THE SAWDUST RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 318, 31 March 1928, Page 16

THE SAWDUST RING

CHAVT,rs‘B LATEST

CHAPLIN ON “THE WIRE” LAUGHS AND THRILLS Tlieer is some sort of legend that if one laughs heartily enough two minor maladies result—hoarseness and aching sides. In a drab world there are few chances of an excess of that merriment. So when “the circus” came to town last evening, Auckland converged on the Strand Theatre, filling every seat and braving the inevitable results. Sides did ache and throats were decidedly hoarse after the show, but one felt as through a great laughing simoom had blown away the dust and sand which had overlaid the essential humour of things. Charles Chaplin makes few pictures now, but each one is a masterpiece. It is reassuring to find that he has “come back” stronger than ever in “The Circus.” When one looks down the long list of his triumphs, like “Easy Street,” “Shoulder Arms,” “The Kid,” “The Gold Rush,” one sees the development of his genius, arrd the slap-stick comedian with the music-hall make-up becomes more and more human. Artificiality gives place to a humorous exaggeration of life as it is or might easily be, and pathos comes in as a necessary contrast. “The Circus” seems to represent the sum total of Chaplin’s experience. Here is everything that man considers funny, from the Keystone chase of nmldoers by policemen, to the subtle turns in which the comedian revels, the picture is really a kind of magic looking-glass, in which the schoolboy sees his boisterous fun, the spinster senses the delicate humour, and the business man views the ludicrous side of life. Once again Charlie Chaplin makes his appearance as the Trampi that pathetic, politic and imperturbable personality. That familiar figure was welcomed with a round of applause last night. Down and out the Tramp seeks solace in the frivols of the fair. Any entertainment which costs him nothing is of particular interest to him. An embarrassed pick-pocket uses him as a receptacle for a stolen wallet, and the fun begins. Chaplin’s arrest in the gallery of mirrors is a scream, but the deliciously absurd pose of his among the marionettes is even better. The police chase drives the Tramp to the circus, which is doing a box-office freeze. A sleepy audience wakes up at his appearance and the circus proprietor sees a potential goldmine in him. But the Tramp proves himself a marvellous dumb-bell in the try-outs of the old clown tricks like “the William Tell act” and “the barber’s shop,” and is heaved outside the tent. His chance comes when the property men quit in a body and he gets a job carrying in the magician’s stock-in-trade. There is one gorgeous scene when he presses the. wrong button on the magic table. But the magnificent climax is Chaplin a s a tight-rope walker, 100 ft above the sawdust! Of course there is a fair and shamefully treated equestrienne, and she does not treat the hero with the kindness he deserves. In fact the Tramp finds himself heading into the sunset in the final scene. Theer is a pleasant prologue to “The Circus,” provided by the “Tiny Tots,” who dance prettily, tumble and finally introduce their famous elephant, a most intelligent beast. “Memories of the Old Country” is one of the finest scenic films of Great Britain ever shown here and historical interest is stimulated by scenes of famous events. Eve Bentley and her orchestra play “Pot Pourri” as an overture and play pleasant incidental music.