The Circus
1928 · Movie · G · 72 min · ★ 7.9 · 94% critics
A wandering tramp stumbles into a traveling circus and quickly becomes a crowd favorite. As he helps around the big top and navigates mishaps with the law, he also develops feelings for the circus owner’s stepdaughter.
Also known as The Traveller
Where to watch
Watch free on Amazon Freevee and Fawesome — also streaming on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, The Criterion Channel +1 more.
1 hour to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1928
- Release date
- 1928-01-06
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 72 min
- Critic score
- 94/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.9/10 (893 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want classic slapstick with a sweet romantic thread and lots of circus misadventures; Not for you if you dislike silent black-and-white comedy like City Lights or Modern Times.
Pros: crowd-pleasing slapstick; heartfelt romance; memorable circus gags | Cons: pacing uneven; silent-era expectations; some dated jokes
Themes
- circus
- one-sided love
- tramp
- unrequited love
- black and white
- silent film
- employer employee relationship
Cast & crew
Charlie Chaplin
as A Tramp
Al Ernest Garcia
as The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master
Merna Kennedy
as The Proprietor's Step-Daughter Merna, a Circus Rider
Harry Crocker
as Rex, a Tight Rope Walker
George Davis
as A Magician
Henry Bergman
as An Old Clown
Tiny Sandford
as The Head Property Man
John Rand
as An Assistant Property Man
Steve Murphy
as A Pickpocket
Albert Austin
as Clown (uncredited)
Directed by Charlie Chaplin