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Circus (1936 film)

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Circus
Film poster
Directed byGrigori Aleksandrov
Isidor Simkov
Written byGrigori Aleksandrov
StarringLyubov Orlova
Vladimir Volodin
Sergei Stolyarov
Pavel Massalsky
James Patterson
CinematographyVladimir Nilsky
Boris Petrov
Music byIsaak Dunayevsky
Production
company
Release date
1936
Running time
94 min.
CountrySoviet Union
LanguageRussian

Circus (Template:Lang-ru; translit. Tsirk) is a 1936 Soviet melodramatic comedy musical film. It was directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and Isidor Simkov at the Mosfilm studios. In his own words, it was conceived as "an eccentric comedy...a real side splitter."[1]

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).[1][2] ISWC code for film music: T-926.406.620-8

The film was based on a comedy written by Ilf and Petrov and Valentin Kataev and performed by Moscow music hall, Under the Circus Dome (Под куполом цирка), which was seen and liked by Aleksandrov.[1] They made the play into the plot, but during the initial film shooting they went to America. Upon return, they disliked the director's interpretation, and after a conflict they abandoned the work, forbade the mention of their names in the credits, and further work on the plot was continued by Isaac Babel.[3][4]

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

Interesting facts

  • The movie was the most commercially successful Soviet film. Two weeks after the release, it was viewed by 1 million people in Moscow alone.[7]
  • In Russia, Solomon Mikhoels's murder in 1948 by the order of Stalin was perceived as a failed movie's message about the danger of chauvinism and anti-Semitism. American researcher Herbert Eargle said: "The scene in the Circus is intended to show that the Soviet people are devoid of racial prejudices. Of course, it was an attack against America and propaganda, but on the other hand, Aleksandrov probably sincerely called for reconciliation, for harmony, hoping that in these terrible times he would awaken conscience in the audience with the means available to him."[7]
  • In early 1953, the verses from the lullaby, sung in Yiddish (which were performed by Solomon Mikhoels) were removed. After Stalin's death the verses were restored.
  • The well known animal trainer Boris Eder substituted for Aleksandr Komissarov in Skameikin's flower fight with the lions.[1]
  • The "Flight to the Moon" stunt coordinated and performed by three Kharkiv inventors where the extreme sports athlete Vera Buslaeva substituted for Lyubov Orlova for the cameras.[1]
  • As one of Joseph Stalin's favourite movies Circus was the last film he saw before his death.[8]
  • The movie has an in-joke about Mikhail Lermontov's death at the hands of Nikolai Martynov, at that time in the 1930s it was officially revised as a planned political murder ordered by the secret police.[9]
  • The movie with an American Catholic protagonist was released one month before the 1936 anti-abortion law.[10] Just after that, America and Americans disappeared from Soviet cinema.[11] Lyubov Orlova had to participate in the anti-abortion law promotion company: "I myself want a child, and I will certainly have one. And it is natural. Life is getting more and more joyful and more fun. The future is even more wonderful. Why not give birth?".[12] In 1941, she adopted Douglas (b. 19 May 1925), Grigori Aleksandrov's son by his first marriage to actress Olga Ivanova (she died during childbirth in June 1941, being married to a famous actor Boris Tenin). He was named after Douglas Fairbanks, he and Mary Pickford visited the Bolshevik state back then and were admired by Grigori and Olga.[13] In 1952, Douglas Aleksandrov was arrested by OGPU on false treason claims and, at 26 in a prison, had suffered his first heart attack before being forcefully renamed to 'Vasilii'. OGPU unsuccessfully wanted him to testify about his father being an American spy.[14] He was released shortly after Stalin's death in 1953.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Rimgaila Salys (2009). The Musical Comedy Films of Grigorii Aleksandrov: Laughing Matters. Intellect Books. pp. 121–197. ISBN 978-1-841-50282-3.
  2. ^ Roger Manvell, ed. (1949). Experiment in the Film. The Grey Walls Press Ltd. p. 169.
  3. ^ "Пять интересных фактов о легендарном фильме "Цирк" Archived 2015-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, May 25, 2013 (retrieved July 19, 2015)
  4. ^ Сайт поклонников творчества Ильи Ильфа и Евгения Петрова
  5. ^ Театральная энциклопедия. / Гл. ред. П. А. Марков. Т. 4. — Moscow: Советская энциклопедия, Нежин — Сярев, 1965, 1152 стб. с илл., 6 л. илл.
  6. ^ «Цирк» зажигает огни
  7. ^ a b "Circus". svoboda.org (in Russian). Radio Liberty. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Circus". svoboda.org. Radio Liberty. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Duel, and Death of Lermontov. New Version". stavpravda.ru (in Russian). Stavropol Pravda. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Circus (1936)". culture.ru (in Russian). Ministry of Culture (Russia). Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  11. ^ Abramov, Vladimir (14 July 2013). "Soviet Hollywood". svoboda.org (in Russian). Radio Liberty. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Fact 23- Ju. S. Sakov - 100 Truths and Untruths about Orlova". lubov-orlova-ru (in Russian). Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Mary & Doug Travel to Russia". marypickford.org. Mary Pickford Foundation. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  14. ^ Razzakov, Feodor. "How to curb Jewry. All the secrets of Stalin's behind the scenes". pub.wikireading.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Orlova avenged her husband's betrayal". Sobesednik. 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Lyubov Orlova and Grigory Alexandrov: an ideal couple or a fictitious marriage?". mir24.tv. Mir 24. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
External videos
video icon Circus with English subtitles, released by the official Mosfilm YouTube channel
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