Man on a Tightrope//One

(Fourteen parts)
Czechoslovakia, 1952: Karel Cernik struggles to keep his Circus Cernik together, despite mounting restrictions laid on him by the new communist regime. When local officials order him to dismiss foreign members of his troop or face its liquidation, his dream of escape to the West becomes a plan.

This was based on an actual incident, which was the basis of Neil Paterson's story "International Incident". Some of the supporting roles in this film were played by performers who made the escape with Circus Brumbach. Historical fact has of course been embelished a bit, and the American accents require some suspension of disbelief. But in the stark, violent ending, one gets a feeling of having witnessed a very real event. Filmed in Bavaria.

ABOUT ELIA KAZAN:
A former communist, Elia Kazan made a turnaround after learning of the repressions of Stalin's regime, and later testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee about several Hollywood professionals who were communists or communist sympathizers--a step for which many in Hollywood never forgave him. "Man on a Tightrope" is one of his lesser-known, rarely-seen works.

A few additional notes from the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) website:

"...Neil Paterson's book first appeared as a novelette in the British magazine Lilliput under the title International Incident. As noted by contemporary sources, the film is loosely based on real incidents involving the Brumbach Circus, which escaped from Communist-controlled East Germany to West Germany in 1950. Unlike the escape in the film, however, circus owner Gustav Brumbach slowly moved a few camouflaged pieces of equipment and performers at a time, over a period of several months. Contemporary sources note that many members of the Brumbach Circus, including Madame Brumbach and dwarf Hansi, appeared in or worked on the film, which was shot on location near Fall, Bavaria, the Isar River in Bavaria and Munich, Germany...

"...According to Hollywood Reporter news items, the film's New York premiere was a benefit for the International Rescue Committee. In modern sources, director Elia Kazan asserted that, against his wishes, studio production chief Darryl F. Zanuck cut twenty minutes from the film before its release. In his autobiography, Kazan stated that the crew and cast were subjected to harassment from the East German government, which threatened to harm family members still living there. According to Kazan, the first director of photography hired by the company quit due to these threats. Kazan also praised the crew and circus performers' dedication to the project despite the harsh conditions under which they lived, and revealed that he developed a close friendship with Hansi and several of the other performers."

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Czech
• Czechslovakia
• communist
• Elia
• Kazan
• Frederic
• March
• Circus
• Cernik
• Adolphe
• Menjou
• Brumbach
• Bavaria
• performing
• arts

[captainfrodo]

Thanks for posting this great circus film.

[notredamehesamighty]

Brilliant film... March has never been better. Excellent cast! Why doesn't anyone else know about this film?

[tatelabianca]

love this movie! thanks for the post!

[MediaWatchDawg]

I just warched this movie. Thanks for posting.

[melollylolly]

cameron mitchell has a good part as terry moore's love interest

[melollylolly]

good cast

[melollylolly]

a good movie