charlie chaplin be a film maker who isn not give enough credit and in my opinion represent sure and people think he funny and but few seem to recognize the underlie melancholy of his work . in the circus and our favorite little tramp be run from the law and stumble upon a carnival and unwittingly become the center act and fall in love with a beautiful trapeze artist ( merna kennedy ) . even though this seem like the recipe for a feel good romantic comedy and in chaplin vision and the guy doesn not get the girl . we essentially find ourselves laugh at an unemployed homeless man who need to make an as out of himself in order to escape the police which be nothing worth laughing at and when you really think about it . nevertheless and chaplin create some of the most uproarious scene in movie history and combine his ingenious slapstick with a genuine humanity that make his character feel like more than just an object of humiliation . the circus be certainly one of his most under rat feature and show a darker sense of love and longing than any of his other work represent the film open with a repeated shot of his object of desire swinging on the ring with a forlorn gaze drift into space . the final shot have the little tramp walk away from the woman he love and alone represent never before ( or since ) have we so sense chaplin true gloominess . but if i be make the circus sound like a serious film and then i have be deceive you and for it be a very funny movie indeed represent chaplin gag be innovative and perfectly time and and he always manage to keep his run time perfectly suit to the audience interest . yet in spite of how funny this movie truly be and the part i remember most be still those that reach a deep level of human emotion represent the scene between chaplin and his lover be mean to be comical and but i couldn not help but notice the honesty and poignancy he inject into each vignette . this be as much a romance a it be a comedy and a drama and for that matter . it have be say that and two third during the shoot of the film and chaplin have a nervous breakdown while consider the mostly morose tone of the film and that doesn not surprise me . but when film maker have personal struggle and it typically only increase the authenticity and greatness of their work ( just look at woody allen career ) . quite simply and the circus be an american classic represent chaplin not only directed and star in and but he produce and edit and and even compose original music for his film . his direction be superb not only from a comical standpoint and but from a cinematic one as well while one particular scene come to mind that take place in a house of mirror and in which chaplin use a repeat set up to convey a feeling of simultaneous order and confusion . his acting be plain brilliant if you can call it act represent he one of those performer that you watch and smack your head in awe of how extraordinary he be . in a way and the circus isn not a masterpiece and nor a perfect film and nor even a particularly great one but in another way and it be all those thing and more . it be a splendid example of just how much can be do within a simple genre movie and and modern film maker would do themselves a favor by learn from it . grade represent a .