The Greatest Show on Earth (Cecil B. DeMille, 1952): USA

Reviewed by Collier Grimm. Viewed on DVD.

“We bring you the circus, pied piper whose magic tunes greet children of all ages, from six to sixty, into a tinsel and spun-candy world of reckless beauty and mounting laughter and whirling thrills; of rhythm, excitement and grace; of blaring and daring and dance; of high-stepping horses and high-flying stars. But behind all this, the circus is a massive machine whose very life depends on discipline and motion and speed. A mechanized army on wheels, that rolls over any obstacle in its path, that meets calamity again and again, but always comes up smiling. A place where disaster and tragedy stalk the big top, haunt the backyard, and ride the circus train. Where death is constantly watching for one frayed rope, one weak link, or one trace of fear. A fierce, primitive fighting force that smashes relentlessly forward against impossible odds. That is the circus. And this is the story of the biggest of the big tops, and of the men and women who fight to make it The Greatest Show on Earth.”

Cecile B. DeMille’s voice-over narrative opens the film and automatically transports the viewer to another time, place, and into the world of the circus performer. We instantly become part of the big top family as DeMille takes the audience on a journey along the circus route, and presents a behind-the-rings look at the grandeur of one of America’s favorite pastimes. DeMille, who directed, produced, and narrated the film, takes on a documentary-like style of filming, glittering the film with actual circus acts and famous circus performers like Emmet Kelly, John Ringling North, and Cucciola. DeMille has masterfully combined lavish production value with the real life look and feel of the circus to create a fantastically entertaining picture unlike anything you’ve seen before.

The Greatest Show on Earth boasts a troupe full of Hollywood favorites including: Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Dorthy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, and Jimmy Stewart who plays the entire film in clown face. There are also a numbered of unbilled cameo appearances, mostly in the circus audience, and playing spot-the-celebrity become part of the films charm. During my favorite scene, DeMille’s camera pans across the audience that lines the circus tent, while Lamour is performing a musical number in the center ring. Suddenly, a wide-eyed Bing Crosby and Bob Hope appear in the crowd, DeMille’s subtle homage to Lamour and her co-stars from the Road to…movies.

It is post- WWII, the economy is bad, and the circus heads are planning to cut the season short, putting 1400 people out of work–an idea that is once again relevant and enjoyable for modern audiences. The underlying theme of the film reveals sentiments of the ‘50s that relate to a modern feeling of national insecurity. Brad (Heston) bargains to keep the show running as long as they keep making a profit. However, several problems unfold making Brad’s effort to boost profit almost impossible. In an attempt to draw a bigger crowd, Brad hires The Great Sebastian (Wilde), who immediately creates discord between the women, and eventually challenges Holly (Hutton), to a fated duel in the air.

Buttons (Stewart), also lends to the romanticism and mystery of the big top. Buttons, who is never without makeup, accidentally reveals his medical expertise a number of times throughout the film by attending to injured performers. Holly eventually discovers Button’s hidden identity, but will his secret be safe under face paint and the circus tent?

There is a fantastic train crash, with incredible special features for the time- the lions get loose, the acrobatic stars get injured, and in an ironic turn of events Brad has to swap blood with his rival The Great Sebastian. There is so much damage done to the equipment and cast members that it seems as though they’ll have to give up and fold the show. The spirit of the performers is all that remains. The Greatest Show on Earth has been considered one of the worst films to receive an academy award, but I wouldn’t be a classic film fanatic without it. It was introduced to me as a youngster, and since then I’ve seen it hundreds of times. The stars, the costumes, the romance, the high-wire suspense; it’s like the circus but a whole lot better.

“That’s all, ladies and gentlemen, that’s all. Come again to the greatest show on earth. Bring the children. Bring the old folks. You can shake the sawdust off your feet, but you can’t shake it outta your heart. Come again, folks. The Greatest Show on Earth. Come again.”