CIRCUS WORLD (1964) ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Henry Hathaway
John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale, Rita Hayworth,
Lloyd Nolan, Richard Conte, John Smith
Melodrama under the big top, with John Wayne as the proprietor of a turn-of-the-century circus and Wild West show. A time filler that fills way too much time, with lots of vintage circus acts sandwiched into a slow-moving plot. Nothing was going to derail Wayne's career at that point, but the movie was an expensive flop and signaled the end of Samuel Bronston's production enterprise. The three-ring acts include a Roman-riding stunt like the one in "Rio Grande", and Wayne on top of a stagecoach twirling a rifle, just like he did in "Stagecoach".
