Andrei Pavlov "Tsirk", to my mind, is as enjoyable as Mr Charles Chaplin's "The Circus". Unluckily our film did not miss the chance to show off some pressure of Stalin propaganda. The final demonstration and the portrait of you-know-who must have been omitted for the sake of importance and art.The scene with the trio awaiting Rayechka and entertaining the audience at the circus with their repetitive fooling around on the bicycles is one of the funniest sequences ever.The scene with Marion Dixon dancing and singing in Russian with a very peculiar accent is one of the most amazing and exhilarating black-and-white scenes I've ever seen.The scene with the two rivals (Ivan Petrovich Martynov vs. Von Kneishitz) staring each other down and out through a frosting pane is superb and feels very weird and even fearsome.The scene with a close-up of Mary before her dangerous performance is one of the most powerful.The scene with the people chanting a kind of lullaby in different languages to a black child while handing him over to one another is simply outstanding and very tender.The names. I really enjoy the use of names and numerous puns in our old films. Here the name of the main villain is "Kneischitz" (do you get the sound of it?) and one of the silly characters is called "Taburetkin" in one conversation instead of his personal "Skamejkin". As to the way Mary uses "Petrovich"... Nice verbal tricks.The funniest lines: "She was a Negro's lover! And she has a black child!!!" (Von Kneishitz) "So what? Ha-ha-ha!" (Russian audience)I could go on...Verdict: Mrs Lyubov Orlova is one of the finest actresses of the black-and-white era. Her talents are amazing (in singing, acting, dancing, intonations, stunts, good looks, powerful presence, etc.).8 out of 10 (without uneasy exaggeration at certain points and Stalinism it would zoom higher). Thank you for attention.

Nicole Renee I haven't seen many propaganda films but among the ones I have seen, Tsirk was the most entertaining. Tsirk is a socialist propaganda movie commissioned by Stalin with an overall theme of equality and unity. Marion, played by Lyubov Orlova, is an American dancer on tour with a secret. Von Kneishitz her stage manager, who seems very German, knows her secret and threatens to expose her because he believes her secret is so scandalous that no one will accept her. In the end Marion's secret is exposed to the public but it turns out the public does not replace her, because they are soviet Russia and they accept everyone no matter what! It was interesting to see this movie and be able to compare it to the musicals that were being created at the same time in other parts of the world. I also found it interesting that they had to have a character in the movie that was evil and represented Germans. The very end of the movie was the best because the extreme amount of obvious propaganda. The movie as a whole was a propaganda film but the ending reminded me of watching the grand finale of a fireworks how they once gradually get faster and increase in number. The end of this movie was also like a grand finale for soviet propaganda. The song and the people involved with it gradually increased, got louder and a huge picture of Stalin was carried by the crowd. I'm glad I watched it for historical purposes but I would only recommend the film to someone who was interested in history or propaganda films.

zeppo101 The Circus (1936), directed by Grigori Aleksandrov, is a Soviet propaganda piece that reflects a growing ideology of Russian nationalism. American performer Marion Dixon, with her German manager Von Kneishitz, tours the Soviet Union performing her popular circus act. While in Moskau, she falls in love with Martynov, an engineer and fellow circus performer. When the jealous Von Kneishitz discovers the romance, he threatens to reveal Marion's darkest secret—that she has an interracial baby. However, Von Kneishitz is defeated when Martynov and the entire circus audience accept Marion and her baby as part of the Soviet state.This film is Aleksandrov's obvious attempt at Soviet propaganda; yet, regarding the film just as a propaganda piece is a mistake. The purpose becomes much more than just depicting communist Soviet Union ideology. It comments on comedy, the Hollywood film and, more importantly, racism and sexism. Consequently, through the representation of various themes, Aleksandrov is able to create multiple meanings that transcend the superficial title of "propaganda film." Taking place in contemporary (1936) USSR, the film centers on Marion Dixon, an American, who represents a foreigner in the Soviet Union. After fleeing America for having an interracial baby, Marion meets Von Kneishitz, a German, who becomes her manager throughout her tour of Russia. Von Kneishitz loves Marion and is very overprotective over her which causes conflict between the two characters. In Moskau, Marion meets an engineer named Ivan Petrovich Martynov with whom she falls in love. When the circus director views the American's circus performance he decides he wants to copy it. Recruiting his daughter Rayechka, his daughter's lover Skamejkin, and Martynov, the circus director develops a show similar to Marion's show. As Martynov and Marion become close, Von Kneishitz becomes jealous and blackmails Marion. Unable to see Martynov for fear of her secret being revealed, Marion writes him a note which leads to a complicated misunderstanding with Rayechka and Skamejkin. After Rayechka clears up the misunderstanding, she persuades Marion into pursuing the love of Martynov. After Marion and Martynov finally rekindle their love, Von Kneishitz reveals to the entire audience that Marion has an interracial baby. However, the Soviet people and state accept Marion and her baby.One major theme that appears at the end of the film is that a communist state accepts all outcasts of the capitalistic world because of the climactic musical scene. Marion, who is shown running away from an American mob for having an interracial child at the beginning of the film, is portrayed as an outcast from her own country. Even in the Soviet Union she is portrayed as strange because she has difficulty speaking the Russian language and wears "Western" clothes. It is because she has been an outcast in America and feels like one in the Soviet Union that she does not reveal the secret about her child. However, the plot at the end of the film changes when Von Kneishitz reveals her secret. To Marion's surprise, the Russian people do not reenact the scene at the beginning of the movie. In fact, the scene is completely opposite. The baby and Marion are accepted. This moment provides an interesting transition in the plot. Through the singing of the song, "Shiroka strana moja rodnaja"/"My wide home country," the Russian people become characters within the film and also representations of the communist state. Through the portrayal of Russians from various backgrounds, regions, races, and religions, the director suggests that there is a unity within the Soviet Union. While each region has its own language and dress, they are still united in their belief of acceptance of difference, their Russian nationality, and, most importantly, their communist ideals. By passing around the baby and singing a popular nationalist song, the people are accepting Marion and her child while also assimilating them within the culture. As a result, the beginning and ending scenes are meant to contrast capitalist and communist ideals: the west is racist and not accepting of difference, while Russians are accepting of others. The ending musical scene is able to create a sense of community and friendship, while the beginning mob scene is chaotic and scary. While the musical scene does have a "mob" of people, this mob is of peaceful, accepting people who do not chase and ostracize Marion like the American mob. Instead, Marion and her baby become a part of the collective mob which indicates a communist state of acceptance.As a big fan of musicals, I really enjoyed the film. The Berkeley-like dance scene was particularly beautiful. The complicated choreography alone makes the film worth watching. Furthermore, the music is enchanting. The rendition of "Shiroka strana moja rodnaja" in different languages and dialects provides an interesting look at Russian culture.Even though the film is an obvious propaganda piece, I enjoyed many aspects of it. As mentioned before, the musical and spectacle aspects of the film are great. Also, the beautiful Lyubov Orlova as Marion Dixon shines. Although her American accent is not great, she does give a great performance as a conflicted, ostracized circus act.I would recommend this film to my friends, especially those who enjoy the Hollywood musicals of the 1930s and 40s. It is also a good film that illustrates the power of propaganda during Stalin's time. Whether one views the film as a musical film or as a propaganda piece, the film is still worth watching as a representation of Russian cinema in the 1930s.

amikal Circus which was written by Brigori Aleksandrov and was directed by Aleksandrov and I. Simkov was released in 1936. The movie which is a comedy/musical centers on a U.S.-Vaudeville dancer Marion Dixon on tour with her German manager Von Kneischitz in Mosocow. The woman's act entails her being shot from a canon and is a crowd favorite. When Marion begins to fall in love with the handsome Ivan Petrovich Martynov(Sergei Stolvarov) she falls in love with Moscow as well. When Marion decides she wants to remain in Moscow this does not make her German manager happy. Her manager insists that if she tries to stay in Moscow she will never be accepted after he tells everyone about her son who is half black. As the film progresses and comes to a close Marion confesses her love to Martynov and Kneischitz shows Marion's black child to the circus audience. While Kneischitz thinks he is going to ruin Marion, the opposite occurs. The Russian people accept the child. In the final scene they all march off in unity and happiness.The purpose of this film is clearly propaganda. The author seems to try and convey multiple messages in this film for that purpose. One message the author tries to convey in this film is that the Russian people are good and the German people are bad. This message is used as propaganda in order to create and increase nationalism amongst the Russian people during a time of conflict between Russia and Germany. Another message which the author tries to convey is not apparent until the end of the movie. This message is the portrayal of the Russian way of living, during the time of the Soviet Union, as the best way of living. The author conveys this message of equality and bliss amongst the Russian people for the purpose of propaganda in the final scenes.In my opinion the author and the Committee of Cinema Affairs want to portray Stalin and Lenin as Gods and Communism as a type of religion. This is reflected in what I believe to be the theme of the film; The Soviet way of living is the best way of living because all Russian people are equal and happy. This theme reflects the author's purpose of the film as propaganda.I liked some aspects of the film and some aspects I did not necessarily like but in a way I understood. The parts of the film that I did like were: the love story of Marion and Martynov, the humor associated with the acts of the circus clowns, and the conveyed message of equality and bliss. However some parts of the film may rub certain individuals the wrong way. For example: the way the black child is hidden from the public until the very end of the film. Although I understood that part of this use of a black child was to portray the existence of slavery in the United States during this time period. Another aspect of the film that may be offensive to some is the way that Americans(through the image of Marion) are portrayed as dumb and Russians superior. I would suggest this film to a friend because the film captures a person's interest, is controversial, and is funny. However this film is not for everyone, and I would mostly recommend it for the purpose of study in film or history, not pleasure.