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The Circus

1928

Romance

Comedy

1h 12m

The Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus. (imdb)

Directed by:

Charles Chaplin

Written by:

Charles Chaplin

Starring:

Charles Chaplin

Henry Bergman Tiny Sandford Al Ernest Garcia Merna Kennedy Harry Crocker George Davis

Genres:

Romance, Comedy, Drama, Family/Kids

Country:

USA

Languages:

English, None

More information at IMDb

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The Circus

1928

Romance

Comedy

1h 12m

Your probable score

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Avg Percentile 73.27% from 1059 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

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Icarus

Rated 23 Oct 2007

In terms of pure laughs, this is for my money Chaplin's funniest feature. The police chase, the fun house, the clown tryout, the tightrope, and that fabulous donkey. Chaplin works the rhythm of the film beautifully in terms of its comic timing. The film's underlying current of concern for women and the self-sacrifice of the Tramp combine for a wonderfully affecting conclusion--one that blends tragedy with comedy in the final walk of the Tramp.

Rated 23 Oct 2007

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TimeCapsule

Rated 09 Mar 2019

Charming Chaplin feature with some great gags and an a quaint little story. The titular circus proves to be a fantastic setting for Chaplin's classic comedy, despite the notable lack of side show freaks.

Rated 09 Mar 2019

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MartinTeller

Rated 29 Mar 2008

The gags come quickly and generously, and for the most part, they're really good gags. The tightrope stuff is amazing, and the hall of mirrors sequence is wonderful too. The circus is the ideal setting for Chaplin. Also, I find the Tramp to be a bit more sympathetic here than in most of the other films. I haven't enjoyed any other Chaplin film as much as this one.

Rated 29 Mar 2008

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BillyShears

Rated 24 Apr 2017

Chaplin puts a monkey's tail into his mouth and doesn't gag, yep he was into some wild stuff.

Rated 24 Apr 2017

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KasperL

Rated 21 Aug 2018

Charming and amusing.

Rated 21 Aug 2018

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ratedargh

Rated 19 Apr 2014

One of Chaplin's funniest top to bottom. It has some interesting things to say about success in show business, especially at the expense of producers/promoters. The mule stole the show. It was a great gag that constantly paid off. And while the emotional payoff isn't as pronounced as in The Kid or City Lights or others, when you're rattling bits as consistently funny as this, that's not that big of a drawback.

Rated 19 Apr 2014

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ribcage

Rated 16 Aug 2014

gags build up really well, and are strung together very nicely. felt it dragged a bit just before the ending.

Rated 16 Aug 2014

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Nepeta

Rated 22 Mar 2013

Charming and focusing almost entirely on the comedy. And to top it all off the comedy is actually really darn funny. Great stuff.

Rated 22 Mar 2013

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sebby

Rated 05 Dec 2012

No one seems to mention The Circus when talking about Chaplin. What the fuck is up with that? This movie's funny as hell.

Rated 05 Dec 2012

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Kowry

Rated 04 Sep 2012

Moderately entertaining throughout, but I prefer Chaplin when the humor is balanced with some drama - in this film only the pretty good ending has some depth to it. Plus for the cute animals.

Rated 04 Sep 2012

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frankswild

Rated 15 May 2012

Aside from this being funnier than the other Chaplin movies I have seen, I also appreciated that it was a little more melancholy and a little less outwardly hopeful. The monkey attack was a particularly strange moment when you consider the fact that the monkeys are publicly undressing him, biting him, forcing themselves into his mouth, and trying to kill him.

Rated 15 May 2012

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Kadrian

Rated 08 Mar 2012

How well Chaplin can communicate with his audiance despite a lack of words is best summed up by his flexing finger indicating a worm in the apple. This is my first time seeing most of Chaplin's films. This is the first one I've seen where he didn't win the girl, but gave her up to a better life with someone else. Well done!

Rated 08 Mar 2012

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Luna6ix

Rated 28 Jan 2012

"The Cicrus" has some great gags, but ultimately it suffers from the fact that Chaplin put basically zero planning into it before starting. I, for one, really appreciated the song at the beginning sung by Chaplin himself, but as a whole this could have been a lot better.

Rated 28 Jan 2012

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Alex Watkins

Rated 08 Oct 2011

Might be the funniest Chaplin I've seen, if nothing else. It's nonstop physical comedy, most if not all of which is fantastic (the only real "lull" coming during Chaplin's audition), and at only 68 minutes it's lean as hell too, with nary an extraneous moment. And how about Chaplin's pantomime skills when he pretends to be animatronic to hide from the police? Seriously impressive.

Rated 08 Oct 2011

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Bojangles

Rated 14 Sep 2011

I can do nothing for her.

Rated 14 Sep 2011

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MacSwell

Rated 14 Feb 2016

Chaplin performs some of the most impressive physical comedy of his career here, so despite a couple of overlong routines, most of the slapstick is tremendous. Two highlights include the Tramp's stunning high-wire sequence and his accidental entrapment in a lion cage, yet somehow it's still the touching, bittersweet ending that prevails as the film's finest moment.

Rated 14 Feb 2016

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PeaceAnarchy

Rated 16 May 2008

Maybe not the most masterful Chaplin, but certainly one of his funniest. This is the best example I've seen of Chaplin doing pure comedy and it works really well, with some gags lasting minutes without loosing steam.

Rated 16 May 2008

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nobamba

Rated 16 Feb 2020

Watched w/'60s score. Wasn't too attached to this movie. Probably too many gags have been copied since then. Not enough emotion for me compared to his other films. Fav scene: mirror house.

Rated 16 Feb 2020

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graveyardtan

Rated 30 Sep 2009

Chaplin is firing on all cylinders here. Plus Monkeys!

Rated 30 Sep 2009

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joseywales

Rated 11 Jun 2008

Charming and funny, but I didn't feel a connection between Charlie and any of the other characters. The running gag with the angry mule had me laughing every time.

Rated 11 Jun 2008

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anilscn

Rated 13 Jul 2019

They had to act more artful than Recep İvedik 5. But they didn't.

Rated 13 Jul 2019

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closedmouth

Rated 21 Sep 2020

The Tramp on the tightrope had me in hysterics.

Rated 21 Sep 2020

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DawdlingPoet

Rated 09 May 2024

I really liked this Chaplin film - its definitely one of my favourites. I liked the music, the 'pomp' of it and the various situations the tramp found himself in. Its quirky and fun, the usual slapstick comedy, with a rousing soundtrack, as mentioned. Its a nice film with a lot of heart. Recommended.

Rated 09 May 2024

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SirStuckey

Rated 12 Jul 2014

I would say this is probably Chaplin's most underrated feature length film. No one talks much about it but I got quite a few laughs from it.

Rated 12 Jul 2014

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Ceekay19

Rated 30 Mar 2024

The Circus Proprietor: "Go ahead and be funny."

Rated 30 Mar 2024

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SHOCKULAR

Rated 08 Jan 2023

Great Chaplin film. While I think Keaton's movies are generally funnier and more spectacular, but Chaplin's movies always have a certain pathos that Keaton's movies don't quite capture. They're both great in their own right and both so multi-talented, but I think Chaplin generally made more complete films, if that makes sense. The ending here is especially impactful and perfect. The best sight gag is the throwaway joke of absentmindedly taking the fish out of the tank to dry them.

Rated 08 Jan 2023

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doyler29

Rated 13 Dec 2021

This film seems to be consistently relegated to second tier status in Chaplin's filmography. In a sense this seems fair since it suffers in comparison to the epic "The Gold Rush" and the more serious films that followed it ... "City Lights" and "Modern Times". However, this is really his best pure comedy.

Rated 13 Dec 2021

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Lonewolf2003

Rated 10 Sep 2021

Chaplin's best to me (so far). Firstly it's the one I laughed out loud the most and hardest. The first chase scene that gets him the job in the circus is great and Chaplin messing up the various clown routine acts during his audition is hilarious. Secondly the bond between the girl and Chaplin develops more natural and not instantly, plus I loved how this romance plot doesn't go the usual route but actually ends with Chaplin sacrificing his happiness for hers.

Rated 10 Sep 2021

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Yiannos

Rated 03 Sep 2014

(rewatched 5/10/19):It is easy to dismiss offhand because it plays like an extension of Chaplin's Keystone shorts, and therefore lacks the depth of his greatest films. On the other hand, it's an extremely well made piece of slapstick fluff, and there is none of the sermonising that sometimes detracts from the quality of his more acclaimed works. It features some of his best set pieces, such as a brilliantly choreographed chase through a room of mirrors and the final tightrope walk with monkeys.

Rated 03 Sep 2014

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matthagen

Rated 29 Sep 2020

Seen: 2. It's a breezy romp, with some great bits, especially the tight rope sequence toward the end.

Rated 29 Sep 2020

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hotsake

Rated 19 Jan 2016

Try as I might I just can't seem to get into Charlie Chaplin films. The physical comedy is funny most of the time, but the drama fails miserably. Had this been a 30 minute short instead of a 70 minute feature I would most likely have rated it much higher.

Rated 19 Jan 2016

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jpotII

Rated 14 Mar 2020

Gêmeos

Rated 14 Mar 2020

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bof

Rated 14 Feb 2016

Not nearly as imaginative and inventive as The Gold Rush, but also - thanks in part to Chaplin not ruining it with a voice-over - a more successful straight-up comedy, and with a better ending to boot.

Rated 14 Feb 2016

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TrixRabbi

Rated 23 Apr 2016

The final shots are so good I think the blood rushed to my head and knocked me out. I woke up an hour later in a sweat in a part of town I had never been. A sign saying "Circus - Next Week" stood above me. In my fugue state, I knew.

Rated 23 Apr 2016

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Heliophage

Rated 24 Oct 2019

After a prolonged production famously beset with delays, re-shoots, and set losses, The Circus turns out as a solid and quick feature without nearly the pretense or extravagance of Chaplin's last few. With a packed array of comic business and set pieces, it plays more like his better short material writ large, which isn't a bad thing at all. It was supposedly conceived around the big tightrope business with the monkeys, which does stand out, though I'm also partial to the fun house sequence.

Rated 24 Oct 2019

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gwulin

Rated 29 Aug 2012

Just too sentimental .. I can't stand it.

Rated 29 Aug 2012

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napolenbrady

Rated 20 Feb 2019

90.50

Rated 20 Feb 2019

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Dorkovsky

Rated 08 Sep 2010

Not Chaplin's best, (I like Great Dictator and City Lights more, but for different reasons) but it has got to be his funniest.

Rated 08 Sep 2010

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theyshoot07

Rated 01 Mar 2008

# 455

Rated 01 Mar 2008

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Wiche

Rated 29 Mar 2008

Charming to see. After a while you really start loving it, the old slapstick humour and the no-conversation conversations. Really nice!

Rated 29 Mar 2008

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Jeb

Rated 29 Aug 2008

Underrated classic from Chaplin!

Rated 29 Aug 2008

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tathiel

Rated 02 Oct 2008

A typical tramp movie: funny, charming, entertaining. Simply good.

Rated 02 Oct 2008

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theyshoot08

Rated 19 Dec 2008

474

Rated 19 Dec 2008

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NathanDarko

Rated 10 Jan 2009

Maybe the greatest comedian of all times.Chaplin always make me laugh.

Rated 10 Jan 2009

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Monster

Rated 25 Jan 2009

Chaplin brinca com o circo através do cinema, ou seria o contrário? Enfim, esse é o trabalho mais leve e despretencioso dele, mas existem cenas dignas de figurar entre as melhores de toda a história do cinema, afinal esse é o grande circo de Chaplin.

Rated 25 Jan 2009

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Duder

Rated 12 Sep 2009

Another classic. The best part was the ending i think.. I guess the hardships he had during the time led to the ending, which isn't a normal ending for a Chaplin movie..

Rated 12 Sep 2009

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theyshoot10

Rated 15 Jan 2010

537

Rated 15 Jan 2010

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Stain

Rated 18 Jun 2010

Not bad, but Chaplin has not aged well at all

Rated 18 Jun 2010

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PetrosTser

Rated 27 Jul 2010

"The Circus" displays the endless inventiveness of one of the finest comedians in the history of cinema. Filled with laugh-out-loud visual gags, touching sensitivity and technical prowess, this is a sadly underrated film that combines slapstick and sentiment perfectly. Just wonderful.

Rated 27 Jul 2010

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snallygaster

Rated 25 Apr 2014

Hilarious and probably underrated among Chaplin's work. This might be Chaplin's most impressive display of physical comedy. Those who normally prefer Keaton should enjoy this too. Also contains possibly the only "house of mirrors" scenes in cinema that is actually as visually disorienting as it's intended to be.

Rated 25 Apr 2014

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Roberta

Rated 19 Sep 2010

An homenage to Art. The ability to improvise. Very funny and moving.

Rated 19 Sep 2010

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SlantMag

Rated 20 Nov 2010

"The Circus may be the film that most definitively silences critics who claim that Charlie Chaplin's movies aren't cinematic." - Christian Blauvelt

Rated 20 Nov 2010

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Antares

Rated 30 Mar 2011

Of all of Chaplin's full silent features, this is my favorite. The gags in this film show Chaplin at the height of his comedic talent. After The Circus, Chaplin would embark on social commentary in his films and while two masterpieces would follow, the tone of those films would become much more serious.

Rated 30 Mar 2011

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Derekstar

Rated 14 Aug 2011

Wait a second, he didn't get the girl? I'm surprised. This is the second Chaplin film I've seen. Again, totally charmed. There seems to be the exact right mix of sentimentality, romance, and comedy. I haven't even got to his greats yet, like City Lights and Modern Times. The Gold Rush almost made me cry though, and I'm sure that one of these upcoming movies will finish the job. I fully expect to discover one of my new favourite films during this little Charlie Chaplin marathon I'm having.

Rated 14 Aug 2011

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