The Greatest Show on Earth

Tagline : The Heartbeat Story of Circus People, Filmed with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. - Barnum and Bailey Circus!

Runtime : 152 mins

Genre : Drama Romance

Vote Rating : 6.3/10

Budget : 4 million $ USD

Revenue : 36 million $ USD


Reviews for this movie are available below.

Plot : To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.

Cast Members

Disclaimer - This is a news site. All the information listed here is to be found on the web elsewhere. We do not host, upload or link to any video, films, media file, live streams etc. Kodiapps is not responsible for the accuracy, compliance, copyright, legality, decency, or any other aspect of the content streamed to/from your device. We are not connected to or in any other way affiliated with Kodi, Team Kodi, or the XBMC Foundation. We provide no support for third party add-ons installed on your devices, as they do not belong to us. It is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with all your regional legalities and personal access rights regarding any streams to be found on the web. If in doubt, do not use.
DMCA Policy
- Privacy Policy
Kodiapps app v7.0 - Available for Android. You can now add latest scene releases to your collection with Add to Trakt. More features and updates coming to this app real soon.
Tip : Add https://kodiapps.com/rss to your RSS Ticker in System/Appearance/Skin settings to get the very latest Movie & TV Show release info delivered direct to your Kodi Home Screen. Builders are free to use it for their builds too.
You can get all the very release news and updates direct from our Telegram group.
Our Twitter and Facebook pages are no longer supported.

Reviews

***Delivers the goods for what it is — a big traditional circus flick*** Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus hires a popular Casanova trapeze artist, The Great Sabastian (Cornel Wilde), in order to keep their tour schedule full and he wastes no time romancing his rival for the center ring, Holly (Betty Hutton), who’s in love with the solemn manager (Charlton Heston). But, wait, Angel, the elephant babe (Gloria Grahame), is also in love with the boss man! Meanwhile, the resident clown has a secret past (Jimmy Stewart) and Dorothy Lamour is on hand as a performer. A Cecil B. DeMille production, “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) is infamous for winning the Best Picture award above “High Noon” and “The Quiet Man” (and maybe also “Singin’ in the Rain,” which actually wasn’t a huge hit when it was released). I think these critics might be jealous, however, in light of the fact that “The Greatest Show on Earth” was hugely successful with audiences and made 4.5 times as much at the box office compared to “High Noon” and “The Quiet Man.” How much a person appreciates this movie no doubt comes down to whether or not they like the traditional circus and everything that goes with it, but their approval will also rest on if they can appreciate quaint melodrama and the corresponding hammy acting (think “Gone with the Wind”). I was able to acclimate and really enjoyed the picture. There’s constant circus entertainment, of course, but the drama behind the scenes also hooks the viewer, over-the-top though it may be. There’s also an impressive train wreck in the last act. Underneath it all is a welcome warm heart. Of the three women in the main cast, Betty Hutton is the fittest and has the most screen time, but Gloria Grahame is the most alluring, followed by Dorothy Lamour. If you favor circus movies, like the great “Water for Elephants” (2011), you’ll probably appreciate this one, as long as you can adjust to the dated style. The film runs 2 hours, 32 minutes, and was shot in Sarasota, Florida, and Paramount, Hollywood. GRADE: B+/A-

Hyperbole is quite common nowadays with a premium paid for hype and superlatives; but this film really does deserve one such accolade - it is a spectacular feast for the eyes. Set in a travelling circus that appears to employ the population of a small town, we are taken on the frequently bumpy journey of this collection of artistes, misfits and animals as they criss-cross America delighting audiences young and old. It's all headed up by "Brad" (Charlton Heston) who has quite a juggling act of his own trying to keep the profiteers from encroaching on his schedules, his staff from eating each other and to find time for a little romance of his own. On that latter front, we can look to lively efforts from Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame and Cornel Wilde as the modestly monikered "Great Sebastian" as the lives, loves and jealousies of these performers take shape. The photography is great - it takes you back to when a circus was a must-see event for millions presenting artistic feats of airborne gymnastics and all facets of humanity - and the animal kingdom - to a spellbound audience. Oscar winning Cecil B. De Mille and cinematographer George Barnes work well to create a colourful and sumptuous film to look at. Sadly, though, it is a bit of a triumph of style over substance. The dialogue is wordy and actually fairly poor, and neither Heston nor Wilde are at their best as the melodrama gradually supplants the imagery creating a rather dreary love-triangle style romance that I found actually quite dull. It's way too long - the skilful photography can only carry the extravaganza so far before it all just starts to drag and although there are some interesting interventions from real life circus performers, the actors just don't blend in quite so well. Except, that is for the clown - James Stewart - who seems to serve as a sort of benign agony aunt to the troupe, whilst concealing secrets of his own. Of all of the epic cinema produced by De Mille, this is probably his least well remembered - and although the production standards are as high as any trapeze artist could ever hope to get, I still couldn't get the scent of manure out of my mind... It is a film one ought to watch though, a part of the history of an industry that set a standard for many to come, but as a piece of drama it is lucky it has a net.

Similar Movies

Travelling Circus

A small traveling circus from Hanoi arrives at a village struck down by famine, trying to sell magic and dreams.

Viva Maria!

An IRA operative escapes to the Americas and teams up with a circus singer to create a popular vaudeville act. When the singer falls for a rebel, they leave the circus behind to become fierce revolutionaries.

Million Dollar Baby

Despondent over a painful estrangement from his daughter, trainer Frankie Dunn isn't prepared for boxer Maggie Fitzgerald to enter his life. But Maggie's determined to go pro and to convince Dunn and his cohort to help her.

Forrest Gump

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

American Beauty

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.

Gladiator

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Freaks

A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

Wings of Desire

Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds - with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk - that it might be possible for him to take human form.

It Happened One Night

A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them behind.

Midnight Cowboy

Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.

Tom Jones

Tom loves Sophie and Sophie loves Tom. But Tom and Sophie are of differering classes. Can they find a way through the mayhem to be true to love?