The Greatest Show on Earth (1952):
What’s It About?: Brad (Charlton Heston) runs a Barnum Bailey circus with a narrow mind, eschewing his own personal life for the show. His gal Holly (Betty Hutton) is an acrobat who is thrown out of center ring with the arrival of The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde). And Buttons the Clown (Jimmy Stewart) is everybody’s best friend, but is using his make-up to escape from police who have been searching ten years for him as the main suspect in a murder charge. There is a lot of circus action, love triangles and a sweet train crash to enliven the proceedings.
How Good Is It?: Lots of spectacle, but very little substance. It’s an enjoyable escape, but an otherwise simply adequate piece of film-making. The performances are fine, especially Stewart who characterizes the soul of the movie. And the circus acts and train crash are all certainly well done, but they don’t serve to bring you into the circus, as much as give your eyes something to feast on. It’s perfectly fine in the end, but not necessarily memorable.
Was it Best Picture?: No, but I can’t complain too much. High Noon, if memory serves, is a much better film, but director Cecil B. DeMille had never won before, and I’m sure the Academy figured it was about time. It may not be the best picture of the year, but posterity-wise, it’s an almost-passable Best Picture.
Comments