The Last Circus
Encyclopedia
The Last Circus is a 2010 Spanish film by Director Álex de la Iglesia
Álex de la Iglesia
Alejandro "Álex" de la Iglesia Mendoza is a Spanish film director, screenwriter, film producer and former comic book artist.Most of De La Iglesia's films reached cult status due to their weird sense of humour.- Biography :...

. It premiered at the 2010 Venice Film Festival.

Plot

In 1937, a "Happy" clown is forcibly recruited to serve in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

, where he massacres an entire platoon with a machete still in costume.

In 1973, near the end of the Franco regime, the clown's son, Javier, follows in his father's footsteps to become a clown, but he is too miserable to be funny and is instead relegated to play the part of the Sad Clown. There he is repeatedly humiliated by the Happy Clown Sergio for the entertainment of others. Javier later falls in love with Sergio's gorgeous acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat may refer to:* Acrobat, one who practises acrobaticsIn music:* "Acrobat" , from U2's album Achtung Baby* "Acrobat", a song from Maxïmo Park's album A Certain TriggerIn literature:* Acrobat, a novel by Gonzalo Lira...

 wife, Natalia. A love triangle ensues between the three of them, and the two clowns engage in a horrific battle with one another.

Cast

  • Carlos Areces as Javier
  • Carolina Bang
    Carolina Bang
    Carolina Herrera Bang , professionally known as Carolina Bang, is a Spanish actress. She is the best known to wider audience for her role in 2010 film A Sad Trumpet Ballad by Álex de la Iglesia, for which she earned a Goya Award for Best New Actress nomination.- Career :In 2005, Bang began her...

     as Natalia
  • Antonio de la Torre
    Antonio de la Torre
    Antonio de la Torre is a Mexican-American soccer defender, who recently played for the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL First Division. De la Torre holds dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States....

     as Sergio
  • Manuel Tallafé as Ramiro
  • Alejandro Tejería as Ghost Rider
  • Manuel Tejada as Ringmaster
  • Paco Sagarzazu as Anselmo
  • Santiago Segura
    Santiago Segura
    Santiago Segura Silva is a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.Santiago was born in the Carabanchel neighbourhood in Madrid. After studying Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid, he decided to pursue a career as a film-maker and in 1989 he directed the short Relatos de...

     as Clown
  • Fernando Guillén Cuervo
    Fernando Guillén Cuervo
    Fernando Guillén Cuervo is a Spanish actor, film director and scriptwriter.His parents are Fernando Guillén and Gemma Cuervo, and his sisters are Cayetana and Natalia. All are actors. He wrote the script of Los novios búlgaros and worked as a direction assistant in Año mariano.- Filmography :-...

     as Military captain
  • Sancho Gracia
    Sancho Gracia
    Sancho Gracia is a Spanish motion picture and television actor.He made his acting debut in France in the 1963 film L'Autre femme opposite Annie Girardot. Since then he has appeared in more than eighty motion pictures including several Hollywood productions during the 1970s and in 1999's Outlaw...

     as Coronel Salcedo
  • Enrique Villén as Andrés
  • Gracia Olayo as Sonsoles
  • Raúl Arévalo
    Raúl Arévalo
    Raúl Arévalo is a Spanish film actor, best known by international audiences for his role in the film Summer Rain, directed by Antonio Banderas.-Career:...

     as Carlos
  • Joxean Bengoetxea as Millionaire
  • Terele Pávez as Dolores
  • Juana Cordero as Mum
  • Joaquín Climent as Dad
  • Luis Varela as Veterinary
  • Fran Perea
    Fran Perea
    Francisco Manuel Perea Bilbao , professionally known as Fran Perea, is a Spanish actor and singer.-Career:...

     as National Soldier

Reception

The film received positive reviews; it currently holds a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

.

Cole Abaius wrote that "Over all, the film is incredible. In the oldest sense of that word, it is awe-inspiring and grotesque
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...

. Stunning and heartfelt. It is a love letter to a country, a time and a frowning clown singing mournfully about a weeping trumpet."

Awards

At the 67th Venice International Film Festival
67th Venice International Film Festival
The 67th annual Venice Film Festival held in Venice, Italy, took place from September 1 to September 11, 2010. American film director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino was head of the Jury. John Woo was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement prior to the start of the Festival...

 the film was nominated for the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...

  and Alex de la Iglesia received the Silver Lion
Silver Lion
The Leone d’Argento refers to a number of awards presented at the Venice Film Festival. The Silver Lion is awarded irregularly and have gone through several changes of purpose. Until 1995, Silver Lions were infrequently awarded to a number of films as second prize for those nominated for the...

award for Best Director.
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