Man on a Tightrope (1953)

Nice effects though.

As Good As It Gets

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I must admit I had never heard of "Man on a Tightrope" until I read Elia Kazan's autobiography, "Elia Kazan: A Life".The story is based on a true event; the escape of the entire Circus Brumbach in 1950 from East Germany to West Germany. Renamed Cirkus Cernik in the film; they escape from Czechoslovakia.Kazan tells how he agreed to make it only after he found that the story was true. He travelled to Bavaria and met the people of the circus and developed a great rapport with them.Kazan had just named names at the HUAC hearings, and was receiving hate mail and hostility from former friends and associates. Although he had once been in the communist party, he claimed he had long ago become anti-communist, and he felt right at home with these circus people who had fled a repressive communist regime; they didn't feel he had done anything wrong at all. It was a healing process for Kazan.Kazan respected the cast and crew in this film: the real circus people who played small parts or worked as extras, but also his American performers. Most weren't major stars, but he admired the honesty with which they approached their roles. They had to rough it; Germany 8-years after the war didn't provide the comforts of Hollywood. Fredric March whose career was winding down, warned him that he sometimes overacted, but he gave an affecting performance as circus owner Karel Cernik. Gloria Grahame as his cheating wife was never photographed to better advantage; she seemed naturally beautiful without her usual heavy makeup. Terry Moore as Cernik's daughter insisted on doing her own stunts including the scene in the fast flowing river.Despite being based on fact, some rather predictable dramatic elements were added and the film was hacked by the studio; ultimately it failed at the box office. However the film has a brilliantly authentic look and when you know a little of how it was made and the circumstances surrounding it, it gains a dimension far beyond what we see on the screen.

Other IMDb reviewers miss a subtle point. This manages to simultaneously savage communist oppression and anti-communists from the House Un-American Activities Committee. SPOILER: When the secret police question the circus owner, he explains that he has no politics, that circus is his politics, his religion, his life. For the interrogator, all must submit to the primacy of the political. I imagine Kazan felt the same about the theater and his movies, and HUAC certainly demanded the same submission. Watching this on TV today, I thought it was a European film. And no other film from this period that is anti-communist has this degree of sophistication or subtlety. I would love to hear Milos Forman's opinion of this film.

Thanks to all who have recommended this movie. My husband and I have watched it 2 or 3 times on Turner Classic Movies in the past few months and each time I am completely drawn in. The total tension between jovial, carefree circus music and antics on the outside totally belie the palpable terror and desperation on the inside make the final scene pure gold. This reminds me of the 2006 movie, The Lives of Others (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/), which speaks to the same soul- crushing hopelessness under the tyranny of communism.I would like to know more about the real story this movie was based on. The screenplay writer certainly has a lot of hits to his credit.

"Man on a Tightrope", the 1953 film directed by Elia Kazan surprises for the way the director working overseas, mainly in Austria and Germany, was able to capture the atmosphere of the Cold War during the years after WWII. Based on a Neil Paterson story, "International Incident", it was adapted for the screen by Robert Sherwood. Unfortunately, this picture is not seen often enough these days, but it is worth a view by fans of Elia Kazan because it shows him at the top of his form.We are taken to the Cernik Circus, a third rate enterprise, whose owner, Karel Cernik is planning an escape to the West from a an Iron Curtain country, in this case, Czechoslovakia. It was no easy task to try to flee any of those countries during that time. With great resolution Karel plans the way to do it, not without a lot of things that get in the way of the escape.Frederick March, one of the best actors of that period, plays the older Cernik with great conviction. Gloria Grahame is his flighty wife, who at the end recognizes the courage of a husband she didn't seem to care for. A young Terry Moore is Tereza in love with Joe Vosdek, played by Cameron Mitchell. Richard Boone has an excellent opportunity in which to shine."Man on a Tightrope" should be seen by serious fans of the great director Elia Kazan, as it will reward the viewer.