Circus World (1964) ( Samuel Bronston's Circus World (The Magnificent Showman) )

Circus World (1964) (DVD) (*)

$20.99

Alternate Title: Samuel Bronston's Circus World (The Magnificent Showman)
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Golden Globes
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
Italian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Italian ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Italy ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
135 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1964 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Henry Hathaway
Nicholas Ray

Written By:
Henry Hathaway
Bernard Gordon

Actors:
John Wayne ..... Matt Masters
Claudia Cardinale ..... Toni Alfredo
Rita Hayworth ..... Lili Alfredo
Lloyd Nolan ..... Cap Carson
Richard Conte ..... Aldo Alfredo
John Smith ..... Steve McCabe
Katharyna ..... Giovana
Katherine Kath ..... Hilda
Wanda Rotha ..... Mrs. Schuman
Margaret MacGrath ..... Anna
Miles Malleson ..... Billy Hennigan
José María Caffarel ..... Barcelona´s Mayor (as Jose Maria Cafarell)
Kay Walsh ..... Flo Hunt
Francois Calepides ..... Ringmaster
Robert Cunningham ..... Ringmaster

Synopsis:

Filmed in Cinerama and Technicolor, Circus World may have drawn the crowds for various reasons - not the least, perhaps, for the big names. John Wayne stars as circus owner Matt Masters, who takes his show to Europe hoping to save it from financial ruin. Accompanying Matt, is young Toni (Claudia Cardinale), whom Matt had raised since her aerialist mother Lili (Rita Hayworth) left them years before. Just before he departs from New York, Matt is reminded that Lili may be somewhere in Germany. Upon their arrival in Europe, much of the equipment is lost when their ship sinks in a Spanish port. Matt doesn't let that get the best of them, and he is soon up and running with the show, becoming a hit throughout Europe. Against Matt's wishes, Toni trains to become an aerialist like her mother. A quiet figure in the shadows proudly watches Toni rehearse her daring routines. The writing team of Ben Hecht, James Edward Grant and Julian Halevy adapted their screenplay from a story by Philip Yordan and Nicholas Ray. Though this was not a gunslinger role for Wayne, Matt Master was not a far stretch. This could have been due to the fact that Wayne had previously worked on several projects with director Henry Hathaway and writers Hecht and Grant - and the part was altered to suit him.

In the early years of the 20th century, Matt Masters takes his rambling Wild West Show to Europe. His decision is prompted by his desire to find Lili Alfredo, who disappeared fourteen years earlier following the death of her husband, The Flying Alfredo. At the time it was believed that Alfredo dove to his death deliberately when he realized his wife loved Matt and not him. Toni, a beautiful trapeze performer, raised by Matt is actually Lili's daughter, and she is in love with Steve McCabe, one of the stars on Matt's show. Doing their first show in Barcelona, aboard a ship, the ship keels over and Matt loses his show. Now broke, he leaves for Paris with Toni, Steve and his long-time friend, Cap Carson, to seek a job with Colonel Purdy's Wild West Show. But a year later, Matt has rebuilt his own show. First to be signed is a remarkable 12-year-old wire-walker named Giovana, and her guardian, Tojo the Clown, whose real named is Aldo Alfredo, formerly of the Flying Alfredos. Continuing his search for Lili, Matt's show plays Brussels, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, Rome, Milan, and finally Madrid, where Lili is part of the audience.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 24 September, 2020.