THE CIRCUS would be Charlie Chaplin’s follow up to epic GOLD RUSH and is decidedly non epic. Released two and a half years after its predecessor, this was in an era where Chaplin’s main competition, mainly Keaton, Lloyd and Langdon; were releasing at least one feature a year and in a lot of cases, more. Of Chaplin’s classic feature run, THE CIRCUS is the least discussed, the least analyzed. When it does get discussed, it is usually liked, but THE CIRCUS remains Chaplin’s underdog silent feature. Chaplin himself didn’t even mention it in his autobiography due to several personal struggles he was going through during production. THE CIRCUS is a funny, to the point seventy one minute film that always entertains and shows a bit of self reflection as well as a few nods to his past.
The comedy itself is fine. In fact, the whole pickpocket scene at the beginning, which evolves into a major police chase is one of my favorite Chaplin sequences ever. The build up of Chaplin being framed by the actual pickpocket and then the pickpocket himself being caught by the police is very clever. It eventually leads into the wonderful hall of mirror sequence which is a visual treat that causes a lot of confusion between the characters. My favorite bit, though, is when Chaplin and the pickpocket pretend to be among the mechanical men outside the fun house so they can evade the police. Chaplin’s movements and laughter as he hits the pickpocket with a club like it’s a part of the scenery are beyond any words I can conjure - let’s just say it’s probably a top three Chaplin moment as far as pure laughter goes.
The ending sequence of Chaplin using the harness to do the high wire act in and of itself is quite funny as long as you don’t compare it to similar thrill sequences to Harold Lloyd, which are more realistic. Then again, perhaps I’m being unfair as it’s the lack of realism that is the joke. I mean, Chaplin is balancing himself on a high wire with a bar while his feet are where his head is supposed to be screams intentionally fake. That part was quite funny as is the stream of monkeys joining Chaplin on the high wire - coincidentally the moment his harness gets loose!
Like mentioned earlier. Chaplin was going through personal problems during the filming of THE CIRCUS, namely a divorce, the declining health of his mother and a studio fire. Interesting that one of the themes of the film is he can be funny for the audience when things are fine, yet the second he fears competition for Merna, his love interest, his performance declines. Whether this was a conscious way of Chaplin saying it’s hard to be funny when the world is falling apart or pure coincidence I don’t know.
There does seem to be a bit of nostalgia and nods to the past as well. When Chaplin is trying out to be a funny man at the circus, he is doing shaving cream to the face gags that feel like they’d be at home when he was at Keystone. Great way to throw in some old school Chaplin while at the same time, making it believable to the plot. Heck, he even does his funny walk in the tryout and props his crouched self up with a cane like in the old days. As an in joke, the circus boss declares that bit unfunny. Chaplin trying to be a high wire guy like his rival is a similar plot device Chaplin used in his Mutual short, THE VAGABOND, though explored much deeper here. The wonderful bit where Chaplin is in the cage with the lion was done previously by Chaplin’s recently deceased main film influence, Max Linder, in SEVEN YEARS BAD LUCK. So yes, bits of nostalgia for sure, but it’s mostly subtle. An idea that would be explored way more decades later in LIMELIGHT.
Merna Kennedy is Chaplin’s leading lady this time and she is wonderful. She especially does a good job in the indigestion scene earlier in the film, being able to match Chaplin well as far as pantomime laughs. The whole romantic plot is interesting here because (spoiler alert) Chaplin could have had the girl in the end but sacrificed her to the high wire guy because he thought she’d have a better life with the high wire guy than himself. The self sacrifice here is astounding and I am still conflicted on how to feel about it, more a reflection on me than the film itself. Hey, great art can bring out these inner conflicts. Anyway, he arranges their marriage, makes sure she’s safe with her new husband and she no longer has to put up with her father’s abuse, and then he sneaks off away from it all, leading into a classic silhouetted Chaplin shot walking down a dirt road to end the film.
So yes, a mere 71 minutes, most of it in a circus setting, hardly discussed by Chaplin standards compared to other films of his, but to me THE CIRCUS has a lot going for it and is just as entertaining and thoughtful as his other major works. Check out the link above, enjoy and comment away.
