The Circus

Oct 9, 2018

3h 48m

★ 6.0

Big tent. Big Dreams.

Overview

Drawing upon a vast and richly visual archive and featuring a host of performers, historians and aficionados, this four-hour mini-series follows the rise and fall of the gigantic, traveling tented railroad circus and brings to life an era when Circus Day would shut down a town and its stars were among the most famous people in the country.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

American Experience Films

The Circus Trailers

Cast

Narrator

Michael Murphy

Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, no novel idea or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The diverse story-telling in Ulrike Ottinger’s film “Prater” transforms this place of sensations into a modern cinema of attractions. The Prater’s history from the beginning to the present is told by its protagonists and those who have documented it, including contemporary cinematic images of the Prater, interviews with carnies, commentary by Austrians and visitors from abroad, film quotes, and photographic and written documentary materials. The meaning of the Prater, its status as a place of technological innovation, and its role as a cultural medium are reflected in texts by Elfriede Jelinek, Josef von Sternberg, Erich Kästner and Elias Canetti, as well as in music devoted to this amusement venue throughout the course of its history.

6.1

Serengeti Shall Not Die

Jun 25, 1959

The film tells of the beginnings of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. At the end of the 1950s, the Tanzanian National Park Administration wanted to fence in the protected area around the Ngorongoro Crater. Bernhard and Michael Grzimek were invited by the national park administration in 1957 to get a precise picture of the animal migrations and to provide the national park administration with the values they needed for their project. Using a new counting method with two airplanes, the Grzimeks found out that the migration of the herds was different than assumed.

7.3

Ashes and Snow

Mar 5, 2005

Ashes and Snow, a film by Gregory Colbert, uses both still and movie cameras to explore extraordinary interactions between humans and animals. The 60-minute feature is a poetic narrative rather than a documentary. It aims to lift the natural and artificial barriers between humans and other species, dissolving the distance that exists between them.

5.4

The Circus: Premiere

Jan 13, 1928

Footage from the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's 1928 film 'The Circus'.

6.0

Cirque du Soleil: The Mystery of Mystère

Jul 1, 2013

Cirque du Soleil presents The Mystery of Mystère, a captivating documentary that explores how arts and science merge together using Mystère, the critically acclaimed Las Vegas show at Treasure Island, as the outlet for this message.

9.0

A Farra do Circo

Nov 30, 2013

This documentary highlights the evolution of Brazil's Circo Voador venue from homespun artists' performance space to national cultural institution.

7.6

Cirque du Soleil: Quidam

Dec 26, 1999

A young girl has already seen everything there is to see and her world has lost all meaning. Her anger shatters her world and she finds herself in the universe of QUIDAM, where she is joined by a playful companion, as well as another mysterious character who attempts to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling and the terrifying.

7.8

Cirque du Soleil: Alegria

Nov 19, 2001

Alegría is a mood, a state of mind. The themes of the show, whose name means "jubilation" in Spanish, are many. Power and the handing down of power over time, the evolution from ancient monarchies to modern democracies, old age, youth - it is against this backdrop that the characters of Alegría play out their lives. Kings' fools, minstrels, beggars, old aristocrats and children make up its universe, along with the clowns, who alone are able to resist the passing of time and the social transformations that accompany it.

7.2

Cirque du Soleil : Saltimbanco

Jan 1, 1997

From the Italian 'saltare in banco' – which literally means 'to jump on a bench' – Saltimbanco explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, it takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart and soul of the modern city.

6.8

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness

Apr 29, 1927

Elephants disrupt the lives of a family deep in the jungles of Northern Siam, and an entire village.

6.8

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

Oct 3, 1997

Errol Morris’s Fast, Cheap & Out of Control interweaves the stories of four men, each driven to create eccentric worlds from their unique obsessions, all of which involve animals. There’s a lion tamer who shares his theories on the mental processes of wild animals; a topiary gardener who has devoted a lifetime to shaping bears and giraffes out of hedges and trees; a man fascinated with hairless mole rats; and an MIT scientist who has designed complex, autonomous robots that can crawl like bugs.

10.0

Escape 360

Jun 20, 2021

One man, one camera, one goal...to capture the essence of adventure. An experimental, often abstract new type of filmmaking process creating color rich visuals combined with a lush soundtrack that grounds the project. A unique cinematic experience.

6.0

24 Hours in the Life of a Clown

Jan 1, 1946

The movie follows the clock round as music hall clown Beby takes off his make up, goes home for a meal, looks at photos and goes to bed to rise, spend a day in the village and perform with his new partner.

9.0

Fly By Night

Dec 8, 2024

Unknown comedians Alex Dolezal and Aidan Fealy attempt to launch the national tour of their absurdist late-night talk show parody but a combination of ADHD and poor choices threaten to derail them before they can even start.

8.2

In the Footsteps of Elephant

Mar 24, 2020

Follow filmmakers as they capture the epic journey of African elephants across the Kalahari desert. The team faces extreme weather, inaccessible terrain, crocodile-infested waters and close encounters with lions in order to shine a light on these remarkable creatures and their ancient migrations.

6.0

Timoteo's Fabulous Ragged Circus

Sep 4, 2014

The comedian Timoteo is the leader of a cross-dresser circus that has toured through Chile for forty years. Today his advanced age and health are reason for concern regarding the continuity of the show.

7.2

Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba

Nov 2, 2004

In the magical world of La Nouba, dreams become reality and talent turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. La Nouba is, literally, a waking dream come true – clowns, ballerinas, trapeze artists, an incredible BMX bicycle act – and much more.

No Image Available

0.0

Une histoire complètement cirque

Sep 16, 2019

No overview available.

8.1

Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story

Apr 22, 2018

Ashley Bell and a team of elephant rescuers led by world renowned Asian elephant conservationist Lek Chailert, embark on a daring 48-hour mission across Thailand to rescue a 70-year old captive blind Asian elephant and bring her to freedom.

7.3

Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net

Nov 13, 2022

As Cirque du Soleil reboots its flagship production, O, more than a year after an abrupt shutdown, performers and crew members face uncertainty as they work to return to their world-class standards in time for the (re)opening night in Las Vegas. With unfettered access, filmmaker Dawn Porter captures the dramatic journey of the world's most famous circus act on its way back from the brink.

The Circus

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

The Circus Trailers