Keith Ashfield
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 997
From: U.K.
Registered: Dec 2006
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posted May 07, 2007 10:59 AM
Cast - John Wayne as Matt Masters, Claudia Cardinale as Toni Alfredo, Rita Hayworth as Lily Alfredo, Richard Conte as Aldo Alfredo, John Smith as Steve McCabe and Lloyd Nolan as Cap Carson.
This movie was originally filmed using the single lens Cinerama Super Technirama 70 process and is directed by veteran director, Henry Hathaway, who applied his reputation for atmosphere and characterizations to make this more than just another formula movie. Samuel Bronston, producer of epic productions such as "El Cid", "55 Days at Peking" and “The Fall of the Roman Empire” produced "Circus World." It is also known as “The Magnificent Showman”.
The story is set in the early 1900’s and John Wayne plays Matt Masters, who brings his exciting Wild West/Circus show of “three rings under a Big Top”, to tour Europe. When the ship docks, the circus gives an onboard performance. When one of the acrobats goes overboard, the audience rush to the side of the ship and the transfer of weight causes the ship to capsize. The result of this disaster causes Wayne, who is now penniless, to get a job with a rival circus. Along with his friends he then proceeds to gather the best acts from around Europe, with a view to re-starting his own show. On the opening night of his new circus, someone sets fire to the Big Top in an attempt to ruin Wayne. However Wayne and company prevail and "alls well that ends well". There is a “side story” of “intrigue and romance” concerning a love affair between Wayne’s character and Rita Hayworth’s character
The Circus scenes are very well done and the ship disaster and the climatic fire sequences are spectacular. It was in this scene that Wayne nearly lost his life doing his own stunts, when the burning tent collapsed behind him, without his knowledge. The scene is still in the film.
John Wayne first began to explore his ability at comic touches in the early 1960’s and this film has some very likeable comedy elements, although it's more a drama. Hathaway also teamed up with Wayne to make "North to Alaska" which was a true comedy. If you liked "North to Alaska", you'll enjoy this movie. Wayne is middle-aged in this and at his peak, in my opinion. The scene of him performing in the Wild West Show is worth the "price of admission" alone.
Wayne tended to have younger males in his movies, to provide the romantic lead he felt he could no longer portray. The guy in this one is an actor named John Smith (remember him in “Laramie”).
Claudia Cardinale has a great chemistry with Wayne and is totally believable as the daughter of a tragic trapeze family--she is also very funny. Rita Hayworth is Wayne's very believable love interest. She's no longer staggeringly beautiful but definitely still good looking. Lloyd Nolan fulfils the “sidekick” role that is usually played by actor Ben Johnson.
Dimitri Tiomkin's beautifully haunting score lends just the right touch of melancholy often associated the circus, and the Main Theme plays on in your mind, long after the film is over.
With so few of the “Dukes” films on Super 8 in feature length form, this is a must have for any Wayne fan or lover of “good old action with a storyline”.
The Super 8 print is in Scope and the quality is very good indeed.The sound is also very good, doing justice to the Circus scenes.
It was issued by Lone Wolf, who also did the other Bronston epics on Super 8,and distributed by Derann Film Services.
[ May 07, 2007, 01:40 PM: Message edited by: Keith Ashfield ]
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"We'll find 'em in the end, I promise you. We'll find 'em. Just as sure as a turnin' of the earth".
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