Circus film review

Circus film review

The Circus is a 1928 silent film produced, written and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The show follows a hungry Tramp, mistaken for a pickpocket at a circus. While running, Tramp runs into the middle of a fair and becomes an instant hit. He is called back to perform but has a poor performance, which makes the ringmaster upset with him. The ringmaster hires Chaplin due to low income from the Circus. Many acts quit due to poor pay. After being informed he is the star of the show, Tramp demands better payment, and with the increased paycheck, he affords to secure Merna better treatment. Trump becomes excited upon eavesdropping a conversation between a fortune teller and Merna, saying she will marry a dark, handsome man with whom she is near. He rushes out to find a ring only to realize Merna has fallen in love with another man. The news Mdevastate trump, leading him to flop in his performances but is saved by the tight rope act, which he does amidst several challenges when Rex fails to show up. The performance accords him applaud from the audience, but it also becomes a pain when he beats up the ringmaster after seeing him slap Merna. Merna runs and joins him, but Tramp finds Rex and brings them back together. When the circus leaves, Tramp chooses to be left behind and fade in the background to let Rex and his wife shine. The closing scene shows a melancholic tramp walking briskly away.

This essay seeks to explain the use of cinematography and production skills to push a message from one scene. Through proper use of directing, many messages can be presented. A single view is enough to carry the weight of the whole show. The simplicity of camerawork in The Circus is mistaken for poor craftsmanship, yet the mirrors scene is exquisite. This scene sets the discussion for this paper. This mirror maze scene holds the whole plot as it is a defining scene for Chaplin. It links ups hos past and future and shows him as multiple entities in one is a way that leaves the audience open to different interpretations. The cinematography of the scene is one of the best in the film. The lighting focused on creating a mirror image. With the light, the mood of panic coupled with humor shines through the rendering of colors. The particular depth of colors makes the sense iconic.one of the aspects that makes the mirror scene work is the space. The setting of mirrors in a small room evokes a feeling of being confined. That space needed to be small as an indication of how Chaplin was limited to his being. The setting evokes confusion for a person struggling to find themselves in a society that dictates what one ought to be. The space and lighting, coupled with Chaplins’ perfect acting, bring out an identity crisis. The balance between humor and worry is stunning, and we get to see how, when presented with choices, it all boils down to our perceptions. The most exciting concept is the silence. With only a background track, the producers did a tremendous job of grabbing the attention of the audience. The silence makes it easier to concentrate fully on the plot. The music sets the tone while the images tell the story in elaborate coordination of imagery.

The scene depicts the perfectionism designed at finding precisely the right angles to communicate pictorial, emotional, and intellectual values of the shot. It covers more ground on foregrounding characters. The mirror scene made the character come to life. The simplicity of the reflection is a technique that brings out those acting skills. It creates overly cinematic effects. In black and white production, this scene was instrumental drama and suspense. His chaste and static camera angles were confined to the character waiting for the audience to reach out and make contact. In the scene where Tramp finds himself running away from the police, he runs into the hall of mirrors. The scene choreography was so precise with the cross-eyed images in the room that the two men seemed to be running away from each other only to bump into each other head-on. What is fascinating bout the scene is the reflection of Tramp. His hundreds of reflections made it impossible to distinguish between him and the images. But the scene does much more than show creativity. All the reflections on the mirror represent a version of himself. They are fractions of the self, fragmented into hundreds of pieces that make an individual whole. Each representation is a part of him battling a war between a just world and a corrupt one. Tramp must hose which persona to follow. It is a journey of discovering who he truly is and what best he relates to while still embracing the different facets of his life. Tramp needs to understand his limits and what he will never become. He will never become the choice man for Merna. Towards the end of the movie, he chooses himself over anything else. He decides to love himself than settle with Merna, who would never love him as much as he loves her.

He deliberately decides he will not be a machine, which is coincidentally followed by the mechanization scene. Tramp realizes there is nowhere to run to, and he assimilates into the mechanized house in the amusement park. He humorously plays a mechanical object character so different from what he is all about. Tramp’s role was bringing objects into life but would not do the reverse. The feeling of individualism and self-actualization in this scene shows how his reflections impact his choices. The scene cultivates the nature of Tramp’s decision-making process. When Tramp realizes his worth, he demands higher pay. He knows he is good at what he does, and part of him desires greatness. The mirror maze shows how tramps ingenuity makes it impossible for the cops to arrest him. The traveling Circus is an opportunity for Tramp to explore, yet he chooses to remain behind in the Circus. In the mirror maze scene, Tramp goes back even after he escapes the first time. In my opinion, it is foreshadowing how he returns to a place he had once left because he knows his way around the Circus. The familiarity of the maze in and out takes the police to wonder how he got out in the first place. It tells of a future where Chaplin chooses a life he knows to one where he ventures into new things.

Chaplin is no ordinary circus clown. His thought process is quite flattering. He reasons with impeccable speed as he is running away. The though to walk into the maze when resonates with the audience as the cops take turns chasing him. Its three cops against one man, yet he is impossible to arrest. The confusion in the mirrors kills the overbearing nature of law enforcement. Tramp cannot fit into one box of comedy. The reflections portray his many unconventional ways of comedy. He does not stoop to the standards set by society and its occupants. His choice further supports this theory via circus acts and characters. He is not heroic; neither is he a romantically leading man. His love for Merna is not enough as she falls in love with a proverbial tall, dark, and handsome Rex. It does not negate the love he has for her and wants her to be happy even if not with him. In a society that is selfish and driven by lust. Chaplin shows the audience he is different. Charlie is also not as brave as society expects. He is not a lion tamer, yet he tries to perform with one he runs away when it wakes up. But despite being unconventional, a part of him is kind and soft. He throws water on a circus lady who faints while performing, something unusual in a society where men were macho and tough.

There is so much that goes into producing a great movie. The script may be right, but it Is the directing that makes a movie worth watching. Chaplins’ style in The Circus is one boasting of sophistication in simplicity. The simple black and white cinematography make for sound production. The thoughts that went into the mirror maze h[made it one of the most iconic scenes in history. Every stage is essential in production, but some views are the foundation of the plotline. The mirror maze scene was the base of the Circus.