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The Circus

Play trailer Poster for The Circus G 1928 1h 12m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Charlie Chaplin paid tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls in this gag-packed comedy, an uproarious high-wire act that ranks among the director-performer's finest work - and the last film he made during the silent era at the peak of his comic powers. After being mistaken for a pickpocket, Chaplin's Tramp flees into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show, falling for the troupe's bareback rider along the way.
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The Circus

Critics Reviews

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SMH Staff Sydney Morning Herald 04/02/2019
[Charles Chaplin] does not seem satisfied with the hearty laughs that used to greet him, but seeks to embroider his farce with touches of pathos that make one uncomfortable with their incongruity. Go to Full Review Andrew O'Hehir Salon.com 07/14/2010
It's a brilliant combination of light and darkness, tenderness and violence and, yes, laughter and tears. Go to Full Review Keith Uhlich Time Out 07/14/2010
5/5
There's an edge to The Circus that suggests a man gazing deep into the void, laughing at the darkness and urging us to do the same. Go to Full Review Robert E. Sherwood LIFE 10/04/2021
Suffice it that Charlie has gone back to the elementary principles of custard pie comedy, and has proved that it is in this simplified, unpretentious form that his genius is most thoroughly at home. Go to Full Review D. Winter Hall New Zealand Herald 02/10/2021
The story is slender, but Chaplin is unequalled in dropping on unique situations that are laugh provoking to an extreme. Go to Full Review Shadow Stage Photoplay 01/05/2021
Charlie Chaplin turns circus performer in a story which teems with spontaneous humor and yet maintains the plaintive heart interest we have learned to expect from Chaplin. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Cristopher S @cris_sanchez 2d Hasta ahora, una de mis películas favoritas de Chaplin. Me sorprende muchísimo que una comedia de 1928 pueda hacerme reír de esta manera casi cien años después. La escena de la cuerda floja es espectacular y probablemente uno de los momentos más graciosos que he visto de Charlot. También me impresionó enormemente el control corporal de Chaplin: la precisión de sus movimientos y su capacidad para transformar cualquier situación en comedia son increíbles. Además, me gustó que esta vez rompiera el patrón romántico que había identificado en sus películas: Charlot entiende que la mujer que ama es feliz con Rex y decide priorizar la felicidad de ella por sobre la suya. Divertidísima, entrañable y con un final agridulce que me encantó. Para mí, un 10+. See more To F @Frannko Nov 9 Es la primera película que veo de Charles Chaplin y es maravillosa. Que gran sorpresa que el cine mudo pudiera expresar tanto. Me la pase a carcajadas! See more Marce S @RT24248553 Sep 13 Lovely take on a classic story. See more Jace T @CineChamber 08/21/2025 This movie is honestly cute, wholesome, and charming. Charlie Chaplin is excellent with his body language and mannerisms. I feel like this movie could have been an 8/10, but the end of the story kind of ruined it for me personally. The humor is pretty constant throughout, which is still pretty amazing even to this day. See more William B @RT83652365 11/22/2024 One of the best Chapln's comedies. See more Alec B @Alec97 12/14/2023 Overall, it's a relatively minor work from Chaplin, but the slapstick is top notch. It works as pure zany energy. See more Read all reviews
The Circus

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Cast & Crew

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Charlie Chaplin

Director

Charlie Chaplin

A Tramp

Merna Kennedy

Stepdaughter

Al Ernest Garcia

The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master

Harry Crocker

Rex, a Tightrope Walker

Stanley Sanford

The Head Property Man

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The Circus

Charlie Chaplin stars as a tramp who falls in love with a circus owner's acrobatic daughter. Charlie Chaplin stars as a tramp who falls in love with a circus owner's acrobatic daughter. Charlie Chaplin stars as a tramp who falls in love with Myrna Kennedy, a circus owner's acrobatic daughter. The Circus (1928) The Circus (1928) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Charlie Chaplin paid tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls in this gag-packed comedy, an uproarious high-wire act that ranks among the director-performer's finest work - and the last film he made during the silent era at the peak of his comic powers. After being mistaken for a pickpocket, Chaplin's Tramp flees into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show, falling for the troupe's bareback rider along the way.
Director
Charlie Chaplin
Producer
Charlie Chaplin
Screenwriter
Charlie Chaplin
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Charles Chaplin Productions
Rating
G
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 6, 1928, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 12m
Aspect Ratio
Academy (1.33:1)
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