Hollywood’s take on the big-top life as the Duke shepherds his three-ring extravaganza through a European tour while searching for the aerialist he loved and lost–the mother of his daughter. Plenty of real circus performers and excitement balance the melodrama.
Circus World (co-star Claudia Cardinale was a new face for most American audiences. Already a veteran of more than a score of Italian features, she would make only a few more American films before returning exclusively to Italian cinema.
production details
USA | Paramount | 135 minutes | 1964
Director: Henry Hathaway
Producer: Samuel Bronston
Original Story: Nicholas Ray, Philip Yordan
Cinematography: Jack Hildyard, Claude Renoir
Editor: Dorothy Spencer
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Script: James Edward Grant, Julian Halevy, Ben Hecht
Costume Designer: Renie
cast
John Wayne as Matt Masters
Lloyd Nolan as Cap Carson
Claudia Cardinale as Toni Alfredo
Rita Hayworth as Lili Alfredo
Richard Conte as Aldo Alfredo
John Smith as Steve McCabe
Katherine Kath as Hilda
Wanda Rotha as Mrs. Schuman
Margaret MacGrath as Anna