The Circus

Production nightmares often end up marring films with unintended consequences, and Charlie Chaplin's 1928 work "The Circus" was shaking itself awake from bad dreams throughout its creation. A studio fire, the death of Chaplin's mother, a bitter divorce, an IRS claim on Chaplin's owed back taxes; all of these elements combined to stall production of "The Circus" for eight months.

Regardless, "The Circus" went on to become a top-ten highest-grossing silent film in the history of cinema and took in nearly $4 million during its initial release. It was the last film Chaplin made during the silent film era, and it's one of Chaplin's most memorable entertainments.

Filled with delightful gags and daring set pieces, "The Circus" has arrived on The Criterion Collection in a new 4K digital restoration of Chaplin's 1969 re-release version of the film. It features an original score by Chaplin himself, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. The zany and fast-paced 72-minute film follows Chaplin's iconic Tramp character, who inadvertently becomes the star of a traveling circus. Chaplin, a longtime admirer of French comedian Max Linder, emulated certain gags and plot devices from Linder's works, most notably Linder's final completed film, "The King of the Circus."

With the film taking form in the final moments of Chaplin's silent film career, it takes on a bit of melancholy as we witness a star at an industry's turning point. It's still an absolute joy to watch, despite this sadness, and the artist is still at the height of his comic powers despite reaching the end of an era.

Bonus features on the Criterion Collection Blu-ray include:

� New audio commentary featuring Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance
� Interview with Chaplin from 1969
� New interview with Chaplin's son Eugene Chaplin
� "In the Service of the Story" - a new program on the film's visual effects and production design by film scholar Craig Barron
� "Chaplin Today: 'The Circus,'" a 2003 documentary on the film featuring filmmaker Emir Kusturica
� Excerpted audio interview from 1998 with Chaplin musical associate Eric James
� Unused caf� sequence with a new score by composer Timothy Brock, and related outtakes with narration by comedy choreographer Dan Kamin
� Newly discovered outtakes featuring the Tramp and the circus rider
� Excerpts from the original recording session for the film's opening song, "Swing Little Girl"
� Footage of the film's 1928 Hollywood premiere
� Rerelease trailers
� An essay by critic Pamela Hutchinson

"The Circus"
Blu-ray
$31.96
www.criterion.com/films/27563-the-circus