The circus

USA, director Charlie Chaplin, starring Charlie Chaplin, Mema Kennedy, Allan Garcia, length 71 minutes.

Hired as a servant at a circus Charlot’s clumsiness makes the public laugh and the audience floods in to watch him. Without meaning to, he soon becomes the show’s number one attraction but while the circus makes money his status and pay stay the same. Finally, a young trapeze artist friend of his, Myrna, tells him the truth and succeeds in getting him a pay rise. Secretly in love with her, Charlot deceives himself – after a palm reading – that he is destined to marry her but the lucky man is actually Rex, the tightrope walker. Now no longer able to make people laugh, and thus at risk of being sacked, Charlot secretly trains as a tightrope walker to emulate Rex and one evening, when Rex is absent, he is called in to replace him. The owner is not happy with his performance and he is sacked. So as not to abandon him Myrna leaves the circus but Charlot generously makes sure that Rex finds and marries her.