Circus (1936 film)
| Circus | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by |
Grigori Aleksandrov Isidor Simkov |
| Written by | Grigori Aleksandrov |
| Starring |
Lyubov Orlova Vladimir Volodin Sergei Stolyarov Pavel Massalsky James Patterson |
| Music by | Isaak Dunayevsky |
| Cinematography |
Vladimir Nilsky Boris Petrov |
Production company | |
Release dates | 1936 |
Running time | 94 min. |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
Circus (Russian: Цирк; translit. Tsirk) is a 1936 Soviet melodramatic comedy musical film. It was directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and Isidor Simkov (as I. Simkov) at the Mosfilm studios. In his own words, it was conceived as "an eccentric comedy...a real side splitter."
Starring the glamorous and immensely popular Lyubov Orlova (Aleksandrov's wife), the first recognized star of Soviet cinema and a gifted singer, the film contains several songs which instantly became Soviet classics. The most famous is the "Song of the Motherland" (Широка страна моя родная).
Plot
Orlova plays an American circus artist who, after giving birth to a black baby (played by James Lloydovich Patterson), immediately becomes a victim of racism and is forced to stay in the circus, but finds refuge, love and happiness in the USSR. Her black son is embraced by friendly Soviet people. The movie climaxes with a lullaby being sung to the baby by representatives of various Soviet ethnicities taking turns.[1]
The film was digitally colorized in 2011 in Russia
Cast
- Lyubov Orlova as Marion Dixon, American actress and circus artist
- James Patterson as Jimmy, Marion's baby
- Sergei Stolyarov as Ivan Petrovich Martinov, Soviet performance director
- Pavel Massalsky as Franz von Kneishitz, corrupt theatrical agent
- Vladimir Volodin as Ludvig, Soviet circus director
- Yevgeniya Melnikova as Rayechka, the director's daughter
- Aleksandr Komissarov as Skameikin
- Nikolai Otto as Charlie Chaplin
- Solomon Mikhoels as Cameo
See also
- List of musical films
- List of racism-related films
- ↑ "Tsirk (1936) - Trivia". imdb.com. 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
External links
- Цирк / Circus on YouTube in black and white.
- Circus at the Internet Movie Database
- Circus at AllMovie
- Site-museum of Lyubov Orlova Orlova
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