Trapeze (1956)
Remember Cornel Wilde’s accident from The Greatest Show on Earth? Remember that Burt Lancaster turned down that role? There was really no reason to make Trapeze, except to give Burt a second chance and to give United Artists a shot at getting as much money as Paramount Studios did four years earlier. It’s a shameless copy, so if your principles are greater than your desire to see Burt Lancaster in a tight leotard performing almost all his own stunts, you can stick with the original and give Cornel Wilde his due.
In case your love of Burt wins out and you decide to rent Trapeze, you can expect a semi-sequel of the 1952 movie plot that he turned down. In a circus doing a European tour, a crippled former trapeze artist gets sucked back into the limelight when a young upstart, Tony Curtis, promises to be his greatest pupil. Meanwhile, a beautiful ladder-climber, Gina Lollobrigida, tries to steal the limelight from them. She doesn’t have much experience on the trapeze, but when she finds out they’ll get more attention than she will, she sets out to seduce Burt to get him to include her in the act. Burt is older and wiser, and he sees right through her. He turns her offer down, so she moves on to Tony.
Gina’s character is a horrible person, and Tony’s youthful enthusiasm is quite irritating. You’re really only watching this movie for Burt, not only for the leotard and the stunts, but also because his character is the only one with any brains or heart. Gina is transparent, cruel, and selfish, but a love triangle is still interesting when it involves someone who isn’t worth it. This movie may have a slow start, but you’ll get sucked into it in spite of yourself.
I still maintain that Trapeze didn’t need to be made, but it was entertaining. And the one aspect it succeeded where The Greatest Show on Earth failed was the seediness of the profession. In 1952, most of the characters were made out to be good people with morals and high enthusiasm for their craft. Anyone who’s been to the circus knows that’s not an accurate depiction.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The camera swings to and fro in many of the trapeze scenes, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Meringue in Sugartown USA" for posting!
More Burt Lancaster movies here!
More Gina Lollobrigida movies here!
In case your love of Burt wins out and you decide to rent Trapeze, you can expect a semi-sequel of the 1952 movie plot that he turned down. In a circus doing a European tour, a crippled former trapeze artist gets sucked back into the limelight when a young upstart, Tony Curtis, promises to be his greatest pupil. Meanwhile, a beautiful ladder-climber, Gina Lollobrigida, tries to steal the limelight from them. She doesn’t have much experience on the trapeze, but when she finds out they’ll get more attention than she will, she sets out to seduce Burt to get him to include her in the act. Burt is older and wiser, and he sees right through her. He turns her offer down, so she moves on to Tony.
Gina’s character is a horrible person, and Tony’s youthful enthusiasm is quite irritating. You’re really only watching this movie for Burt, not only for the leotard and the stunts, but also because his character is the only one with any brains or heart. Gina is transparent, cruel, and selfish, but a love triangle is still interesting when it involves someone who isn’t worth it. This movie may have a slow start, but you’ll get sucked into it in spite of yourself.
I still maintain that Trapeze didn’t need to be made, but it was entertaining. And the one aspect it succeeded where The Greatest Show on Earth failed was the seediness of the profession. In 1952, most of the characters were made out to be good people with morals and high enthusiasm for their craft. Anyone who’s been to the circus knows that’s not an accurate depiction.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The camera swings to and fro in many of the trapeze scenes, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Meringue in Sugartown USA" for posting!
More Burt Lancaster movies here!
More Gina Lollobrigida movies here!