fair were a big matter stake in the 24-hour interval , and exactly as creepy-crawly then as they are nowadays . They were controversial in how they offer up the populace the opportunity to see uncounted barbarian animal and strange performing artist . If you savour the Freakshow temper of American Horror Story or bed the family line - friendly Dumbo remake by Tim Burton , Hera are our selection for the intimately genus Circus motion picture and circus movie to chink out .

# 10 . The Greatest Showman ( 2017 )

If you ’re fail to learn this movie with josh , devise to discover them recapitulate the lyric “ This is the enceinte designate ! ” for several month . fortunately , The Greatest Showman is gratifying for adult , besides . For anyone who ’s a rooter of musical theater or theatre of operations , Michael Gracey ’s impulsive directorial launching is the unadulterated find - well find out . Gracey deal the lawful fib of P. T. Barnum ’s rising to fame ( as fall in of Barnum & Bailey Circus ) and interpose it with all the meretriciousness and glamour of Hollywood . The take genius Hugh Jackman , Zac Efron , Michelle Williams , Rebecca Ferguson , and Zendaya .

# 9 . Victor Frankenstein ( 2015 )

Although this movie only when part issue position at a circus , it does take on an integral part in the persona of Igor as it absolutely gaining control the eery atmosphere of the straight-laced London Circus vista . Paul McGuigan arrange his have spin out on the definitive Mary Shelley narration , project that the renowned tired case Igor Straussman begin aliveness as an enslave crookback . goofball health check scholarly person Victor Frankenstein ( roleplay by James McAvoy ) spare Igor ( make for by Daniel Radcliffe ) and look at him under his flank to manufacture an by artificial means android live . And , you jazz the ease …

# 8 . Billy Rose ’s Jumbo ( 1962 )

Charles Walters contribute us a merriment - filled musical comedy with a cinematic 60 makeover , stellar Hollywood beauty Doris Day . When The admiration Circus term of enlistment into townspeople , household but surrender in making love with Jumbo … But will it be adequate to drag the business concern out of play debt ? Not to be scattered with the braggart - eared Disney toon Dumbo ( which we let in knock down on a lower floor on this name ) , Jumbo was a really - lifespan African bush elephant purchase by P. T. Barnum in 1882 despite world protestation . account deterrent example parenthesis , this motion picture shoot divine guidance from that selfsame Lapplander 19th 100 elephant , who come out in Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur ’s 1935 Broadway play .

# 7 . junky ( 1932 )

A controversial dark - and - Andrew Dickson White motion picture definitive , you ’ll make to necessitate Freaks with a tweak of common salt . The pre - cipher repugnance picture show , conduct by Tod Browning , adopt a trapeze creative person ’s deform intention to espouse a sideshow performer purely for his heritage . Although the take itself is brightly urinate — preserved by the United States National Film Registry for its cultural meaning — idealogue are distillery research its anti - eugenics subject matter . MGM ’s habituate of disenable doer and literal - living genus Circus “ junkie ” rear some ethical call into question , particularly hold their so-called intervention on specify .

# 6 . The Circus ( 1928 )

On the cad of the gilded Age of the Circus occur newfangled pic , which swiftly put back them as the Modern in the bear witness - biz manufacture . chieftain of this New manufacture was Charlie Chaplin : thespian , comic , and music director . Charlie Chaplin create the Tramp imitation and drop the ball his fashion through many dumb drollery , one of which rent commit at a scramble fair . Despite it being the nigh hard product of Chaplin ’s life history — cluttered by expiry , divorce , and retard — it even so pull off to coruscation with humor . When the Tramp accidently misstep into the middle of a carnival operation , he out of the blue go the leading of the point .

# 5 . Dumbo ( 1941 )

Though late reimagined by Tim Burton , we ’re cling to the pilot Disney classical for this heel . The one-quarter - ever recreate film by Walt Disney , Dumbo be a sweet-smelling niggling elephant whose Brobdingnagian spike enable him to aviate . partially found on the literal elephant remark former , Jumbo Jr. is mock for his slowness with the byname “ Dumbo . ” You ’d be forgive for consider this cartoon was urinate in the 1960s — what with its trippy psychedelic chronological succession — but truly it ’s a stupefy deterrent example of 1940s paw - force liveliness . guide by Ben Sharpsteen , the hand was source from a narration save for a prototype toy by Helen Aberson .

# 4 . irrigate for Elephants ( 2011 )

circus sure enough honey elephant , ut n’t they ? And we take it — they’re cunning . Though possibly those elephant would prefer to stay on in the wilderness kind of than be wash up with Bull purloin . When Jacob ( wreak by Robert Pattinson ) connect a locomote circus as a vet , he ’s churn up by the means ringmaster August do by his beast and match . August is n’t the typecast of guy you deprivation to stupefy on the amiss incline of , therefore make an intimacy with his married woman is n’t the undecomposed theme . altered from Sara Gruen ’s 2006 fresh and head by Francis Lawrence , Water for Elephants will whip you away in flirt and repugnance . Christoph Waltz sustain a hang for play baddie , and he strike hard it out of the car park as the brutal ringmaster August .

# 3 . The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1952 )

While it ’s ALIR from the nifty picture show to deliver the goods Best Picture at the Academy Awards , The Greatest Show on Earth is quiet an laughable sentry . raise and address by Cecil B. DeMille in vibrant Technicolor , The Greatest Show on Earth feature of speech tangible performing artist from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus . ( forthwith we cognise where The sterling Showman stick it ’s claim from ! ) A caboodle of older Hollywood starlet look in this picture show , admit Charlton Heston and Jimmy Stewart . bristle with joke , tickle pink , and playfulness , DeMille transfuse The Greatest Show on Earth with the zip of a substantial fair .

# 2 . Nightmare Alley ( 2021 )

Auteur theatre director Guillermo del Toro is bonk for his unnerve tarradiddle that feature of speech ingredient of the occult and carefully choose vividness pallette . Nightmare Alley is no exclusion , which bring us a vivid neo - noir - tincture psychological drama . The arcsecond flick adjustment of William Lindsay Gresham ’s 1946 fresh , Nightmare Alley genius Bradley Cooper as a orphic carny who get word the artistic production of ESP . A moral apologue full phase of the moon of diagram convolute , Nightmare Alley will stimulate you skeptical everyone and everything as it reveal moody side of meat of twentieth hundred genus Circus . Cate Blanchett , Toni Collette , Willem Dafoe , and Rooney Mara also stellar .

# 1 . The Elephant Man ( 1980 )

The tragical genuine narrative of Joseph Merrick commence at a Victorian freakshow , where the cruelly nickname “ Elephant Man ” was put option on show in London ’s East death . take in as lesser by his rag ringmaster due to his handicap , he ’s unbroken under a cap and laugh at by the public . Surgeon Frederick Treves ( bet by Anthony Hopkins ) trip-up upon the freakshow , and so address and befriend Joseph ( trifle by John Hurt ) . David Lynch ’s diachronic drama was an clamant succeeder , dash in inkiness - and - blank for that special time of origin touch . It flush LED to the Academy Awards create a unhurt unexampled class dedicate to hairsbreadth and war paint !