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The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals

Play trailer The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals 2015 1h 12m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Circus acts, cabaret and fairground attractions come back to life in never-before-seen footage.

Critics Reviews

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Jason Bailey Flavorwire 04/26/2016
Haunting snapshots you can't unsee, and startling reminders of what we've exploited, throughout history and to this moment, in the name of "entertainment." Go to Full Review Jay Weissberg Variety 01/17/2016
A cinematic delight that uses archival footage to showcase the appeal as well as the unease of more than a century of circus and carnival acts. Go to Full Review Mark Kermode Observer (UK) 12/06/2015
3/5
Vibrant, arresting and often disturbing ... Go to Full Review Phil W. Bayles One Room With A View 05/17/2019
4/5
Superb editing an an electrifying soundtrack from Sigur Rós tie The Greatest Shows on Earth together, turning a century's worth of disparate images into a beautiful and poetic whole. Go to Full Review Ben Nicholson CineVue 04/08/2019
3/5
The Show of Shows draws important attention to the failings of circuses and their ilk when judged with modern sensibilities, but equally underlines the beautiful joy of being allowed to marvel. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh Playback:stl 08/25/2016
6/10
...not an unpleasant film to watch, but not terribly compelling either... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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03/22/2017 Is this the worst film I've ever seen? I don't know but it's definitely in the bottom three. The fact that the professionals gave this a 100% makes me wonder if they were on some kind of mood altering substances. A lot of old grainy clips of circus acts that weren't that interesting,with no dialogue except for some cheesy music. See more 04/17/2016 Outstanding archival footage of circuses, carnivals, and rodeos highlighting the magic and the horror of The Show of Shows. A "silent" film - the score and the well edited footage says it all. See more Read all reviews
The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Benedikt Erlingsson

Director

Ragnar Agnarsson

Executive Producer

Þórhallur Gunnarsson

Executive Producer

Margrét Jónasdóttir

Producer

Heather Croall

Producer

Mark Atkin

Producer

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The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals

The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals (2015) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Circus acts, cabaret and fairground attractions come back to life in never-before-seen footage.
Director
Benedikt Erlingsson
Producer
Margrét Jónasdóttir, Heather Croall, Mark Atkin
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
root
Runtime
1h 12m