The Greatest Show on Earth story
The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 American drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in Technicolor and released by Paramount Pictures. Set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the film stars Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde as trapeze artists competing for the center ring and Charlton Heston as the circus manager. James Stewart also stars as a mysterious clown who never removes his makeup, and Dorothy Lamour and Gloria Grahame also play supporting roles.
33 total · 3 choice · 14 major · 16 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| circus skill | choice | A circus was at the heart of the story. Two main characters were Trapeze artists. Another was a clown. A variety of other circus artists were featured throughout. The plot revolved around trapeze stunts. Lengthy segments showcase circus acts. |
| love triangle | choice | The story turns on Holly feeling torn between Brad and Sebastian. Brad loved Holly. Holly loved both Brad and Sebastian. Sebastian loved Holly and had loved Angel and Phyllis in the past. Angel moved in on Brad when Holly turned towards Sebastian. |
| romantic love | choice | Holly was torn between Brad and Sebastian. One main storyline follows her struggle to choose between the two of them. In the end, she went with Brad. |
| beating one's self up | major | Holly felt so ashamed over having goaded Sebastian into a stunt that left him crippled, that she decided to devote the rest of her life to being by his side. |
| choosing between lovers | major | Holly's confused to-and-fro between Brad and Sebastian was a central theme of the story. |
| coping with the loss of one's livelihood | major | The world-famous trapeze artist Sebastian was left to make what he could of life in the aftermath of a career ending accident. |
| figuring out what to do with one's life | major | Sebastian pondered what he would do with himself after his trapeze career ended tragically with a falling accident. |
| friendly competition in groups | major | The rival trapeze artists Holly and Sebastian were in a fierce, but on the whole friendly, competition for top spot in the traveling circus show. |
| love out of pity | major | Holly felt so ashamed over having goaded Sebastian into a stunt that left him crippled, that she decided to devote the rest of her life to being by his side. She was warned that Sebastian would not want her pity. |
| missing hand | major | After a trapeze accident, Sebastian found himself with a useless "claw hand" that meant the end of his distinguished career. |