Circus World

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Sarfaraz A The film was directed by Henry Hathaway. Starring John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale, and Rita Hayworth. The film is about John Wayne, who runs a circus and wants to perform in Europe. He has a young adopted daughter, Claudia, whom he wishes to reconnect with her long-lost mother, a well-known circus swing queen. The film is fairly long, lasting 2 hours and 22 minutes. Much of the film revolves around the circus and its staff landing at a European nation's port, when the ship is accidentally submerged, devastating everything. Later scenes involve rearranging and recruiting performers and circus infrastructure. The reuniting of a missing mother and daughter. There are some fun bits, but overall, the film is not one you will regret missing. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/28/25 Full Review Blu B It's better than the greatest hsow on earth just for the fact that here isn't a dozen different storylines going on but it's still a bloated affair that shares a lot of the same problems. At least it's mainly focused on Wayne & C.C. which does help but the acting is just alright honestly. They literally give Wayne a cowboy hat in a circus movie in Paris still...it's like how you have to have Megan Fox in shorts and slow motion in everything I guess. They really don't have much chemistry and everyone else just blends in. Hayworth is just kind of there too. It kind of feels like they are all borderline miscast. The music isn't bad but the title track is just...fine I guess. It's a mix of classic golden era stuff with circus music which is interesting. The cinematography isn't bad and probably the best thing here. The burning of the circus tent near the end is pretty cool and the best part. The acts are all lavish but they really don't contribute anything to the plot and once you've seen a few of them you've seen them all really. It feels like 40% of this movie is just circus act shots which get old eventually including the big end with all the acts. It is a nice location though and the direction isn't bad. Everything else is just alright. This prods along for the most part. The scenes with Hayworth and Wayne with melodrama stuff are the worst parts. they drag, come out of nowehre, feel forced, and are so boring. This really is never able to link the melodrama/father daughter stuff with the rebuilding the circus and stuff. But it is entertaining to watch the acts and nothing is truly broken about it either. Skip This Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/25 Full Review StephenPaul C The worst 2.25 hours ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/07/23 Full Review steve d unconvincing and down right boring. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Worth seeing for the odd pairing of John Wayne and Rita Hayworth. They actually interact well but Rita's part is minor considering her star status and the story is weak. Claudia is lovely but totally unbelievable as Duke's daughter speaking with her natural Italian accent while supposedly being raise by him, he of course talks like John Wayne. Not a terrible film but diffuse and without a strong point of view, that may be because the film was begun by Frank Capra and finished by Henry Hathaway so there was no clear vision as to the shape the film was suppose to offer. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Seen in its original 70mm format this might have been quite enjoyable since its spectacle nature would have glossed over the dramatic flaws. Still, it's not a bad film and is often interesting in how it deconstructs John Wayne's persona as a Western icon. Here the Western mythology is reduced to a circus performance, highlighting its inherent falseness. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Circus World

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