Lack of good storyline.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Generating laughs after inadvertently interrupting a big top routine, a tramp is offered a job by a circus in this Charlie Chaplin silent comedy. The film is mostly a series of circus-themed skits thrown together, but there are several interesting ideas at hand as the manager avoids telling him he is their biggest attraction (to avoid paying a handsome salary) and as the tramp is only ever able to make the circus audiences laugh when he is not trying to be funny at all. There is also a touching subplot in which he tries to help an abused circus worker and the film creates an authentic relationship between the pair that never once feels sentimental. If there is one thing to hold against the film though, it is the fact that the first fifteen minutes (before Chaplin is invited to join the circus) is far funnier than anything else afterwards with the subsequent movie never quite recapturing the hilarity of Chaplin running amok in a house of mirrors, running in synchrony with a thief and repeatedly whacking the thief on the head when pretending to be mechanical. Still, this is an amusing movie from start to finish, and one with something surprisingly intelligent to say about how the best humour is spontaneous rather than rehearsed.

Casting director for circus performers: Allan Garcia. Continuity girl: Della Steele. Laboratory supervisor: William E. Hinkley. Music for sound version composed by Charles Chaplin. Producer: Charles Chaplin.Copyright 6 January 1928 by Charles Chaplin. Released through United Artists. New York opening at the Mark Strand, 7 January 1928. 7 reels. 6,700 feet. DVD available from Warner Home Video.SYNOPSIS: Charlie inadvertently joins a circus. NOTES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave a Special Award to Charles Chaplin, "for versatility and genius in writing, acting, directing and producing The Circus." Chaplin was also nominated for Best Actor (the award was won by Emil Jannings) and Best Comedy Director (Lewis Milestone received the award). The movie itself was voted number six in The Film Daily's 1928 poll of American film critics.COMMENT: Although, disappointingly, it is not one of his funniest films (some of the jokes, especially the horse pill and some similar experiments, now seem extremely old, tired and totally worn out), "The Circus" still carries more than enough Chaplin magic to make it extremely watchable. It's absolutely impossible to go past Chaplin for his mastery of comic timing, and here in "The Circus", such inspired timing is as deft as ever. Fortunately, Chaplin's brilliantly neat footwork is also just as fancy, and remarkable as ever. And as for performance wise, Chaplin has it all over the rest of the cast. In my opinion, whilst I found some of the other players to be totally forgettable, Chaplin's own performance registered strongly enough that I still remember it, even though it is at least twenty years since I saw the movie in a theater. My memory is that Chaplin did actually win an acting nomination for his performance in this movie. He fully deserved it!

Okay, so I'm going with a 5 here and I'm sure Charlie deserves more than that. I like film and certainly respect the film making of this day, but this felt very long to me. The story line is so simple that I can almost guess what will happen in the end. If I was out of a school setting it probably would have helped. It is interesting how far we have come and the fact that it all stems from films like these. Definitely would make a good background movie during a party. If you really sit and watch it though you can see how much work he put into it. It was not a simple push and play effort of today. It was a real passion which I'm sure outreaches many actors currently at work. Definitely need more comfortable chairs in class. Definitely can't wait till the movies with speaking in them.

Charlie Chaplin's vision for silent films was so good that when sound was introduced he still released a silent film, and the circus was a wonderful film. Chaplin's sequencing was fabulous. He could tell a story without sound like no other. This film had some great acting all throughout with very little room for error. You as a viewer can tell that Chaplin wants his films to be of the highest quality and he pulled through very well on this. Giving characters layers is something I thought was going to be brought into films later on when you have sound and better quality, but Chaplin pulled through very well. While I would love to see what he could do with sound and a bigger budget, he made a very well rounded film. He was the master of silent films. And this didn't disappoint.