Independent Films, Film Profiles

The Circus (film)

The Circus is a 1928 silent film which finds Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp character being chased by a police officer at a circus. The ringmaster thinks his antics are hysterical, and hires him, but finds that The Tramp can't be funny on purpose, so the ringmaster makes him a janitor who always happens to be in the ring when things start happening. It stars Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis and Henry Bergman.The movie was written by Chaplin and Joseph Plunkett (prologue, uncredited) and directed by Chaplin. It became the 7th highest grossing silent film in cinema history taking in more than $3.8 million dollars in 1928.The production of the film was the most difficult experience in Chaplin's career. Numerous problems and delays occurred (including a studio fire), and the filming was interrupted for almost a year by both Chaplin's bitter divorce from his second wife Lita Grey and claims of back taxes by the Internal Revenue Service.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the short-lived Academy Award for Best Director of a Comedy Picture (both for Charlie Chaplin), but the Academy took Chaplin out of the running for competitive awards by giving him a Special Award "For versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus," and no longer lists his nominations for Best Actor or Comedy Direction in their official list of nominees, although most unofficial lists of nominations do include him.In 1970, Chaplin reissued the film with a new musical score.