Review: DeMille's Theatrical Epic 'The Greatest Show On Earth' Still Hobbled By Rote Characterizations

At the time of its release in 1952, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth" was Paramount's most successful film of all time. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, as DeMille spearheaded plenty of box office successes. While his proclivity for big-canvas dramas produced a ton of money for studios, his films have endured for a wide variety of reasons.

One of those films is "The Greatest Show on Earth," a fictional depiction of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey traveling circus.

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times once called the film "a lust triumph of circus showmanship and movie skill." He's certainly right about the showmanship part, as DeMille had the heart, mind, and skill of a cinematic exhibitionist.

Though, the film is hobbled by its rote characterizations and emphasis on the dazzling aspects of the circus. Any technical brilliance is undercut by a hollowed-out core of a story that tends to swing over the inequities inherent in circus performing.

Paramount Home Entertainment and their Paramount Presents line of prestige pictures from yesteryear bring "The Greatest Show on Earth" to Blu-ray for the first time ever, with a generally pleasing 1080p presentation sourced from a new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative.

For a film that touts Technicolor entertainment, the colors are quite expressive here, although some earlier optical effects tend to look bad compared to other sequences. The picture has great filmic textures, so you're sure to be pleased from that aspect. Unfortunately, the special features list is spare, but there's a fun seven-minute appreciation of the film by Leonard Maltin, if you're so inclined.

Brad Braden (Charlton Heston) is the no-nonsense general manager of a traveling circus that's suffering financially. Even though he negotiates with the board of directors to continue the show as long as it's somewhat profitable, Brad is constantly faced with problems stemming from the performers he manages.

Among them is Buttons (James Stewart), a clown who never takes off his makeup; The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), a lusty trapeze artist whose ego gets in the way; and a myriad of other colorful characters.

"The Greatest Show on Earth" is the kind of 152-minute epic drama that may understand the entertainment produced by a circus, but it certainly doesn't understand how to deal with the inequality of its performers – you know, with the so-called "freaks" sidelined until a gag needs enlivening.

We get boastful performances from all the key players except Stewart, who lends a generous amount of heart to the proceedings that definitely isn't inherent in the script. Grace notes of that sort can only do so much to carry the tiresome, drawn-out main conflict.

This is the best "The Greatest Show on Earth" has ever looked at home, and I recommend it to folks who appreciate DeMille's sense for theatricality. That said, the flaws of the story are even more apparent today, and serve as a reminder that old Hollywood bombast is something we should be learning from, not feeding into.

"The Greatest Show on Earth" is now on Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment.