I have to admit that I was a tad skeptical going into this film. I hadn’t really heard too much about it coming into this project and I had no idea what to expect, other than it would probably be some sort of spectacle. On that account, it was not disappointed, for a spectacle it was. As the name implies, The Greatest Show On Earth is about the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. Charlton Heston played Brad Braden, the circus manager, and this is the role that launched him into stardom. There are plenty of other recognizable faces throughout the film, and actual circus performers played themselves. James Stewart also has a role as Buttons the Clown and he never appears on screen without his clown makeup.

What struck me about this film, and what makes it somewhat unique in American cinema annals is that it’s almost a feature film/documentary combination. There is a plot and a story involved as Braden is trying to keep the circus in the black so that they can tour for an entire season, while various love triangles and other subplots whirl around. But director Cecil B. DeMille added these documentary style interstitials about life behind the scenes in the circus and what it takes to erect the big top and what it takes to break it down. There is narration over the documentary footage and the narrator constantly reminds us that one mistake on the part of the circus workers could mean death for a performer. The footage is raw and gives the viewer a sense of what this lifestyle is like and the type of person that it takes to live it. It accurately shows that the circus is not glamorous. It’s hard work, it’s a nomadic lifestyle and danger is never far away for anyone.

The fact that this exposition is given to us at various stages throughout the film certainly helps to keep the stakes high. That is necessary because the story itself isn’t terribly interesting. It isn’t bad by any stretch, but there isn’t anything particularly special about the story. It involves love triangles, a fugitive from justice and one man’s struggle to keep the business operating and on the level. When we first meet Braden, he’s at the circus’ off season headquarters in Sarasota, Florida getting ready to start the tour. He’s told by the board of directors that they’re only going to be hitting the big cities because they can’t afford to take the losses they usually incur by going to all of the small towns. Braden tells them that they will be doing a full season because he’s acquired The Great Sebastian, the most famous trapeze artists in the world, and having him attached to the circus will allow them to sell enough tickets even in the small towns to be able to go on a full tour. The board reluctantly agrees, and allows him to go on a full tour but only if he can keep the whole thing in the black. The problem for him is that The Great Sebastian only works in the Center Ring and he had previously promised the Center Ring to Holly, his would-be girlfriend. This is worth talking about for a moment because it instantly adds conflict to one of the core relationships in the film. Braden is the film’s main character and Holly is the love interest and before we even see them on screen together, they’re in conflict. This relationship ends up being one of the strengths of the film as Holly wants nothing more than to have Braden open his heart to her, but he lives and breathes the circus. This is especially so now due to his mandate to keep the circus in the black in order for them to be able to continue to tour. But when Braden can’t or won’t open up to her, Holly seems to turn her affections towards The Great Sebastian.

The Great Sebastian arrives with great fanfare and Holly is at first determined to push him out of the Center Ring so that she can claim what she feels in rightly hers. What ensues is each of them upping the stakes on the trapeze to the point where they’re risking their lives every time they go up there which inevitably leads to a fall. However it is Sebastian who takes the fall, and Holly is so guilt-ridden that Sebastian will apparently never fly again, as well as the fact that Braden seem to have “saw dust running through his veins” that she leaves him to care for Sebastian. This is another strong suit of the film and a source of good conflict. The love triangle that is between Braden, Holly and Sebastian pits conflicting personalities against each other. Braden is blue-collar, by the book and hard working. Sebastian is a flamboyant, womanizing showman. In fact, Sebastian hits the nail on the head when he says to Holly, “I think you have star dust mixed up with sawdust.” It’s perfect subtext explaining the choice she has to make between Sebastian and Braden, and it makes for a strong conflict that is effectively paid off in the end, also in a unique way.

There are a number of subplots throughout the story as well, and they’re all effectively interwoven into the plot. The most prominent subplot has to do with Buttons the Clown, and it’s effectively revealed throughout the course of the story in a way that is instructive for aspiring screenwriters. We learn early on that Buttons never takes off his makeup. We then learn that he’s on the run. We learn later that he’s on the run from the law. A little while later we learn that he was once a doctor. Finally we find out that he’s on the run from the law for killing his wife and he’s been masquerading as a clown in the circus to keep from going to jail. This is instructive for aspiring screenwriters (and professional screenwriters as well) because it keep us interested in Buttons as a character. DeMille and screenwriters Frederic M. Frank, Barre Lyndon and Theodore St. John expertly controlled the flow of information by revealing only what we needed to know when we needed to know it. There was a shroud of mystery around Buttons that took nearly the entire length of the film to reveal. That keeps the character interesting and the audience engaged, and is a much more effective way of storytelling than revealing the information too quickly. It’s also instructive because every moment they gave another clue about Buttons was in a manner that moved the story forward. In that regard, Buttons’ reveals were more than just character moments, but they were important story moments as well.

There is also another love interest as well. Angel, the elephant rider (played by Gloria Grahame, who many will recognize as Violet from It’s a Wonderful Life) has had a previous affair with Sebastian and still has some feelings for him. However, she also has feelings for Braden and is only too ready to move in on him when Holly chooses to be with Sebastian. This draws the ire of the elephant trainer, Klaus, who sees himself as the man for Angel. In a jealous rage, he goes so far as to nearly have one of the elephants nearly crush Angel during a performance until Braden steps in and stops it. Braden throws Klaus out of the circus, which connects Klaus to yet another subplot involving keeping the circus on the level. Braden finds that one of the carnies is running a dishonest game and has a band of pickpockets working the circus grounds. He throws the carny out and he eventually hooks up with Klaus and they plan on robbing the train together to get back at Braden. This unholy alliance leads to the climax of the story where all of the subplots are paid off, for good or for bad.

Over all The Greatest Show on Earth had a better story than I was expecting it to have. It has several subplots interwoven that all pay off by the end of the film. It has good character development that also helps drive the story. It isn’t a spectacular story. It isn’t an overly dramatic story, but it’s an adequate story when you combine it with the spectacle of the rest of the production.

Finally, this film was a spectacle. Much like the previous year’s An American in Paris, the Academy went with the big, glitzy show about a show. This is the type of big movie that Hollywood loved in the fifties. There was a cavalcade of stars. It was huge in its scope and it combined what were the two most popular forms of entertainment at the time. I think that is what ultimately won this film the Oscar for Best Motion Picture. It was more than a movie. It was a Production. I would stop short of calling it epic, but it wasn’t far away from that type of idea. It was also in color, and that technical advance, which surely helped An American in Paris in the eyes of the voters the year before, couldn’t have hurt the chances of The Greatest Show on Earth.

Did the Academy get it right?

Even with all of that said, I’m still inclined to say no. I would have voted for High Noon had I had a vote for 1952. While not as complex a production as The Greatest Show on Earth, High Noon was a serious film that was much stronger from a thematic standpoint. Also, the simpler storyline allowed for a much more dramatic film. The ticking clock was ever present and the closer it got to striking noon, the more tense the story became. Instead of taking place in multiple locations over a series of weeks, High Noon takes place over the course of a single morning in one town. There are fewer characters to keep track of, and everyone knows what’s going to happen when the clock strikes twelve. High Noon also ranks number 33 on the AFI list of the top 100 movies of all time. The Greatest Show on Earth is not on the list. Unfortunately for High Noon, however, it’s a Western, and Westerns rarely get love from the Academy. It was also shot in black and white, and as mentioned earlier, even though color films had been getting made for 15 years, it was still somewhat of a novelty because the vast majority of films were still in black and white. A spectacle like The Greatest Show on Earth could stand out even more by being in color. Another color film from 1952 that’s worth a second look is The Quiet Man directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Unfortunately for The Quiet Man, it’s a romantic comedy, and those barely get more love from the Academy than Westerns do. But it’s a very entertaining film that I possibly would have voted for as well over The Greatest Show on Earth. Ultimately, however, I can’t begrudge the Academy for making this selection. It’s not a bad movie in the least. In fact, it’s actually quite good, and the size and scope of it make it a worthy winner. Ultimately, however, it’s lackadaisical and meandering plot make it somewhat more forgettable than perhaps it deserves to be.