01 Feb 2001
Werckmeister Harmonies
A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.
Five Men in a Circus
The main focus is on the 5 member band of a small circus as it runs into problems while touring rural Japan. It also pays lots of attention to the two daughters of the aging and irascible ringmaster-circus owner. The high points are the sound (and score) and cinematography featuring a lot of vertiginous panning (appropriate - as high wire trapeze artists are also an important element in the film). A fascinating side-light on 30s Japan.
Top Billed Cast
ヘンリー大川 Kokichi
宇留木 浩 Torakichi
藤原釜足 Tadakichi
Riki Miyagawa Rokuta
御橋公 Seiroku
丸山定夫 Chief Travelling Circus
Koji Kaga Kunio, the acrobat
森野鍛冶哉 Matsumoto the Manager
堤真佐子 Chiyoko
梅園龍子 Sumiko
Masako Sanjo Equilibrist in giant ball
清川虹子 Okiyo
Similar movies
Werckmeister Harmonies Werckmeister Harmonies Shadows and Fog 
Shadows and Fog 05 Dec 1991
Shadows and Fog
With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.
Boot Hill 
Boot Hill 20 Dec 1969
Boot Hill
Victims of oppressive town boss Honey are offered help by an unusual alliance of gunmen and circus performers
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II 
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II 06 Feb 2002
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
Now that Frollo is gone, Quasimodo rings the bell with the help of his new friend and Esmeralda's and Phoebus' little son, Zephyr. But when Quasi stops by a traveling circus owned by evil magician Sarousch, he falls for Madellaine, Sarouch's assistant.
The Blue Angel 
The Blue Angel 01 Apr 1930
The Blue Angel
Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.
Monkey or Man 
Monkey or Man 30 Nov 2022
Monkey or Man
When a circus trio have a particularly disastrous show, Mandy the Acrobat must decide whether to run away from the circus, or to stay and help her friends.
Laugh, Clown, Laugh 
Laugh, Clown, Laugh 14 Apr 1928
Laugh, Clown, Laugh
A despairing clown suffering a broken heart and a self-indulgent count who uncontrollably laughs learn to help each other with their problems, but both fall in love with the same young woman.
Big Top Pee-wee 
Big Top Pee-wee 22 Jul 1988
Big Top Pee-wee
Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ever.
The Greatest Show on Earth 
The Greatest Show on Earth 16 Feb 1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.
Two Brothers 
Two Brothers 07 Apr 2004
Two Brothers
Two tigers are separated as cubs and taken into captivity, only to be reunited years later as enemies by an explorer (Pearce) who inadvertently forces them to fight each other.
Fireworks 
Fireworks 15 Sep 1954
Fireworks
The quiet life of an extended family is shaken up when a circus comes into town.
Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu 
Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu 14 Feb 1958
Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu
Chandran, a circus performer, and Thankam are in love. The circus team borrows some money from Thankam's father, Paithal Nair. When they are unable to repay, Paithal Nair takes away their animals.
Sawdust and Tinsel 
Sawdust and Tinsel 14 Sep 1953
Sawdust and Tinsel
A number of complicated relationships develop between a circus ringmaster, his estranged wife and his lover.
Behind the Sun 
Behind the Sun 12 Dec 2001
Behind the Sun
Brazilian badlands, April 1910. Tonho is ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother. The young man knows that if he commits this crime, his life will be divided in two: the twenty years he has already lived and the few days he has left to live, before the other family avenges their son's death. He is torn between fulfilling his ancestral duty and rebelling against it, urged by his younger brother Pacu. That's when a tiny travelling circus passes through the vast badlands where Tonho's family lives.
The Village 
The Village 12 Apr 1976
The Village
This appears to be a labor of love. Its about a village which is given the opportunity to put on a musical. They would have to pay the overhead and, being that they are farmers and always busy and not rich, question the wisdom and feasibility of such an idea. A spokesperson for the acting troupe Ms. Kono lays out the whole thing and they must decide. You get little slices of rural life in Japan far, at least in sentiment, from Tokyo. The best thing about this film is that it has heart. The acting is good, but it is really about the simple storyline of outing on a show. Films rarely get made with such simplistic plots these days. Enjoy this little slice of what city people call “the simple life”.
A Prohibition Monkey 
A Prohibition Monkey 13 Sep 1920
A Prohibition Monkey
The town of Beer Bottle Bend is so tough that the babies chew tobacco. It is run in a high, wide, and handsome manner by the owner of Riley's Saloon. There is a little church in the town built in haste many years ago but it has been securely boarded up for years. Mr. Riley intended it to remain so for his Sunday business was booming. A traveling evangelist who learned his profession as a circus performer arrives in the town with Charles Bullephant, a peevish elephant; Joe Martin, a highly-cultured orang-outang; and Buster, a famous trained horse. With help from his friends, he sets out to make Beer Bottle Bend a church-going community.
Floating Weeds 
Floating Weeds 17 Nov 1959
Floating Weeds
When a theater troupe's master visits his old flame, he unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.
The Leopard Lady The Leopard Lady 22 Feb 1928
The Leopard Lady
Jacqueline Logan stars as Paula, a beautiful and fearless circus leopard trainer. Working hand-in-glove with the police, Paula joins a circus where several murders have occurred. Among the suspects is gorilla trainer Caesar (Alan Hale Sr.). (NY Times)
Travelling Hearts 
Travelling Hearts 12 Feb 2018
Travelling Hearts
A clown, and a lion tamer, escape from the travelling circus to live a free life in the forest.
The Wagons Roll at Night 
The Wagons Roll at Night 25 Apr 1941
The Wagons Roll at Night
An escaped circus lion provides the impetus for the meeting of carnival owner Nick Coster and Matt Varney, a small-town man who suddenly becomes a lion tamer when he manages to subdue the big cat. While acclimating to carnival life, Matt begins a romance with Nick's sister, Mary, causing tension between Matt and Nick. The latter must also juggle his stormy relationship with glamorous circus star Flo Lorraine.