Circus in the Cinema

     Before the show begins I want to remind you that today is also Insecure Writers Support Group hosted by A to Z co-host Alex J. Cavanaugh.  I'm not feeling too insecure this month due to the great success of the 2013 A to Z Challenge.  I guess my biggest insecurity is that I won't finish all of my April posts for all of my blogs, but so far so good.   For more #IWSG action click here.


Circus in the Cinema

Circus World (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming.   The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.

Movies about the Circus:

       Something you don't see on film as much as you used to are circus movies.  Prior to the late 1960's the circus was a common setting for many films.  Audiences of those times were still flocking to traveling tent shows and the lifestyle was romanticized in many ways.  The idea of running away with the circus was a fantasy shared by many a dreamer of those times.

         After all, circus was a true American expression of entertainment.  P.T. Barnum brought the circus to life in a big way in the 1800's.  Soon tent shows were traveling across the North American continent and the art form was very popular in Europe as well.

          Circus was glitz, glamour, and excitement.   Exotic animals and unique thrills from an array of performers wowed audiences.  The visual nature of the circus made it a natural setting for film.  Since the circus was a traveling community it was a microcosm of the world with stories that everyone could relate to.

          Since my family was a part time show biz family, we had a love for circus and the movies that depicted circus life.   My father would take us to every circus movie that came to the theaters.  I still have a love for circus movies, but since few are made these days my favorites go back into the past.

Circus World (1964) --Interesting turn with John Wayne as the owner of a early 20th century circus.  The film has many of the typical circus movie cliches such as the big tent fire, but there are a few interesting turns such as the Wild West Show, the American circus touring Europe, and a pretty cool shipwreck sequence.

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) --Nominated for several Oscars, this film won Best Picture at the 1953 Academy Awards ceremony.  Big stars, big cast, big story--a fitting tribute to a big circus.

Circus of Horrors (1960) -- One of the best of many horror and crime films with the circus as an integral part of the story.

The Clowns (1970) --One of my favorite directors takes on one of my favorite genres.  What else need I say?  It's weird, weird, weird.  But it's also very good with a unique and interesting message.

        There are many, many more--far too many for me to include here.

         What circus movies would you include?  Which of these have you seen?   Do you like going to the circus? 

Related articles

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Bible Based Films

Cropped screenshot of Charlton Heston from the trailer for the film The Ten Commandments. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming.   The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.

Films based on the Bible or related to it:

      When I was growing up in the fifties, Bible movies were a cinema staple.  These were not just run of the mill movies, but epics on a grand scale in CinemaScope and glorious color.  They were actually fairly decent depictions of the Bible stories with an odd twist thrown in now and then, but at the end you'd walk out of the theater feeling elevated and perhaps even a bit blessed.

       My favorite of that era was The Ten Commandments (1956) featuring Charlton Heston in his iconic portrayal of Moses.  Some of the effects could be done much better now, but as a whole the film holds up well and I always enjoy seeing it.

       A later animated version of the story, The Prince of Egypt (1998), does a credible job presenting the same story.

        Some other more recent Bible story films are One Night with the King (2006) and The Nativity Story (2006).   And of course this category would not be complete with one of the most incredible Bible based films of all--The Passion of the Christ (2004).

       There are so many fine Bible based films that I could probably do an A to Z Theme on those alone.  But these give us a place to begin.

         What are some of your favorite Bible based films?   Have you seen any of the epics from the silent film era?    Do you find the filmdom interpretations of Bible stories to be offensive in any way?

Related articles

• Video: Hollywood rediscovers The Bible?
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Automobile Accidents

Français : Illustration d'un accident automobile par Eugène Chaperon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

       
The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming.   The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.

  Movies about automobile accidents or where auto accidents are a prominent element of the plot:

        Any action film will usually include car chases where there are many vehicle crashes.   This micro genre does not include these.        

Intersection (1994) --In this film starring Richard Gere and Sharon Stone, a successful architect watches his life flash before his eyes as his car careens toward an accident in an intersection on a country road.  The film has received plenty of bad reviews, but I actually liked it.  This may have had something to do with the time of my life when I saw the film and the serendipitous way I acquired it.  For some reason I found two unopened copies of the film along with some other peculiar items in a box I was unpacking at work.  The videos and other miscellaneous items had nothing to do with my business.   I guess they had been shipped to me by accident.

Amores Perros (2000) -- In this highly acclaimed Mexican film, an automobile accident intersects with the lives of an assortment of people and their stories.  It's one of those movies about how lives are intertwined even when we may not know the other people involved. 

Crash (1996) -- From the same named book by the great sci-fi author J.G. Ballard, the story of this film involves people who gain sexual gratification from car crashes.  I don't know if this weird fetish is real, but the film tells the story well, the acting is excellent, and the cinematography is well done.  Definitely an adult film with fairly graphic content.   But it's a Ballard story and he's good.

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About my recent presentation on blogging and the A to Z Challenge at the Children's Book Writers

       On Saturday March 30th I was hosted by Nutschell The Writing Nut and Alana from Writercize at the Children's Book Writers of Los Angeles meeting.   I was very impressed by both of these young ladies.  This had to be one of the most organized well run groups I've seen.   We had 22 writers in attendance with only about 6 with blogs already.  The group seemed very interested in blogging and had tons of good questions.  We had 3 hours set aside and I didn't even make it through all of the slides on my PowerPoint presentation.   But that was okay because we got a lot of good information out there.

     There was a lot of interest in the A to Z and so far there is one new blogger who started her blog the morning after my workshop and she immediately joined A to Z.  There may be more, but this is one that I discovered on the sign-up list.

       If you have time I'd appreciate it if you'd stop by and follow Kid's Math Teacher (She's #1647 on the list as I write this).  Check out her post about the A to Z and perhaps tweet it out.   A comment would be great too.   I think she's going to be an excellent blogger.  She's starting out the right way and has followed the instructions I offered at the workshop in starting her blog.  She deserves our support.

       If there are any others reading this who were there at the workshop, please let us know in the comment section.  Keep your eyes out for a report from Nutschell at The Writing Nut.  

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       Can you think of any films that feature an automobile accident?   Have you seen any of the films I've mentioned?    Have you read any of J.G. Ballard's work?

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