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THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria
Grahame, James Stewart
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Studio: Paramount
Features: None
Length: 152 Minutes
Release Date: April 6, 2004
“The
performance ends…but the drama never stops!”
Trivia
question: what was the movie that
beat out Singin’ in the Rain for the Best Picture Oscar?
Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth!
For
a lot of film fans, that makes DeMille’s picture the killer of the goose that
laid the golden egg. Which is more
than a little unfair…though Singin’ in the Rain is one of the most
heralded movies ever made, The Greatest Show on Earth still pretty much
lives up to its title. It’s
grand, colorful, fun in the tradition of one of cinema’s master showmen.
Everything
you’d expect from DeMille is here, from the scope of the canvas to the
spectacular visuals contained therein, from the rich cast of wonderful
performers to the hokey dialogue they’re sometimes required to utter…even
the usual pomposity of DeMille’s narration is present, regurgitating
over-the-top metaphors at a gleefully absurd rate.
Cecil
B. DeMille was to the motion picture what the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and
Bailey were to the big top, so their combined creative forces were a match made
in showmanship heaven. The film is
a celebration of circus life, from the daring-do of the performers, to the music
and costumes, to the animal acts, and even to the gritty, unglamorous
behind-the-scenes wheelings and dealings. If
you want to see a big show, you’ve come to the right place…there’s enough
circus action to keep you laughing, clapping, and cowering in your chair.
Against
this colorful calliope driven brouhaha come our characters:
Brad (a very young Heston) is the big boss and the epitome of the “show
must go on” mentality. Threatened with a possible short season that wouldn’t
include small town America, he hires a big name to insure the show’s success:
Sebastian (Wilde), who is almost as well known for his escapades with the
ladies as for his aerial bravery. His
arrival means taking the coveted center ring from the show’s regular trapeze
star Holly (Hutton), who won’t give up without a fight.
Their high flying rivalry produces some of the film’s most exciting and
tense moments, but their possible romance isn’t helping to keep their feet on
the ground!
Holly
had been in love with Brad, but Brad’s single mindedness has kept him focused
on the show to the exclusion all else…will the charming Sebastian steal her
heart away? And will Angel (Grahame),
the lovely assistant to a jealous elephant trainer, seize the moment and
Brad’s love as well?
The
performances are all spirited and winning, but best of all is James Stewart as
Buttons, the lovable clown who never takes off his makeup.
His back story is one that slowly unfolds, and comes to fruition in a
terrific payoff. But DeMille put
his whole cast through the ringers for the sake of the film…Betty Hutton and
Cornel Wilde actually had to do a lot of their own trapeze stunts, even though
Mr. Wilde was reportedly afraid of heights.
And Gloria Grahame had to entrust her life to an elephant whose massive
foot hovered only millimeters away from her lovely face!
Though
the film also won an Oscar for Best Story, the truth is that it’s not so much
the story, the spectacle or the characters that make the film work.
Rather, it’s a genuine affinity for these wonderful circus performers
who risk life and limb night after night for a little applause.
As Federico Fellini would later do, DeMille celebrates both the artists
and their lives with warmth and dignity. He
loves to show them in the air, as though suspended between heaven and earth. He understands how much work comes together to bring
audiences the greatest show on earth…and we certainly appreciate it by the
time the film is over.
But
DeMille’s name has become synonymous with grand spectacle first and foremost,
and this Technicolor production offers plenty of that…not only with the
terrific circus acts and the camerawork that captures them, but with a
tremendous train wreck sequence that threatens to ground the show once and for
all. It’s there where everything
resolves, and where we fully understand that “the show must go on” is more
than a mantra…for these people, it’s the driving force of life.
Occasional
bits of goofy dialogue and DeMille’s insistence that his own voice be heard
throughout the production are flaws, but not fatal ones…though I have a
feeling that DeMille could narrate a documentary on crabgrass growing and make
it sound like an event of biblical proportions.
No, there’s too much fun to be had here for inconsequential mistakes to
weigh it down.
The
Greatest Show on Earth is designed to bring a smile to your face and to keep your heart soaring
as high as the daring young man on the flying trapeze.
Even with the passage of fifty years, it hasn’t lost its touch.
BONUS
TRIVIA: Keep an eye out for Bob
Hope and Bing Crosby in the audience!
Video
***1/2
DeMille’s
glorious, colorful vision comes to vivid life on this terrific disc from
Paramount. With only one or two
darker shots seeming a bit muted, the rich tones of the circus with all its
splendor, costumes and props come across with great integrity. Technicolor isn’t supposed to be accurate as much as
heightened, and for a movie like this, that’s what you want out of every
frame. Detail level is strong
throughout, and shots are frequently filled with information to all sides of the
frame…nothing is missing here. High
marks.
Audio
**
If
there was ever a movie that called out for a 5.1 remix, this might be the one.
The original mono serves fine, but the lack of dynamic range doesn’t
help the drama any. Music, dialogue and effects are all clearly rendered, but
with no real punch to get the levels up.
Features
(zero stars)
Nothing.
Summary:
