Overview
A comedic tale of love and chaos unfolds under the big top, where laughter and romance collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- tender
- wistful
- classic cinema night
- family film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as one of Chaplin's finest comedies, praising its originality and inventive physical humor while noting occasional overlong or uneven passages.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Tramp's accidental circus performances turn police chases, stage accidents, and backstage confusion into elaborate comic set pieces.
The circus owner discovers that the Tramp is hilarious only when he is unaware that he is performing.
The proprietor hires the Tramp as a janitor and covertly positions him in the big top to exploit his accidental popularity.
The narrative moves through the big top, backstage spaces, circus labor, and performance routines.
Films like The Circus, and why
the gold rush
shares silent-era physical comedy, a lovable outsider protagonist, and bittersweet romantic feeling
city lights
shares charlie chaplin's tramp persona, slapstick invention, and tender social pathos
the kid
shares circus spectacle, physical comedy, and an underdog performer struggling for dignity
safety last!
shares silent-film slapstick, romantic longing, and comic exploitation of a working-class outsider
Movie Details
- Director
- Charlie Chaplin
- Release Date
- 1928-01-06
- Runtime
- 72 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (922)
Cast
- Charlie Chaplin
- Al Ernest Garcia
- Merna Kennedy
- Harry Crocker
- George Davis
- Henry Bergman
- Tiny Sandford
- John Rand
- Steve Murphy
- Albert Austin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, The Surf Network Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Circus about?
- Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp turns accidental chaos under the circus tent into comic fame, tender longing, and a quietly poignant farewell.
- What is The Circus like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Circus as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Circus violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Circus as mild.
- What did critics think of The Circus?
- Critics broadly regard the film as one of Chaplin's finest comedies, praising its originality and inventive physical humor while noting occasional overlong or uneven passages.
- Which films are like The Circus?
- Films with a similar feel include the gold rush, city lights, the kid, and safety last!.
- How long is The Circus?
- The Circus runs 72 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Circus?
- In United States, The Circus streams on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, The Surf Network Amazon Channel.
