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The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

Rate: 1
Viewed: 8/25

GreatestShow
8/25: What overblown monstrosity of sheer boredom is this?

Best Picture of 1952? Ha! This is The Worst Show on Earth for 152 agonizing minutes which is akin to throwing all kinds of objects with different colors into a spinning dryer and hoping for some coherence. Remember the train wreck at the end? That's the movie in a nutshell.

I cannot believe three writers received an Oscar for their awful screenplay, and I want to strangle them all. Ditto to whoever thought Betty Hutton would be a good asset for the film. That woman would not shut...the...hell...up. What a terrible actress, too. Who the hell is she anyway?

Cecil B. DeMille went overboard with the rear projection effect. It must have been employed at least 50% of the time, giving the film a very cheap feel. Whenever Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde did a trapeze act, I didn't believe they were actually doing it which was further evidenced by the long shots. Anything for real, that was done a few inches off the ground and reedited later. At any rate, you're better off watching Trapeze with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has always been synonymous with animal abuse. Therefore, shame on Charlton Heston's character not cracking down on this aspect, preferring to focus on gambling, thievery, and whatever else that's causing the company to lose money (like I care). By the way, people may be wondering why Charlton Heston wasted his time on this rubbish piece of crap. The truth is that it's his third film ever and nobody knew who he was hitherto. So, we should be thankful because Cecil B. DeMille's next project would be the final of his career: The Ten Commandments.

All in all, The Worst Show on Earth is the appropriate title.