I guess I ultimately like this film but boy does the story keep getting in the way. The pseudo-documentary of how that dying industry of the 3 ring circus worked as well as footage of the various circus acts is a really stellar entertaining stuff. The film is at its best when DeMille is just letting the circus spectacular fill up time. And a lot of the circus stuff is really fun and very colorful. It makes for a great evening of campy pleasures.
Unfortunately, DeMille felt the need to structure the circus footage around 3 different plots, each more melodramatic and sillier than the last. The main one is an awful love triangle and the battle for the center ring. It is pitched, stilted and highly predictable. Betty Hutton turns in a very annoying performance and what the weak writing does not kill she does. The weirdest one is the Button's story, through this is one of few slightly morally ambiguous characters Stewart played. His performance is charming but feels like it should be in a much better film. Finally the elephant trainer/mob (?) story is wholly unnecessary and has by far the silliest scene in any best picture winner.
This is often cited as the worst best picture winner. I am actually mostly good with it winning best picture. For all its faults it is very much a DeMille film and that Oscar is a good way to honor his legacy. However, someone must have sold their soul to win a writing Oscar (Best Story). It is utterly inexplicable that happened.
Unfortunately, DeMille felt the need to structure the circus footage around 3 different plots, each more melodramatic and sillier than the last. The main one is an awful love triangle and the battle for the center ring. It is pitched, stilted and highly predictable. Betty Hutton turns in a very annoying performance and what the weak writing does not kill she does. The weirdest one is the Button's story, through this is one of few slightly morally ambiguous characters Stewart played. His performance is charming but feels like it should be in a much better film. Finally the elephant trainer/mob (?) story is wholly unnecessary and has by far the silliest scene in any best picture winner.
This is often cited as the worst best picture winner. I am actually mostly good with it winning best picture. For all its faults it is very much a DeMille film and that Oscar is a good way to honor his legacy. However, someone must have sold their soul to win a writing Oscar (Best Story). It is utterly inexplicable that happened.