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

2015 1h 12m Documentary List
100% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 50% Audience Score Fewer than 50 Ratings
Circus acts, cabaret and fairground attractions come back to life in never-before-seen footage. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (13) Critics Reviews
Jason Bailey Flavorwire 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." Apr 26, 2016 Full Review Jay Weissberg Variety 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. Jan 17, 2016 Full Review Mark Kermode Observer (UK) Vibrant, arresting and often disturbing ... Rated: 3/5 Dec 6, 2015 Full Review Phil W. Bayles One Room With A View 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. Rated: 4/5 May 17, 2019 Full Review Ben Nicholson CineVue 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. Rated: 3/5 Apr 8, 2019 Full Review Sarah Boslaugh Playback:stl ...not an unpleasant film to watch, but not terribly compelling either... Rated: 6/10 Aug 25, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews
Audience Member 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. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review ian t Great footage but I wished they would have used it to tell a story rather than make a feature length music video. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals

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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) 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