Circus World (released as The Magnificent Showman in the United Kingdom) is a 1964 American Western drama film starring John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale and Rita Hayworth. It was directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Samuel Bronston from a screenplay by Ben Hecht, Julian Zimet (writing under the pseudonym Julian Halevy), and James Edward Grant, and a story by Bernard Gordon and Nicholas Ray.
The idea for Circus World originated from screenwriter Bernard Gordon. Nicholas Ray was initially assigned to direct the project until he suffered a heart attack while filming 55 Days at Peking (1963). He was replaced by Frank Capra, who later entered into creative differences with co-writer James Edward Grant and John Wayne. By the summer of 1963, Capra was replaced with Henry Hathaway. Filming commenced in September 1963 and concluded in February 1964.
Prior to the film's release, the financial failure of The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) caused Samuel Bronston Productions to accumulate severe debts to financier Pierre S. du Pont III. It would be the last in a series of big budget epics produced by Bronston in Spain. The film premiered at the Loew's Cinerama Theater on June 25, 1964. It received mixed reviews from film critics and was a financial disappointment.
Contents
Plot
Matt Masters (John Wayne), a Wild West circus star in the mold of Buffalo Bill Cody, bought a bankrupt circus in 1885 and successfully rebuilt it into a combination three ring and Wild West extravaganza. He has successfully toured the United States for more than a decade. Now that the century is about to turn, he wants to take his show to Europe.
His Circus Boss, Cap Carson (Lloyd Nolan), is against taking the show across the Atlantic. He calls Matt on his reason for making a European tour: Masters wants to find the lost great love of his life, Lili Alfredo (Rita Hayworth), and figures that this tour will smoke her out if for no other reason than to see her child, Toni Alfredo (Claudia Cardinale), Masters' adopted daughter. One of his Western stars and wannabe-partner, Steve McCabe (John Smith), also attempts to dissuade Masters. Masters buys a freighter, renames her the Circus Maximus, and the show sails for Europe.
At Barcelona, the Circus Maximus capsizes at the pier and puts the show out of action. Masters has to release most of his performers, board out his animals, and go back to performing an act for the Ed Purdy Wild West Show, a staple on the European circus circuit. "While touring Europe at Ed Purdy's expense," as Masters puts it, he, Cap, Steve, and Toni scout acts that will enable Masters to relaunch the Matt Masters Circus bigger and better than ever.
His first new hire is Tojo the Clown and the Wire-Dancing Ballerina (Richard Conte and Katharyna respectively). They have a unique act; Tojo is dressed as a clown but walks the high wire over a cage full of lions while coaching the Ballerina (his niece Giovanna) as she dances on a wire on the ground. Backstage, Masters discovers that Tojo is an old acquaintance — Aldo Alfredo, brother-in-law of his lost love Lili Alfredo. Despite his reservations at hiring a possible enemy Masters takes the act on and neither he nor Aldo admit to Toni, who is Aldo's niece, that they have met before; or that Tojo the Clown is her uncle.
His second new act is Emile Schumann, a French animal trainer who has a spectacular act involving lions who lie down on him in the ring. Masters offers to take him on if he will switch from lions to tigers (Masters has many tigers but few lions). By the time the circus is ready to re-launch, Emile has so adapted to working with a different variety of big cat that when a couple become ill, he demands that Masters hire a doctor for "HIS tigers."
Cast
John Wayne as Matt Masters
Claudia Cardinale as Toni Alfredo
Rita Hayworth as Lili Alfredo
Lloyd Nolan as Cap Carson
Richard Conte as Aldo Alfredo
John Smith as Steve McCabe
Katharyna as Giovana
Katherine Kath as Hilda
Wanda Rotha as Mrs. Schuman
Kay Walsh as Flo Hunt
Francois Calepides as Ringmaster
Margaret MacGrath as Anna
Miles Malleson as Billy Hennigan
José María Caffarel as Barcelona's Mayor
Robert Cunningham as Ringmaster
Hans Dantes as Emile Schuman
Moustache as Bartender (uncredited)
George Tyne as Madrid Bartender (uncredited)
Víctor Israel as unknown (uncredited)
Production
Development
The initial idea for the film was conceived by screenwriter Bernard Gordon. In 1961, Philip Yordan recommended to Gordon that they should produce another large-scale film, in which Gordon suggested a circus film set in Europe. Writing in his autobiography, Gordon centralized on the idea of "the great circus moving all around the world wherever a colorful site could lend itself to a unique and daring stunt." While under contract to produce another film for Samuel Bronston, director Nicholas Ray agreed to the idea and worked with Gordon on a treatment in Paris.
In August 1962, Paramount Pictures announced they would be co-producing a circus movie in collaboration with Bronston, which would be tentatively titled Those Were the Days and would be set in the early part of the 20th century. John Wayne was attached to star and the project was to be directed by Nicholas Ray. Filming was scheduled to start in Spain in August 1963, following the completion of 55 Days at Peking (1963) and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). The budget was expected to be $6.5 million. However, by the next month, Ray had suffered a heart attack while filming 55 Days at Peking.
In November, Bronston announced that Ray would be replaced by Frank Capra, by which time the project was re-titled Circus. Before then, Capra was developing a film adaptation of Taylor Caldwell's novel Dear and Glorious Physician, a biography of Luke the Evangelist. Martin Rackin, who was Paramount Pictures' head of production at the time, notified Capra about the circus project. Capra became interested in the project as he had not worked with Wayne before and flew to Madrid to begin writing a new script.
Wary of the script issues, Wayne enlisted for James Edward Grant to help rework the script. Grant was initially reluctant, but Bronston offered him a three-picture deal to which he accepted. As Grant was co-writing the script, he had creative differences with Capra, finding Capra's script to be "so incredibly old-fashioned that Duke comes out sometimes as Harold Lloyd, sometimes as Oliver Hardy and sometimes as ... Stan Laurel. When you read this thing, it is easy to understand why this guy hasn't had a hit since [screenwriter] Robert Riskin died." According to Capra, Grant told him that he and Wayne would "knock you out a screenplay in a week. All you gotta have in a John Wayne picture is a hoity-toity dame with big tits that Duke can throw over his knees and spank, and a collection of jerks he can smash in the face every five minutes. In between, you fill in with gags, flags and chases. That's all you need, his fans eat it up."
Casting
In March 1963, it was reported that David Niven and Claudia Cardinale had agreed to join the cast. However, by the following August, Niven had been replaced with Rod Taylor and Rita Hayworth had joined the cast. Shortly before filming, Taylor pulled out of the project as he was unhappy with the size of his role, and was replaced by John Smith.
Filming
Principal photography started in September 1963, with location shooting in Barcelona, followed by studio shooting at Bronston's production studio in Madrid. In late December 1963, while filming a climactic circus fire scene, an on-set fire occurred, which burned 40 square feet of the set in Aranjuez. Wayne, Hayworth, and other studio personnel emerged unharmed while various animals were moved off the set.
It has been speculated by film historians that at the time this film was made, Rita Hayworth may have been suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease. Only 46 at the time the movie was made, she was often late on set and had trouble remembering her lines, and it was reported she was often drunk and abusive on the set. John Wayne had previously looked forward to working with her, but allegedly came to despise what he saw as unprofessional behavior.
Release
Prior to the film's release, Paramount Pictures had earlier released The Fall of the Roman Empire, which had become a financial disappointment. In March 1964, it was reported that Pierre S. du Pont III had taken over Samuel Bronston Production as the principal trustee which guaranteed that Circus World would be finished. In spite of this, it was reported that Paramount's investment in Circus World would remain protected and would still proceed with the distribution plans as scheduled. On June 25, 1964, the film premiered at the Loew's Cinerama Theater on a reserved seating basis.
Home media
On April 7, 2014, Anchor Bay Entertainment released a region B Blu-ray edition in the United Kingdom.
Reception
Box office
The film earned $1.6 million in box office rentals from the United States and Canada.
Critical reaction
Bosley Crowther for The New York Times described the film as a "dismally trite and obvious picture that Samuel Bronston has produced and Henry Hathaway has directed. And even with the Cinerama screen—the one-projector, no-lines arrangement—it is pictorially commonplace. The circus acts are the usual flat performances of elephants, horses, dogs, aerialists and wire-walkers, all photographed uninterestingly. Only one, having to do with a lion-tamer and his ferocious wife, has a little wit. And the exposition of the drama is so perfunctory, without style or charm, that you get the impression the actors are soldiering on the job." Time magazine wrote, "Though likable enough, this least pretentious of Bronston spectaculars cannot compare to The Greatest Show on Earth. It's just a minor romantic tearjerker, it's Stella Dallas with stardust ... [t]o sit through the film is something like holding an elephant on your lap for 2 hours and 15 minutes. You can hardly measure what you have there, but it leaves a definite impression: it's big, it's warm-hearted, and it's tons of fun for the kids."
Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote the film was "beautifully photographed" and the cast were "at least routinely efficient, Wayne seeming to care and presenting his more ingratiating self. Miss Hayworth is appealing and so are the young romancers. And director Hathaway uses a pro's skill continuously to blend laughs, pathos and excitement." Robert J. Landry for Variety praised the film as a "big screen, big box office wedding of spectacle and romance. It should please the masses everywhere, and especially women and children. The pace, as directed by Henry Hathaway, is unslackening. The plot combines action, color, European scenery, melodrama, disaster by fire and catastrophe by water. Underlying all is family-type sex, old-fashioned morality and ample schmaltz." Filmink argued "there are some terrific sequences".
On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10.
Comic book adaptation
Dell Movie Classic: Circus World (September–November 1964)