Friday Films: The Circus May 27, 2011

The Circus (1928, Janus Films/Warner Bros.)
72 minutes
Directed by and starring Charles Chaplin
In this comic masterpiece, his most underrated, Charlie Chaplin made an unusually personal and reflexive statement on his own performing life. The Circus finds Charlie’s noble and enduring Little Tramp in typical dire straits: broke, hungry, and without love. Mistaken for a pickpocket and pursued by a policeman into a circus tent, the Tramp becomes a star when delighted patrons think his desperate antics are an act. At the first-ever Academy Awards® ceremony, Chaplin was honored with a special Oscar® “for versatility and genius in writing, acting, directing and producing The Circus.”

Official Website: http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/Calendar_and_Events/Films/The_Circus.aspx