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Man on a Tightrope (Elia Kazan, 1953)
Writers: Neil Paterson, Robert E. Sherwood
Cast: Fredric March, Terry Moore, Gloria Grahame
Genre: Drama Thriller
Man on a Tightrope (Elia Kazan, 1953)
Writers: Neil Paterson, Robert E. Sherwood
Cast: Fredric March, Terry Moore, Gloria Grahame
Genre: Drama Thriller
A circus owner (Fredrick March) plans to escape communist Czechoslovakia along with his wife (Gloria Grahame) and his entire circus troupe. But before he can make his daring escape the state police begin investigating him. CR
Between making two of the greatest films: A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, director Elia Kazan made two lesser known films: Viva Zapata and this film Man On a Tightrope. Based on a 1952 novel by Neil Paterson. The movie tells the true story of Circus Brumbach who's members escaped from communist held East Germany in 1950. Some of the actually escapees appear in the movie.
Filmed on location in Bavaria Germany, the film both looks and feels real! Making films that were hard hitting personal stories was the tenant of the Oscar winning director, Kazan. The film starts out by setting up the characters in the circus. We see the circus people but not much air time is spent on actual circus performances. We do get to know what kind of people they are and how life is for these people under the oppressive thumb of communism.
Fredrick March is both the owner of the circus and a performing clown. He's grown weary of the communist run state telling him how to run the circus. According to communism, the circus belongs to the people and not to Fredrick March's character. Trouble also awaits March in the from of a blonde spitfire, Gloria Grahame. She can't understand why her husband runs things the way that he does. She knows nothing of his escape plans and spends her time ogling the muscular lion tamer.
Things kick into high gear when the state police start questioning March. Veteran actor Adolphe Menjou is effective as one of the state police who makes a blunder that is in March's favor.
Watch this one for it's amazingly true story and for it's on location shooting.
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Filmed on location in Bavaria Germany, the film both looks and feels real! Making films that were hard hitting personal stories was the tenant of the Oscar winning director, Kazan. The film starts out by setting up the characters in the circus. We see the circus people but not much air time is spent on actual circus performances. We do get to know what kind of people they are and how life is for these people under the oppressive thumb of communism.
Fredrick March is both the owner of the circus and a performing clown. He's grown weary of the communist run state telling him how to run the circus. According to communism, the circus belongs to the people and not to Fredrick March's character. Trouble also awaits March in the from of a blonde spitfire, Gloria Grahame. She can't understand why her husband runs things the way that he does. She knows nothing of his escape plans and spends her time ogling the muscular lion tamer.
Things kick into high gear when the state police start questioning March. Veteran actor Adolphe Menjou is effective as one of the state police who makes a blunder that is in March's favor.
Watch this one for it's amazingly true story and for it's on location shooting.
+