Man on a Tightrope
Encyclopedia
Man on a Tightrope is a 1953
American
film directed by Elia Kazan
, starring Fredric March
, Terry Moore
and Gloria Grahame
. It was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival
. The screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood
was based on a 1952 novel of the same title by Neil Paterson
. Paterson based his story, which first appeared as the magazine novelette International Incident, on the escape of the Circus Brumbach from East Germany in 1950. Members of the Circus Brumbach appeared in the film version in both character roles and as extras.
, circus
man Karel Cernik (Fredric March
) struggles to keep together his beloved Cirkus Cernik, which belonged to his family before being nationalized by the Communist government. The government allows Cernik to manage the circus, but he grapples with deteriorating conditions in the circus, loss of his workers to the state, and tension with his willful daughter Tereza (Terry Moore
) and his young second wife Zama (Gloria Grahame
), whom everyone suspects of being unfaithful. Cernik wants to end a budding romance between Tereza and roustabout
Joe Vosdek (Cameron Mitchell
), who has been with the circus for only a year.
Cernik is interrogated at the headquarters of the S.N.B.
state security in Pilzen on why he is not performing the Marxist
propaganda acts dictated by the government. Cernik explains that the skits were not funny, and that audiences prefer his usual act. The S.N.B. chief (John Dehner
) orders him to resume the required act, and to dismiss a longtime trouper who calls herself "The Duchess." Propaganda minister Fesker (Adolphe Menjou
) casually asks him about a radio in his trailer, alerting Cernik to a spy in his midst. Cernik is fined and released, although Fesker believes that he is a threat to the state.
Cernik, inspired by a recent spate of escapes from behind the Iron Curtain
, has decided to escape over the border to Bavaria
. Cernik suspects that Joe is the spy, but unknown to him, Tereza has learned that Joe is actually a deserter from the American Army who is planning an escape attempt of his own. Cernik's longtime rival Barovik visits and reveals that he knows of the escape plan. Barovik assures Cernik that because they are both circus men, that he will not betray him. Cernik agrees to leave behind most of his equipment for Barovik. Realizing that he must act swiftly, Cernik discovers that Krofta (Richard Boone
), who has worked for Cernik for twenty years, is actually the spy. Cernik ties up Krofta but is confronted by Fesker about a travel permit, which he issues to catch Cernik in the act of trying to escape. Fesker is about to pursue the circus when he is arrested by a commissar sergeant for issuing the travel permit.
Joe reveals himself to Cernik, who incorporates him into the plan. At the border crossing, Krofta escapes, but is stopped by Cernik from warning the border guards. In the fracas Krofta mortally wounds him. Using an audacious and violent dash across the only bridge, most of the circus safely escape only to be told that Cernik has paid with his life. Obeying his dying wish, Zama orders the troupe to march on to their next performance.
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
film directed by Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
, starring Fredric March
Fredric March
Fredric March was an American stage and film actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1932 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr...
, Terry Moore
Terry Moore (actress)
Helen Luella Koford , better known as Terry Moore, is an American actress. Terry Moore made her film debut at age 11 and grew up with all the icons of the Hollywood era that made Hollywood what it is today, also known as "The Golden Age of Hollywood". Moore is an Academy Award nominated actress...
and Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame was an American Academy Award–winning actress.Grahame began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It's a Wonderful Life , MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract to RKO Studios...
. It was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival
3rd Berlin International Film Festival
The 3rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 18 to June 28, 1953.-Films in competition:* Sie fanden eine Heimat by Leopold Lindtberg* Entotsu no mieru basho by Heinosuke Gosho...
. The screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood
Robert E. Sherwood
Robert Emmet Sherwood was an American playwright, editor, and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in New Rochelle, New York, he was a son of Arthur Murray Sherwood, a rich stockbroker, and his wife, the former Rosina Emmet, a well-known illustrator and portrait painter known as Rosina E. Sherwood...
was based on a 1952 novel of the same title by Neil Paterson
Neil Paterson (writer)
James Edmund Neil Paterson , known as Neil Paterson, was a Scottish screenwriter.- Early life and football career :...
. Paterson based his story, which first appeared as the magazine novelette International Incident, on the escape of the Circus Brumbach from East Germany in 1950. Members of the Circus Brumbach appeared in the film version in both character roles and as extras.
Plot
In 1952 CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
man Karel Cernik (Fredric March
Fredric March
Fredric March was an American stage and film actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1932 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr...
) struggles to keep together his beloved Cirkus Cernik, which belonged to his family before being nationalized by the Communist government. The government allows Cernik to manage the circus, but he grapples with deteriorating conditions in the circus, loss of his workers to the state, and tension with his willful daughter Tereza (Terry Moore
Terry Moore (actress)
Helen Luella Koford , better known as Terry Moore, is an American actress. Terry Moore made her film debut at age 11 and grew up with all the icons of the Hollywood era that made Hollywood what it is today, also known as "The Golden Age of Hollywood". Moore is an Academy Award nominated actress...
) and his young second wife Zama (Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame was an American Academy Award–winning actress.Grahame began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It's a Wonderful Life , MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract to RKO Studios...
), whom everyone suspects of being unfaithful. Cernik wants to end a budding romance between Tereza and roustabout
Roustabout
A roustabout is a labourer typically performing temporary, unskilled work. The term has traditionally been used to refer to traveling-circus workers, natural gas, or oil rig workers....
Joe Vosdek (Cameron Mitchell
Cameron Mitchell (actor)
Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television and Broadway actor with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City.-Early life and career:Born Cameron MacDowell Mitzel in...
), who has been with the circus for only a year.
Cernik is interrogated at the headquarters of the S.N.B.
Sbor národní bezpečnosti
The Sbor Národní Bezpečnosti , or National Security Corps, was the national police in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1945 to 1991....
state security in Pilzen on why he is not performing the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
propaganda acts dictated by the government. Cernik explains that the skits were not funny, and that audiences prefer his usual act. The S.N.B. chief (John Dehner
John Dehner
John Dehner was an American actor in radio, television, and films, playing countless roles, often as a droll villain. Between 1941 and 1988, he appeared in over 260 films and television programs. Prior to acting, Dehner had worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, and later became a radio...
) orders him to resume the required act, and to dismiss a longtime trouper who calls herself "The Duchess." Propaganda minister Fesker (Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
) casually asks him about a radio in his trailer, alerting Cernik to a spy in his midst. Cernik is fined and released, although Fesker believes that he is a threat to the state.
Cernik, inspired by a recent spate of escapes from behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, has decided to escape over the border to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Cernik suspects that Joe is the spy, but unknown to him, Tereza has learned that Joe is actually a deserter from the American Army who is planning an escape attempt of his own. Cernik's longtime rival Barovik visits and reveals that he knows of the escape plan. Barovik assures Cernik that because they are both circus men, that he will not betray him. Cernik agrees to leave behind most of his equipment for Barovik. Realizing that he must act swiftly, Cernik discovers that Krofta (Richard Boone
Richard Boone
Richard Allen Boone was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.-Early life:...
), who has worked for Cernik for twenty years, is actually the spy. Cernik ties up Krofta but is confronted by Fesker about a travel permit, which he issues to catch Cernik in the act of trying to escape. Fesker is about to pursue the circus when he is arrested by a commissar sergeant for issuing the travel permit.
Joe reveals himself to Cernik, who incorporates him into the plan. At the border crossing, Krofta escapes, but is stopped by Cernik from warning the border guards. In the fracas Krofta mortally wounds him. Using an audacious and violent dash across the only bridge, most of the circus safely escape only to be told that Cernik has paid with his life. Obeying his dying wish, Zama orders the troupe to march on to their next performance.
Cast
- Fredric MarchFredric MarchFredric March was an American stage and film actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1932 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr...
as Karel Cernik - Terry MooreTerry Moore (actress)Helen Luella Koford , better known as Terry Moore, is an American actress. Terry Moore made her film debut at age 11 and grew up with all the icons of the Hollywood era that made Hollywood what it is today, also known as "The Golden Age of Hollywood". Moore is an Academy Award nominated actress...
as Tereza Cernik - Gloria GrahameGloria GrahameGloria Grahame was an American Academy Award–winning actress.Grahame began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It's a Wonderful Life , MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract to RKO Studios...
as Zama Cernik - Cameron MitchellCameron Mitchell (actor)Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television and Broadway actor with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City.-Early life and career:Born Cameron MacDowell Mitzel in...
as Joe Vosdek - Adolphe MenjouAdolphe MenjouAdolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
as Fesker - Robert BeattyRobert BeattyRobert Beatty was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.-Career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Beatty began his acting career in Britain in 1939....
as Barovic - Alexander D'ArcyAlexander D'ArcyAlexander D'Arcy was an Egyptian actor with an international film repertoire.Born Alexander Sarruf in Cairo, Egypt, D'Arcy, variously credited as Alexandre D'Arcy, Alex D'Arcy, Alexandre Darcy and Alex d'Arcy appeared in some 45 films, mostly as a suave gentleman or smooth rogue...
as Rudolph - Richard BooneRichard BooneRichard Allen Boone was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.-Early life:...
as Krofta - Pat Henning as Konradin
- Paul HartmanPaul HartmanPaul Hartman was an American dancer, stage performer and television character actor.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, Hartman, like Fred Astaire, began performing as a dancer with his sister...
as Jaromir - John DehnerJohn DehnerJohn Dehner was an American actor in radio, television, and films, playing countless roles, often as a droll villain. Between 1941 and 1988, he appeared in over 260 films and television programs. Prior to acting, Dehner had worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, and later became a radio...
as the SNB chief
Production
Shot on location in Bavaria, Germany, authentic acts were used, and the entire Brumbach Circus was employed for the production. The original plot to escape in small increments across the border was the actual means used by the Circus Brumbach in their escape.External links
- A.W. "Man on a Tightrope (1953)", New York Times film review, June 5, 1953