clanciai Burt Lancaster is the most impressing character here, although both Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida are almost equal to him and many of the other actors as well. The circus world is admirably caught on screen with all its chaotic ingredients of loose ends and relationships, cynical direction bordering on cruelty, elephants and horses, lions breaking loose and of course no limits to intrigue, as there are constant threats of artists quitting. But this is actually a film about the problems of relationships in matters of artistic perfection - they just can't mix. Burt and Tony find each other, but then there is Gina, and Burt, with his greater experience, immediately sees Gina as a mortal threat to the artistry, and so she is, no matter how clever and endearing she appears as she enforces her ambitions at the cost of others. The end is arguable - what actually happens? Will they be able to continue, or will they not? The end is typically abstruse and ambiguous for Carol Reed - he ended a number of his films in the same way with a remaining unanswerable question mark.Above all, the film is a feast to the eyes, after his first colour film "A Kid for Two Farthings" the year before he has considerably developed his artistry for utilizing colours and cinemascope to the full - the film is from beginning to end sparkling with colourful life and actually fathoms the whole circus life completely in all human, animal and artistic aspects. There are some scenes that hit the roof in excellence and unsurpassable top ratings, all the trapeze scenes above all, but also minor scenes, like when Burt and Tony walk on their hands on the street together out of the scene. It's probably the best circus film ever made.

capone666 TrapezeThe best thing about being a trapeze artist is you're safe when the circus elephants stampede below.But, as this drama demonstrates, there are plenty more dangers under the big top.Aspirant high wire aerialist Tino Orsini (Tony Curtis) heads off in search of an injured trapeze legend Mike Ribble (Burt Lancaster) so that Mike can teach him the deadly triple-somersault routine that nearly ruined him.But Tino is not the only performer interested in Mike's attention as an attractive tumbler (Gina Lollobrigida) joins the ranks and drives a jealous wedge between Tino and his mentor.Needles to say, this love triangle begins to affect their precarious performance.Despite its capable male leads, exciting backdrop and array of aerial feats, this sluggish melodrama never gets off the ground thanks to its lacklustre script and amoral leading lady.Furthermore, I always thought injured circus performers were fed to the clowns.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

preppy-3 Mike Ribble (Burt Lancaster) is a great trapeze artist who becomes injured one day during an act and ends up just being a rigger. Years later young naive Tino Orsini (Tony Curtis) seeks him out to learn how to become a great trapeze artist. They get along fantastic but sexy Lola (Gina Lollobrigida) joins the act and plays them against one another.The story and dialogue are pretty terrible but everything else is great. The trapeze acts themselves are VERY impressive and the wonderful direction by Carol Reed makes you feel like you're right there watching the acts. It's even more impressive when you realize Lancaster did most of his own stunts (he worked in a circus before he started acting). Curtis and Lollobrigida must have used doubles but it's so well edited and directed you can't tell. Wait till you see Lancaster and Curtis (or more precisely their doubles) walking down the street on their hands! The basic love story here is boring and has been done countless times before this movie (and since) but there IS a subtle but strong homosexual subtext going on here. The sexual chemistry between Curtis and Lancaster comes through. Lancaster gets REALLY upset when Lollobrigida wants to join the act and mentions more than once than he can only work with Tino. But this isn't explored (they couldn't in 1956) and it just settles down to a conventional lovers triangle. It ends with an ending that I didn't buy for one second and I think Lollobrigida's character got off WAY too easy...but you have to take into account when this was made. Also Lancaster gives out one of his best performances. Incredibly handsome and sexy but you see his pain and bitterness. Curtis is good too but not as good as Lancaster. Lollobrigida is as good as she can be with the evil sexy woman role. So the terrible story and dialogue hurt but the acting, directing, fast pace and incredible aerial acts more than compensate. I give this an 8.

trpdean This movie by Carol Reed (director of such great movies as The Third Man, Odd Man Out, The Key, and The Fallen Idol, who finally won the Oscar for Best Director for his musical, "Oliver!"(a musical adaptation of Oliver Twist) is simply superb.Although this shares the circus setting as some others of the time, it's not primarily "about" the circus. It's a profound look at age, comeback, love (whether wanted or not), ambition. It's set in a dark and almost tawdry Paris of the mid-1950s, one that seems still tired and rather poor a dozen years after liberation.The whole setting - and the love triangle - are fabulous yet realistic. This is a great bookend for An American in Paris - two entirely different images of Paris and France at the time.The Burt Lancaster characterization is simply great - understated, powerful, moving - a man looking for a comeback, a last chance. Tony Curtis is also fine (I think Curtis has long been terribly underrated - he's a very good actor, wonderful in all kinds of parts from The Boston Strangler to Boeing, Boeing, from Sweet Smell of Success (with Lancaster again) to Some Like it Hot). Lollobrigida is great - a fine actress, yes unbelievably sexy but also just excellent at making us feel what her (desperate and cunning) character feels.This is a great movie - amazingly set with a circus backdrop. I loved it. It's as good a depiction of post-war western Europe as can be imagined - in music, in light/shadow, in the fatigue you feel throughout. Watch it! You won't be disappointed.