January 2022 is in the books, it's come and gone, it's been there and it's done that; and now it's time to move on. But before we do, let's review a little. In January I watched the first of what will hopefully be 12 movies I have not seen before. Last year, I wrote this post explaining my process for watching and writing about these movies. In January I watched a movie that will fit into the 1949-1963 category.
The Greatest Show on Earth won the 1953 Academy Award for Best Picture. I would give it between 2 and 2 and a half stars. The movie tells the story of a travelling circus through the eyes of it's performers and audience. It captures the pageantry of the travelling circus portraying the romance, human drama and hidden stories of the "travelling city" that comprises the circus train. Cecil B De'Mille directs and Charlton Heston stars as the circus boss and Jimmy Stewart plays a clown on the run from the law. One theme of this movie is "The Show Must go On". The perseverance of everyone associated with the circus and the joy that it brings the small towns and cities across America is on constant display. One thing I liked about this movie is that it's an attempt to be a love letter to the circus. I loved the circus when I was a kid and I like the sentiment to celebrate what is now a bygone era in American history, One thing I did not like about this movie is that it is a poorly constructed ,overlong love letter to the circus. Many of the circus scenes could have been totally deleted and the rest could have been cut into 1/4th of their screen time. I think the best audience for this movie would be people who like myself who want to see every Best Picture winner or every Jimmy Stewart film and don't mind that it sometimes makes a spectacle of itself.
