Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS ON EARTH
Review: Some movies are classified as drama, others as comedy, some as adventure, some as romance. But "The Greatest Show On Earth" can be described in only one word: ENTERTAINMENT, for it is ALL of these things, and so much more... "Show" is a timeless film that all audiences ("children of all ages, and the old folks, too...") can enjoy... This superb Oscar winner for Best Picture has a fabulous cast and a great story. To open the new season of a circus show, a hard-nosed manager (Charlton Heston, in one of his first film roles) hires a French acrobat (Cornel Wilde, accent and all), to be the main attraction, ditching his girlfriend's (Betty Hutton, just great) chances for the center ring. What ensues is a battle for the spotlight between the two (and here we get to see Hutton and Wilde themselves doing some really incredible, breathtaking acrobatic stuntwork)... and a battle between Heston, Hutton, Wilde, and Gloria Grahame (as Wilde's ex-flame, now an elephant trainer) for each other's affections. As a side storyline, there is also a mysterious case involving Buttons, (Jimmy Stewart, likable as ever) a lovable clown... who never takes off his makeup or reveals his true identity. Cecil B. DeMille's "great" show is one you will always cherish, and one you will always be able to watch and be thoroughly entertained by the cavalcades of showcasing and stardust... er, sawdust.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Movie On Earth
Review: The Greatest Show On Earth is my all-time favorite movie. It has everything - a murdering clown, a jealous elephant triner, a train wreck, and Cornel wilde in spandex! Critics will complain it's too melodramatic but that is exactly what makes this movie one you can see over and over again. With great performances by Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, Jimmy Stewart, and scene-stealing Gloria Grahame this movie has stood the test of time. This is Cecil B. DeMille's love letter to the circus and he makes all of us watching fall in love too.
Rating:
Summary: The Greates Show on Earth
Review: The Greatest Show on Earth was the best movie I have seen in a long time. My Grandma seen it early in the moring and look to see if it would be on again. luckily it was and it grew to be my favorite movie after the six times I have seen it. I mostly enjoyed the acting and the drama.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Cecil DeMille's Finest Moment
Review: The Greatest Show on Earth won the Academy Award in 1952 and watching it now that seems quite hard to believe. This movie has not aged well and does not show off Cecil DeMille's skills that were so much more in evidence early in his career. The circus parade scenes seem quite unfocused (and endless) although there are some film work in the behind the scenes shots and of the circus performers in action that maintain some interest. The audience watching the circus seems alternately bored and excited (including a delightful cameo by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby during Dorothy Lamour's tacky song solo) and the audience watching the film would probably tend to agree with them. Charlton Heston gives possibly his worst performance, delivering lines only slightly less woodenly than your average porn star. Betty Hutton is saddled with playing a lady when her strength was always in playing the broad. Without the brass, she becomes quite generic. Cornel Wilde, by showing a little flesh, and James Stewart, by showing a little understatement, come off well. The acting kudos of the picture, though, belong to Gloria Grahame. She plays her usual tart with a heart of gold but manages, often, to feel like the only flesh and blood human among all the sawdust. This overlong, dated work has small moments of pleasure and a wonderful train crash but has deservedly lost its place in the pantheon of epic movies.
Rating:
Summary: Fun galore
Review: The oddest thing about the picture is the way James Stewart is given almost a supporting role, at a time in his career when he was at his height, able to "open" a picture just by taking the leading man roles, and his work with Anthony Mann, etc., was about to open a new series of dramatic parts for him. Maybe "Buttons" was a warm-up to the heavier Mann parts or Scottie in Vertigo or Anatomy of a Murder, who knows? Otherwise I believe De Mille must have had some compromising photos of James Stewart, for otherwise I can't figure out why he would want to play Buttons. Unless maybe after the arch silliness of HARVEY Stewart wanted a change of pace, but anyhow, to see him play this part is to die a little inside.
Outside of that, Heston is suitably grim and fit as the circus boss, his line readings made of steel; Betty Hutton is a little over the hill but she's game, just the way we like her; no French actors were available so De MIlle hired Cornel Wilde for the part of the Great Sebastian; Gloria Grahame is pretty sexy given that weird looking face, and Dorothy Lamour seems to be playing Gloria Grahame's other half. Imagine having both of them in the same movie, must have been to get the Dads in, cause you know the kids went wild over this movie.
Not good enough for a BEST PICTURE? Well it's miles better than CHARIOTS OF FIRE or A BEAUTIFUL MIND.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood Met The Challenge
Review: The Oscar-winning 1952 movie is really entertaining on a number of fronts. It is like newer form entertainment, the movie, met the challenge of traditional entertainment--circus. Cecil B Demille took such challenge of describing the circus world and make it into entertaining film. In this film a great deal of special effects as well as lots of techinics now we take it for granted in current movies were used. TRAPEZE STUNTS
Just watch when the acrobatic perfromer is real actor and look-like stunts. The techinique used in this film can now be the basic of stunts. EYE MOVEMENTS OF CAMEO ACTOR/ACTRESSES
This is another challenge for Hollywood. How spectators not seeing the real act react as if they did. A number of cameo actors/actresses including child actor/actresses did the job quite well. ANIMAL ACTOR/ACTRESSES
Well-trained Elephant played a key role in this movie. This movie might prompted using animals as movie actors in the movies afterward. REALITY/VIRTUAL REALITY This movie mixes the preparation and performance of real circus and use this scene quite effectively. Mixture of reality with virtual reality is what this movie shines. SAFETY NET OR NO SAFETY NET?
This is quite a big dabate for a long time. Performers might not like safety net particularly top-artist like Sebastian.
But as a manager safety net is necessary for the lives of performers. This film described this age-long dilenma into drama quite well. TRAIN CRASH
This is the state-of-the-art SFX techinic at this time. It was several years before THE BRIDGE OVER RIVER KWAI. Creating such scene might be the directors' challenge in 1952. This movie lifted the art of movies into another height. Though the drama might be a bit soapy and the techinique a bit outdated. This movie still can entertain us. Recommended for classic movie fans.
Rating:
Summary: the greatest friends on earth
Review: This film is a chronicle of circus life with ringling bros. The friends, sites, smells,tastes of what circus is all about.I personally know three of the performers with Ringling when this film was made. Two are still living, in Detroit, and are vibrant performers today. You can not find a more entertaining film about circus life.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Show on Earth
Review: This is not out on DVD yet,but I have it on VHS and I've had it for a long time. It is one of the best or should I say "Greatest" star studded movies I've ever seen. You are really missing great performances by Charlton Heston, Jimmy Stewart and Betty Hutton than you;ll ever see. I know it is an old movie, but it is in color and if you like movies rent this one and see for yourself. Or better yet buy it, you won't be sorry!
Rating: 
Summary: Not The Greatest
Review: This may have been THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH in 1952 when it won the Best Picture Oscar, but today it is just not a very good film. The acting is subpar, and some of the dialogue is simply laugh-out loud funny. The plot has tinges of a soap opera, with the woman caught between two men, the clown with the secret and several "shocking" moments, mixed with "impromptu" musical sequences to show off Betty Hutton's attempts at singing (she's not my favorite). The parts that don't have any acting, just ones that show circus doings are the most interesting and are a bit nostalgic, as not many circuses travel the country as they did back then. The film is too long, and there are too many audience reaction shots - however look for Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in a cameo. Why do we keep needing to flick back from circus goings-on to little kids licking ice cream cones? The ending is unbelievable. Don't bother watching this.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A SHOW
Review: This movie brings out the kid in all of us. It keeps you laughing, shocked, and mesmerized. The famous clowns and the animals; the performers and the crowds. It's just like when we were all kids. This movie will leave a soft spot for every viewer.
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