The Last Circus
2011 ‘Balada triste de trompeta’ Directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Synopsis
The journey of Javier, the obese Sad Clown, starts during his childhood in the midst of the Spanish civil war in 1937. His father, one of Spain’s most prominent jesters, is detained and tortured by the fascist regime.
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Here's the elevator pitch: Big Top Pee-Wee meets Freaks as directed by Guillermo del Toro. And like any good elevator pitch that's really over-selling it.
I sort of feel that I should sit with this movie for a while longer because I'm still not entirely certain how I feel abut it. First, it has been wrongly marked a horror film. While it is often violent and grotesque, it's actually an absurdist black comedy with heavy socio-political metaphors. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Spain's history or politics, but when you put a Pope hat on a clown and have him run down the street with an Uzi in each hand, I can piece together where you're coming…
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Just finished watching this on DVD, and WOW. What a wild ride. Javier, after a troubled childhood involving the Spanish Civil War, joins a circus to be the "sad clown". Unfortunately, he falls in love with the other clown;s girlfriend and things get ugly and violent, culminating in complete insanity!
I feel like the larger message of this movie went over my head due to my lack of knowledge in the department of Spanish history. It seemed like a grand political statement, and I'm still trying to figure that one out, so I'm going to do some research and then watch it again.
Apart from that this movie is incredibly entertaining! Plenty of laughs, gasps, emotional pain, and over the…
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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A visceral journey into madness and obsession. This movie really takes care of business. If you're a fan of violence and thought-provoking imagery, there's not a better choice. I'm a little disappointed by the poster art. I feel it takes something away from the transformation of these characters. It's much better when seen in sequence during the movie. Highly recommended.
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I wanted to like this more after all the great things I heard but it mostly didnt do much for me. It wasnt bad by any means but just didnt keep my attention. Im a fan of the director but this isnt my favorite of his.
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"Balada Triste de Trompeta" es una película verdaderamente trágica llena de momentos de brutalidad e intensas emociones. La cinta comienza como una comedia de un humor negro extremo y gradualmente desciende hasta convertirse en un retrato de locura y obsesión. Esta es probablemente la película mas audaz y oscura del director Alex de la Iglesia (quien le gusta trabajar en diversos géneros) y es increíble ver una producción tan costosa con excelente cinematografía sirviendo a una historia tan repulsiva y grotesca.
"Balada Triste de Trompeta" es una cinta difícil de apreciar para aquellos esperando una tarde alegre en el cine pero sin duda es una propuesta original y sumamente entretenida para cinefilos mas arriesgados.
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Crazy shit :D
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I wanted to like this more after all the great things I heard but it mostly didnt do much for me. It wasnt bad by any means but just didnt keep my attention. Im a fan of the director but this isnt my favorite of his.
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"Umorismo e per i deboli" dice una frase principale di questa opera, adesso si no, cosa è per i forti? la tragedia.
L'ultimo circo? Ma questa è una storia stranissima. Io direbbe Casino di Circo o qualcosa così. Balada triste re trompeta é uno film spagnolo che ha vinto dei vari premi in europa e racconta la storia di due pagliacci con una personalità definita.
Javier (Carlos Areces) é un uomo con una storia tragica di bambino. Nella guerra civile spagnola ha perso tutto e quello ha definito la sua personalità. Timido, insane, triste. Il classico prototipo del pagliaccio triste.
Lui ottiene un lavoro in un circo dove il capo é un'altro pagliaccio, Sergio (Antonio de la Torre) chi é…
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Holy hell! I hate clowns and this is pretty much the cat's meow of psychotic clown movies.
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Here's the elevator pitch: Big Top Pee-Wee meets Freaks as directed by Guillermo del Toro. And like any good elevator pitch that's really over-selling it.
I sort of feel that I should sit with this movie for a while longer because I'm still not entirely certain how I feel abut it. First, it has been wrongly marked a horror film. While it is often violent and grotesque, it's actually an absurdist black comedy with heavy socio-political metaphors. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Spain's history or politics, but when you put a Pope hat on a clown and have him run down the street with an Uzi in each hand, I can piece together where you're coming…
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In der Ecke des europäischen Kinos ist das spanische für mich das interessanteste. Schon ein paar Produktionen aus dieser Ecke zählen zu den Filmen, die ich immer mal wieder gerne sehe.
Meistens zeichnen sich diese durch eine etwas düstere Art von Humor und fantasievolle Bilder aus."Balada Triste de Trompeta" bzw "The Last Circus" wird in Deutschland mit dem Titel "Mad Circus" vertrieben und trifft wirklich gut meinen Geschmack.
Der Film ist schräg und die surrealen Bilder verstärken diesen Eindruck noch. Man wird gerade zu mit seinen Charakteren in den Abgrund gesogen bis die Scheisse den Ventilator trifft.Der Film trifft sicher nicht jeder Manns Geschmack und selbst mir haben ein paar erzählerische Kniffe nicht so gefallen.
Wer aber mal wieder europäisches Kino im Player haben will sollte sich einmal an dieses groteske Stück Film wagen. -
Just finished watching this on DVD, and WOW. What a wild ride. Javier, after a troubled childhood involving the Spanish Civil War, joins a circus to be the "sad clown". Unfortunately, he falls in love with the other clown;s girlfriend and things get ugly and violent, culminating in complete insanity!
I feel like the larger message of this movie went over my head due to my lack of knowledge in the department of Spanish history. It seemed like a grand political statement, and I'm still trying to figure that one out, so I'm going to do some research and then watch it again.
Apart from that this movie is incredibly entertaining! Plenty of laughs, gasps, emotional pain, and over the…
-
This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
-
"Balada Triste de Trompeta" es una película verdaderamente trágica llena de momentos de brutalidad e intensas emociones. La cinta comienza como una comedia de un humor negro extremo y gradualmente desciende hasta convertirse en un retrato de locura y obsesión. Esta es probablemente la película mas audaz y oscura del director Alex de la Iglesia (quien le gusta trabajar en diversos géneros) y es increíble ver una producción tan costosa con excelente cinematografía sirviendo a una historia tan repulsiva y grotesca.
"Balada Triste de Trompeta" es una cinta difícil de apreciar para aquellos esperando una tarde alegre en el cine pero sin duda es una propuesta original y sumamente entretenida para cinefilos mas arriesgados.