The Greatest Show on Earth

"The Heartbeat Story of Circus People, Filmed with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. - Barnum and Bailey Circus!"

1952 2h 32m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 288

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.

“The Heartbeat Story of Circus People, Filmed with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. - Barnum and Bailey Circus!”

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Cast

Betty Hutton
Holly
Cornel Wilde
The Great Sebastian
Charlton Heston
Brad Braden
Dorothy Lamour
Phyllis
Gloria Grahame
Angel
James Stewart
Buttons
Henry Wilcoxon
Agent Gregory
Lyle Bettger
Klaus

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Writers: Fredric M. Frank, Theodore St. John, Barré Lyndon
Languages: English, Russian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 152 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by George Barnes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cecil B. DeMille directs. George Barnes behind the camera. Victor Young scores. Anne Bauchens cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 152 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 9.0× over at the box office.
474 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Russian.
6Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by George Barnes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde and Charlton Heston carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The Heartbeat Story of Circus People, Filmed with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. - Barnum and Bailey Circus!".
11IMDB entry: tt0044672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: George Barnes
Original score: Victor Young
Editing: Anne Bauchens
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 152 min · 2h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $36,000,000
Return: 900% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Story
Academy Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Cecil B. DeMille

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-03-15
★ 8/10
Delivers the goods for what it is — a big traditional circus flick Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus hires a popular Casanova trapeze artist, The Great Sabastian (Cornel Wilde), in order to keep their tour schedule full and he wastes no time romancing his rival for the center ring, Holly (Betty Hutton), who’s in love with the solemn manager (Charlton Heston). But, wait, Angel, the elephant babe (Gloria Grahame), is also in love with the boss man! Meanwhile, the resident clown has a secret past (Jimmy Stewart) and Dorothy Lamour is on hand as a performer. A Cecil B. DeMille production, “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) is infamous for winning the Best Picture award above “High Noon” and “The Quiet Man” (and maybe also “Singin’ in the Rain,” which actually wasn’t a huge hit when it was released). I think these critics might be jealous, however, in light of the fact that “The Greatest Show on Earth” was hugely successful with audiences and made 4.5 times as much at the box office compared to “High Noon” and “The Quiet Man.” How much a person appreciates this movie no doubt comes down to whether or not they like the traditional circus and everything that goes with it, but their approval will also rest on if they can appreciate quaint melodrama and the corresponding hammy acting (think “Gone with the Wind”). I was able to acclimate and really enjoyed the picture. There’s constant circus entertainment, of course, but the drama behind the scenes also hooks the viewer, over-the-top though it may be. There’s also an impressive train wreck in the last act. Underneath it all is a welcome warm heart. Of the three women in the main cast, Betty Hutton is the fittest and has the most screen time, but Gloria Grahame is the most alluring, followed by Dorothy Lamour. If you favor circus movies, like the great “Water for Elephants” (2011), you’ll probably appreciate this one, as long as you can adjust to the dated style. The film runs 2 hours, 32 minutes, and was shot in Sarasota, Florida, and Paramount, Hollywood. GRADE: B+/A-
CinemaSerf2022-09-11
★ 6/10
Hyperbole is quite common nowadays with a premium paid for hype and superlatives; but this film really does deserve one such accolade - it is a spectacular feast for the eyes. Set in a travelling circus that appears to employ the population of a small town, we are taken on the frequently bumpy journey of this collection of artistes, misfits and animals as they criss-cross America delighting audiences young and old. It's all headed up by "Brad" (Charlton Heston) who has quite a juggling act of his own trying to keep the profiteers from encroaching on his schedules, his staff from eating each other and to find time for a little romance of his own. On that latter front, we can look to lively efforts from Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame and Cornel Wilde as the modestly monikered "Great Sebastian" as the lives, loves and jealousies of these performers take shape. The photography is great - it takes you back to when a circus was a must-see event for millions presenting artistic feats of airborne gymnastics and all facets of humanity - and the animal kingdom - to a spellbound audience. Oscar winning Cecil B. De Mille and cinematographer George Barnes work well to create a colourful and sumptuous film to look at. Sadly, though, it is a bit of a triumph of style over substance. The dialogue is wordy and actually fairly poor, and neither Heston nor Wilde are at their best as the melodrama gradually supplants the imagery creating a rather dreary love-triangle style romance that I found actually quite dull. It's way too long - the skilful photography can only carry the extravaganza so far before it all just starts to drag and although there are some interesting interventions from real life circus performers, the actors just don't blend in quite so well. Except, that is for the clown - James Stewart - who seems to serve as a sort of benign agony aunt to the troupe, whilst concealing secrets of his own. Of all of the epic cinema produced by De Mille, this is probably his least well remembered - and although the production standards are as high as any trapeze artist could ever hope to get, I still couldn't get the scent of manure out of my mind... It is a film one ought to watch though, a part of the history of an industry that set a standard for many to come, but as a piece of drama it is lucky it has a net.