letterboxd Lists! This time we take a look at a list from one of the greatest to ever do it, Roger Ebert. That’s right, we’re looking at the Roger Ebert’s “Greatest Movies” list, a list that contains every film from Ebert’s essays. While there are 378 different films on that list, we’re only focusing on… The Circus (1928).
Title: The Circus
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Released: January 6, 1928 (United States)
Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes
Available to stream on: The Criterion Channel, HBO MAX, Prime Video
The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) is enjoying his day and finds himself wandering the fairgrounds in search of a snack. Unfortunately for the Tramp, a local pickpocket (Steve Murphy) has slipped a stolen pocketbook into his pocket to avoid being caught by the police.
Completely unaware of what he now possesses, the Tramp continues on about his day. The pickpocket, however, is trying to run down the Tramp so that he can get the pocketbook back. His pursuit leads them both into a funhouse and hall of mirrors where hilarity ensues.
Finally able to shake free, the Tramp winds up stumbling under the big top. To the surprise of the Ring Master (Al Ernest Garcia), the Tramp inadvertently winds up getting a bigger laugh than the clowns. This leads to the Ring Master deciding to give the Tramp a job in the circus.
Almost immediately, the Tramp winds up falling for the Circus Rider, who just so happens to be the Ring Master’s step-daughter (Merna Kennedy). She, on the other hand, has eyes for the tightrope walker (Harry Crocker). If that wasn’t enough of a gut-punch for the Tramp, it turns out that he’s not funny when it counts. Sure, he can be unintentionally funny. But when it comes time for the show, he just isn’t funny when he’s actively trying to be.
Can he keep his job in the circus long enough to win over the Circus Rider?
While I’ve seen numerous clips from Charlie Chaplin films over the years, it turns out that The Circus (1928) is only the sixth Charlie Chaplin film that I’ve seen. Much like with Buster Keaton, I am going to try and expand my knowledge when it comes to Chaplin’s filmography.
The Circus (1928) was an interesting watch.
One the one hand, we see Charlie Chaplin’s knack for slapstick on full display. Whether navigating the hall of mirrors, outperforming the clowns, or realizing he’s now face-to-face with a lion, Chaplin keeps the laughs coming.
On the other hand though, the story itself is rather thin. In fact, at times, it feels as though the story exists only to get us from one pratfall to the next. It isn’t that there are any particularly bad performances, rather that the story isn’t quite fully developed. Because we’re light on plot, you also wind up feeling the runtime despite it clocking in at a mere 72 minutes. A 30-45 minute short film would’ve been the sweet spot here.
Despite how I might feel about the story and the runtime, I still enjoyed my time with The Circus (1928). The physical performance from Charlie Chaplin does a lot of heavy lifting and is ultimately the savior here. While it might not be my favorite Chaplin film, it most certainly is worth at least one viewing.
So, have you seen The Circus (1928)?
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