New Arrival The Circus (#996)

In the last film he made during the silent era, Charlie Chaplin revels in the art of the circus, paying tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls. After being mistaken for a pickpocket, Chaplins Tramp flees into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show, falling for the troupes bareback rider along the way. Despite its famously troubled production, this gag-packed comedy ranks among Chaplins finest, thanks to some of the most audacious set pieces of the director-performers career, including a close brush with a lion and a climactic tightrope walk with a barrelful of monkeys.The Circus,which was rereleased in 1969 with a new score by Chaplin, is an uproarious high-wire act that showcases silent cinemas most popular entertainer at the peak of his comic powers.

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Film Info

• United States
• 1928
• 72 minutes
• Black & White
• 1.33:1
• Silent
• Spine #996

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration of Charlie Chaplins 1969 rerelease version of the film, featuring an original score by Chaplin, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• New audio commentary featuring Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance
• Interview with Chaplin from 1969
• New interview with Chaplins son Eugene Chaplin
• In the Service of the Story,a new program on the films visual effects and production design by film scholar Craig Barron
• Chaplin Today: The Circus,a 2003 documentary on the film featuring filmmaker Emir Kusturica
• Excerpted audio interview from 1998 with Chaplin musical associate Eric James
• Unused caf sequence with new score by composer Timothy Brock, and related outtakes with narration by comedy choreographer Dan Kamin
• Newly discovered outtakes featuring the Tramp and the circus rider
• Excerpts from the original recording session for the films opening song, Swing Little Girl
• Footage of the films 1928 Hollywood premiere
• Rerelease trailers
• PLUS: An essay by critic Pamela Hutchinson

  New cover by Mark Chiarello