The Devil's Circus. 1926. Directed by Benjamin Christensen.

(9/11/99)

It dragged in spots, but overall I thought it was a pretty powerful picture. Norma Shearer was great. I like the Shearer of the twenties much better than the one of the thirties, although it was hard not to see the image of the later Norma Shearer in her scenes.

I wasn't too interested in the scenes of the circus performances, but that could just have been my own taste. I did like the idea that the circus audience is completely unaware of the real drama going on behind the scenes.

It does seem to be a seriously religious film with God and the Devil as major players. The scenes of the Devil pulling the strings of a puppet play seem hokey today, but they may have been viable in 1926.

There really is a sense of the circus as a "bad place" or a locus of negativity. I also liked the idea of how the two lead characters reverse roles with regards to a belief in God. Carl rejects the Bible at the beginning and Mary is devout. At the end it is Mary who has lost her faith and Carl comes to tell her that there is a divine presence.

This film does have its cliches. I knew Mary was going to somehow fall during the aerial act and the scenes of her selling the dolls was also pretty much of a cliche.

Three times we see characters struggling with conflicting drives: Carl with his desire to force himself on Mary; Hugo's girlfriend with her temptation to sabotage Mary's aerial act; and Carl's desire for revenge at the end. These scenes were well done.

I also liked very much the touch of Mary's dog. That added some life to the picture.

(9/14/99)

I read a quote from one of the original reviews of The Devil's Circus wherein it observed that when Norma Shearer reappears as a cripple in the latter part of the film her face is "as clear and fresh as before the accident, and the hardships of the war..." I see the point, but I'm wondering if that was just an accepted convention in movies of that time.

Also, Norma Shearer reminded me a little of Mary Pickford.