Botto the Clown is in love with the much younger Blanche but she is in love with the handsome daredevil acrobate Andre.
Acting
Werner Krauss's grotesque clown makeup does half the tragic work.
Practical Effects
Death-defying aerial stunts performed without safety nets.
Production
Circus set design that predates Fellini's nightmares.
Director
Arthur Robison
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Werner Krauss was simultaneously starring as Dr. Caligari's somnambulist — 1928 was his year for creepy.
This was Arthur Robison's last German film before Hollywood; the circus-as-metaphor would influence Welles' Freaks and later Nightmare Alley.
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