0
0
Rating: 2 out of 5
There comes a time when you watch a movie and wonder, “how in the hell did this film win Best Picture at the Academy Awards?” That is the exact thought I had running through my head while watching, The Greatest Show on Earth. I made the mistake of calling a film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture excellent only to realize that far better films were nominated and should’ve won. The Greatest Show on Earth is one of those films.
Now, the film is about the circus, and we will get into the plot in a second, but many of us have been to the circus. Honestly, I don’t even know if the circus still goes on. When I was a kid, the extremely popular one was the Ringling Bros. Circus. I remember watching people fly through the air, the lions and tigers and bears (oh my). I remember the clowns and popcorn and how I also got lost from my mom and brother. Another story for a different day. Yet, it was fun going to the circus.
Now the film, The Greatest Show on Earth shows or attempts to show what goes on behind the scenes of a circus. All the drama. Yet, it failed tremendously in my eyes because it was just all over the place. The film revolves around certain characters, directed by the great Cecil B. DeMille and set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Brad Braden (Heston) is a strict, play by the rules, no-nonsense manager of the world’s largest railroad circus. Brad’s life revolves around the circus, and he takes it upon himself to make sure it runs smoothly, and everyone is having a great time. The show’s board of directors wants to run a short 10-week season rather than risk losing $25,000 a day in a shaky postwar economy. Brad is like, naw homies, and negotiates to keep the circus on the road as long as it stays in the black, which allows him to keep the 1,400 performers and roustabouts employed. Man just looking out for his crew. Yet, Brad faces some serious problems he must handle on the horizon. One is his girlfriend Holly (Hutton), a trapeze artist who loves him, but her heart is broken when she is replaced from the center stage by the Great Sebastian (Wild), a world-class trapeze artist who is also a womanizer and is known for destroying other circuses. As Brad’s life becomes more complicated, life on the road seems like a pain in the ass.
Okay, let’s get down to why this film is meh and blah. It seems like two stories were trying to infuse with each other. The first story was about how the circus is run. We would get a narrator talking about the circus throughout the film from how it was put up and taken down. We also learned how the animals were kept and every little detail. I found it interesting, but this could’ve been used as a PBS special. A special called “The Circus: How the operations are upheld.” I felt like it wasn’t needed but hey, who am I to talk about using useless film about time about a movie.
Now the second story of the film was the most interesting. You want to talk about DRAMA, the film had it in all ways, shapes, and forms, but the execution was so terribly done that it was laughable. First, everything seemed to revolve around Brad. Since he was the leader, he was the most shown. Well, dude loved the circus, but his girl, Holly, wanted to be a star with her act. When the Great Sebastian stepped on, they had this competition until Holly and Brad broke up, and she made her way to Sebastian. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. Two former lovers of Sebastian work at the circus. One of them is Angel, who performs in the elephant act with the pathologically jealous Klaus. Klaus thinks Angel is all his and abusive. When Klaus gets fired, Angel makes her move on Brad. Angel and Holly begin a catfight. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. We also have Buttons the Clown, who never appears without his makeup. Why, you may ask? Apparently, Buttons is on the run from the law, and it is implied dude killed his wife. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. Harry, a crooked midway concessionaire who works for a gangster named Mr. Henderson, tries to hustle people and ultimately steal from the show until Brad throws Harry out, who looks for vengeance.
As you can see, a ton of drama. Honestly, the whole movie is act after act of the circus. You get an act and then some drama. See another act and see more drama. I will say that the acts are pretty cool and give you a sense of nostalgia for going to the circus. Yet, it will pass like a gas in the wind.
The most exciting and craziest part of the whole movie is when Klaus and Harry team up to rob the circus. They stop one train and rob it but forget about the second train. They are obliterated by it as they try to stop it, and both trails collide and derail.
With this scene, you can completely tell that they used a model train set. One of the ones they use that kids play. It is crazy to look at but laughable because I could do that now with a simple phone. Hey, for that time, it was probably groundbreaking. Honestly, the way this movie was shot looked awful. It seemed like the main characters were supplemented in a scene that used a background of the circus. It just didn’t look like the actors were where they should be. If you watch it, you will understand. It’s hard to say.
As far as the acting goes, the cast does a good job, but sometimes I felt like some went a little overboard. Heston, I’m looking at you. You were serious about everything, and then when the circus managed to do a parade, you went overboard with the acting. Stewart was funny as Buttons the Clown, and if he didn’t speak, you would think he was just another person. Betty Hutton as Holly was beautiful but also seemed overzealous at times. Cornel Wilde played The Great Sebastian as the high-flying womanizer. Gloria Grahame as Angel was beyond beautiful. I could look upon her all day because she was breathtaking.
Overall, the Greatest Show on Earth is not close to being the greatest show on Earth. More like the meh show on Earth with this film. It does have its moment with the behind-the-scenes drama, but this film doesn’t deserve the Best Picture award. Honestly, there is a movie now called the Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman. It’s a musical, but the premise is the same about making the famous circus.
