The Big Circus Reviews

A rare film from Irwin Allen in that it doesn't have the huge star cast nor the single, great disaster. But Allen was much younger when this film was made and hadn't perfected his cliches yet. It's a beautifully shot movie about a circus on the brink of failure. Mature is the boss, Price is his ringmaster, Lorre is a top clown. The usual fire, escaped beast, and heavy financial woes all serve to put the circus into deeper trouble. Buttons is a cold banker brought in to examine the workings of the circus before a loan can be granted. In the end, Red is called upon to be a clown and an aerialist. Fleming is a publicity woman and doesn't get too much to do in the film except look redheaded and attractive. Many famous circus acts are featured and almost steal the thunder from the cast--the Human Cannonball (Zacchini), Berg's Seals, Carr's Chimps, Dick Walker's lions, and so on. Roland is excellent as an aerialist who walks Niagara Falls on a wire in order to publicize the circus. The actual crossing was done by Gene Mendez. A nice song by Fain and Webster wasn't the hit everyone expected. After THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH there were very few films that captured the spirit of a circus and did not flag under predictable stories. Happy to say, this is one of the Big Top films that have merit.