Trapeze

Great role for Burt in Carol Reed's love tryst circus plot.

Great curio piece with Burt Lancaster being a former circus performer, the film was something of a big success on its initial release. It's not hard to see why either, because it's a solid enough story backed up by great aerial sequences set to the backdrop of circus life. The love triangle between the three leads (our intrepid trapeze artists) that threatens to envelope them with disastrous consequences, is never less than intriguing, and of course we get led into a breath holding finale that achieves the desired effect.

Sadly for me the acting here lets the film down, Lancaster does "OK" and holds the film together, and I really liked Thomas Gomez as the money orientated Bouglione, but it is here is where the Tony Curtis detractors get their ammunition from. Curtis is very wooden and it's hard to believe this is the same actor from The Defiant Ones & The Boston Strangler. Katy Jurado is reduced to being a bit part player, and as the female lead, Gina Lollobrigida looks gorgeous but delivers her lines in unconvincing fashion.

This is good honest entertainment, with some exuberant set-pieces that raise the pulses, but ultimately it becomes bogged down by some less than memorable acting. 6/10

Corny love triangle at a circus in France with Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida

A disillusioned former aerobatics star functioning as a rigger at a Paris circus (Lancaster) is revived when a young prodigy from Brooklyn comes under his coaching wing (Curtis). Everything’s going great until an alluring tumbler worms her way into their act (Lollobrigida).

"Trapeze” (1956) comes in the tradition of "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952) and was a hit at the box office. But it’s way more one-dimensional by comparison in that the setting is stationary (shot at Cirque d'Hiver, Paris) and the focus is naturally on the trapeze gymnastics as opposed to other acts.

The three stars are the drawing factor and were all in their prime with Burt being the oldest at 42 during shooting; Tony was 30 and Gina 28. For those not in the know, Burt was a circus performer before entering the movie biz. He performed all but one of the aerial gymnastics stunts himself. Meanwhile the stunt double for Lollobrigida died after a 40’ fall during production, suffering a broken back.

Speaking of the shapely Gina, she’s obviously the highlight in the feminine department and the camera doesn’t fail to fully capture her beauty. Katy Jurado is also on hand, along with several peripherals.

While the flick’s enjoyable in its quaint way, it’s hindered by the aforementioned one-dimensional tone and, worse, the corny melodramatics of the love triangle. Plus Lola’s manipulations don’t exactly endear her to the viewer.

My favorite circus flicks are probably "Water for Elephants" (2011) and "Circus of Horrors" (1960), along with "The Greatest Show on Earth,” but "The Big Circus" (1959), "Roustabout" (1964) and "Circus of Fear" (1966), aka "Psycho-Circus," are also worth checking out.

The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes.

GRADE: B-