This makes the situation of The King of Circus a bit delicate. Without a direct Broadway musical as the adaptation basis, the film itself will not have a stable audience and stage arrangement like Hairspray and Mamma Mia. But on the other hand, the strong production line-up makes the film itself have reliable quality assurance: bill condon (Chicago and Dream Girl) is the screenwriter, Nathan Crowley, Christopher Nolan's long-term partner, is in charge of artistic direction, and the combination of la la land, which won the Oscar and Tony Award, and the joining of Benji Pasek and Justin Paul are all effective reassurances. In the end, movies also have a good embodiment on the basis of these hardware.
But a well-made movie can never be directly equated with a good movie. At the end of 217, a large number of Hollywood films were repeatedly released in the market, and the important reason was not the perfunctory production, but the lack of interest, which was an indispensable attraction for the family fun atmosphere at the end of the holiday. "The King of Circus" made a great compromise on the dramatic elements, which greatly weakened its biographical attributes-which is a great pity for the modern service road-but in contrast, the modern song and dance show diluted the seriousness of the story, making the whole film a pleasant and gorgeous celebration of diversity and pluralism.
Of course, from a modern point of view, barnum and his circus performances are constrained by their existing times: animal performances and the display of special people are quite exploitative. But in the late 19th century and early 2th century, circuses and acrobatic troupes were the only places for those special people. Compared with the malicious external society, it has even become a utopia. This also gives the biographical part of "The King of Circus" a good starting point. While talking about history at least, the story with a sense of history can also be integrated into the modern context-out of the biased background of the times and become a celebration of dreams and equality.
because of its profound historical attributes, one of the greatest pleasures of "The King of Circus" is that it is not necessary to determine the film rhythm according to the narrative curve of traditional musical films. This also gives the film greater freedom in the choice of roles. Actors like Hugh Jackman, michelle williams and Rebecca Ferguson are not only competent for routine song and dance performances, but also more credible and remarkable in their performances. Zac Efron and Zendaya's Disney background, even though lacking plasticity, can accomplish the task of attracting young people.
Especially, for Zac Efron, The King of Circus is of special significance. As the biggest star of High School Musical, his career has evolved into a rather unique thing, which is difficult to define simply. From Hairspray to Neighborhood Wars, from orson welles and I to the Beach Rescue Team, from Newsboy to Disaster Artist, after many attempts to explore the performance path, like Amanda Seyfried, who has a good figure, she finally returned to the old way of singing and dancing. Although Dave Franco is not as talented as his contemporaries, he still has something that can't be copied, and that is the charm of old-school movie stars.
After nearly a century and a half, barnum's legacy, Lingling Circus, one of the three largest circuses in the world, has finally come to an end due to persistent criticism, exploitation and animal abuse. In fact, from the beginning, barnum and his circus have been controversial. "The King of Circus" depicts barnum like a cursory tour, omitting the worst aspects and aiming at the miraculous trapeze artists. From a historical point of view, this film will be too subjective and biased, but barnum's spirit of bringing entertainment within reach to the public through circus performance has indeed been inherited in a sense.
The real circus may close down, but barnum and his entertainment spirit are still alive.