Circus in the Circus

1976 Czechoslovak-Soviet comedy film

Circus in the Circus

Film poster

Directed by| Oldřich Lipský
Written by| Oldřich Lipský
Yakov Kostyukovskiy
Miloš Macourek
Moris Slobodskoy
Starring| Evgeni Leonov
Cinematography| Jaroslav Kučera

Production
companies

Barrandov Studios
Mosfilm

Release date

* February 1976 (1976-02)

Running time

| 131 minutes
Countries| Czechoslovakia
Soviet Union
Languages| Czech
Russian

Circus in the Circus (Czech: Cirkus v cirkuse; Russian: Соло для слона с оркестром) is a Czechoslovak-Soviet comedy film directed by Oldřich Lipský and released in 1976.[1] The story takes place in the Big State Circus in Moscow where two international groups arrive simultaneously: a jury searching for outstanding numbers for the World Circus festival and a delegation of animal language scientists. The film was selected as the Czechoslovak entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 48th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2] All circus acts were performed by Moscow and Zaporizhzhia circus troupes.

## Plot

[edit]

The story takes place in Moscow, where an international circus jury has arrived to select acts from the Moscow Circus on Lenin Hills for an upcoming international circus festival. The jury is impressed by the exceptional performances, finding it difficult to choose the best act for the competition.

At the same time, a delegation of animal linguists (experts in animal languages) comes to Moscow for a scientific conference at Moscow State University. During the conference, Professor Ruzicka from Prague argues with his English colleague, Mrs. Whistler, about whether an elephant can be taught to sing. To prove his point, the two scientists visit the nearby circus to conduct an experiment—teaching an elephant to sing.

Meanwhile, Grisha, who is in love with Tanya, the circus director’s daughter, becomes jealous when he sees her interested in Alyosha, a young food vendor who accidentally spilled juice on Grisha’s jacket. Seeking revenge, Grisha goes to the circus director, Ivanov, demanding Alyosha be fired. However, Ivanov refuses, as he is focused on the upcoming showcase performance for the international jury. Determined to get back at Alyosha, Grisha tries to sabotage the performance by putting sleeping pills in the refreshments, gluing plates together, and causing friction between Alyosha and the director. Despite his efforts, love ultimately prevails, and the show goes on successfully—with the elephant singing.

## Cast

[edit]

* Jiří Sovák as Prof. Ruzicka
* Iva Janžurová as Doc. Whistlerová
* Yevgeny Leonov as Reditel cirkusu
* Natalya Varley as Tána
* Alexander Lenkov as Císník Aljosa
* Leonid Kuravlyov as Grísa
* Savely Kramarov as Lopuchov
* Aleksei Smirnov as a hypnotist Smirnov
* Yevgeny Morgunov as Kolia
* Yuri Volyntsev as Aleksandr Borisovich
* Josef Hlinomaz as Nikolai, an elephant trainer
* Jaroslava Schallerová as a zoo-philologist's secretary
* František Filipovský as a Sandy Express reporter
* Zdeněk Dítě as an Italian jury member
* Lubomír Lipský as a Czech jury member
* Oldřich Velen as a Norwegian jury member
* Karel Effa as a vet

## See also

[edit]

* List of submissions to the 48th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Czechoslovak submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Cirkus v cirkuse". Czech Film Database. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
2. ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

## External links

[edit]

* Circus in the Circus at IMDb
* Cirkus v cirkuse at «Filmová databáze online»
* Соло для слона с оркестром at «Кино-театр.ru»

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Oldřich Lipský

* The Hen and the Sexton (1951)
* Haškovy povídky ze starého mocnářství (1952)
* Cirkus bude! (1954)
* Jaroslav Hasek's Exemplary Cinematograph (1955)
* Hvězda jede na jih (1958)
* The Man from the First Century (1961)
* Lemonade Joe (1964)
* Happy End (1967)
* I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1969)
* Four Murders Are Enough, Darling (1971)
* Straw Hat (1971)
* Circus in the Circus (1976)
* Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje! (1974)
* Marecek, Pass Me the Pen! (1976)
* Dinner for Adele (1977)
* Long Live Ghosts! (1977)‎
* The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981)
* Srdečný pozdrav ze zeměkoule (1983)
* The Three Veterans (1984)

* v
* t
* e

Czechoslovak submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

* Lemonade Joe (1964)
* The Shop on Main Street (1965)
* Loves of a Blonde (1966)
* Closely Watched Trains (1967)
* The Firemen's Ball (1968)
* The Cremator (1969)
* Days of Betrayal (1973)
* Lovers in the Year One (1974)
* Circus in the Circus (1975)
* One Silver Piece (1976)
* Dinner for Adele (1978)
* Those Wonderful Movie Cranks (1979)
* Love Between the Raindrops (1980)
* The Divine Emma (1981)
* The Assistant (1982)
* Incomplete Eclipse (1983)
* The Millennial Bee (1984)
* Scalpel, Please (1985)
* My Sweet Little Village (1986)
* Forbidden Dreams (1987)
* A Hoof Here, a Hoof There (1989)
* Vojtech, Called the Orphan (1990)
* The Elementary School (1991)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template