Review of The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) by Stuart K — 05 Aug 2013

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, who was best known for historical epics like The Sign of the Cross (1932), Cleopatra (1934) and Samson and Delilah (1948). Here, he wanted to do something a little bit more contemporary, and chose to do this film about the thrill and spectacles of the circus.

DeMille wanted to combine real life circus sets with behind the scenes footage of how they move about and work to make a big screen spectacular. Set in the bustling world of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus, it follows the lives of the circus performers and those who make the show work behind the scenes.

Including Brad Braden (Charlton Heston), who is told that in the post-war economy, the circus has to do a short 10 week season, or risk losing $25,000 a day, but Brad assures the board of directors it will be a success.

There's romance between trapeze artists Holly (Betty Hutton) and The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), whose rivalry soon blossoms into a romance, but Brad has eyes for Holly too. Then there's Buttons the Clown (James Stewart), who has a shady private background he's trying to keep secret.

It is spectacular to look at, and the circus sequences are brilliantly staged, but it probably didn't deserved the 1952 Best Picture Oscar over Singin' In The Rain or High Noon, but it manages to be an entertaining film, worth it for the train crash though.