Sawdust and Tinsel
1953 · Movie · 93 min · ★ 7.3 · 95% critics
A struggling traveling circus arrives in a small town, stirring up old wounds and new temptations. As a ringmaster tries to reconnect with his estranged family, jealousy and betrayal spread through the troupe, building toward a tense night under the big top.
Also known as The Naked Night
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Streaming on HBO Max.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Gycklarnas afton
- Years
- 1953
- Release date
- 1953-09-14
- Language
- Swedish
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (159 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a dark, emotionally raw circus drama about humiliation and fractured relationships, with a bleak tone throughout; Not for you if you dislike melodrama or animal cruelty, even mostly off-screen, or prefer Summer with Monika.
Pros: bleak, gripping mood; striking opening prologue; memorable clown moments | Cons: heavy melodrama; uneven pacing; upsetting animal violence
Themes
- infidelity
- forgiveness
- unfaithful girlfriend
- traveling circus
- public humiliation
Cast & crew
Åke Grönberg
as Albert Johansson
Harriet Andersson
as Anne
Hasse Ekman
as Frans
Anders Ek
as Frost
Gudrun Brost
as Alma
Annika Tretow
as Agda
Erik Strandmark
as Jens
Gunnar Björnstrand
as Mr. Sjuberg
Curt Löwgren
as Blom
- KI
Kiki
as The Dwarf
Directed by Ingmar Bergman