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The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals

Name: The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals
Director: Benedikt Erlingsson
Released: 2015
Duration: 76 min

Representation Score

6.8/10

Good

2015

Director

Benedikt Erlingsson

Runtime

76 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The documentary serves as a sophisticated archival retrospective of traveling entertainment. It provides a window into a diverse human tapestry by showcasing underrepresented and unconventional performers of the 19th and 20th centuries. While the film does not drive a modern political agenda, its focus on itinerant lifestyles disrupts homogeneous historical narratives. It functions more as an observational study of historical variety than a transformative work of identity politics. The representation is inherently tied to the era's constraints, meaning diversity is often presented as a historical curiosity rather than a contemporary social commentary.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film captures historical cabaret and variety acts that often featured gender-nonconforming styles. However, these elements serve as archival artifacts rather than active explorations of queer identity.

How does The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals portray gender?

Fair

Female performers are highlighted for their physical command and high skill in circus and music hall settings. This showcases their ability to drive the story and transcend traditional domestic roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals?

Fair

The archive reflects a global cast of itinerant performers from various ethnic backgrounds. The focus remains on the historical spectacle of the era rather than modern perspectives on diversity.

How does The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals represent religion and culture?

Fair

The narrative celebrates nomadic lifestyles and unconventional performers, subtly challenging settled bourgeois norms. It prioritizes the aesthetic value of the spectacle over religious or moralistic frameworks.

Does The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals include disability representation?

Fair

Footage of historical freak shows documents individuals with physical differences as performers. While showing their ability to act, the subject matter risks framing disability through the lens of spectacle.

Present on Screen

Highlights the ability to act and physical command of female performers in circus and music hall settings.
Captures a global spectrum of ethnic diversity through the history of itinerant traveling shows.
Provides a counter-narrative to settled societal norms by celebrating nomadic and unconventional lifestyles.

Limited or Absent

Risk of framing disability and physical difference through the lens of historical spectacle.
Lacks an explicit, modern interrogation of racial diversity or queer identity.
Focuses on archival preservation rather than active, transformative social commentary.

Official Synopsis

This film tells the story of itinerant circus performers, cabaret acts and fairground attractions, showing rarities and never-before seen footage of fairgrounds, circus entertainment, freak shows, variety performances, music hall and seaside entertainment, chronicled from the 19th and 20th century. We will see early shows that wowed the world and home movies of some of the greatest circus families. Director Benedikt Erlingsson takes us back to the days when the most outlandish, skillful and breathtaking acts traveled the world. This rich visual archive has been created with exclusive access to The University of Sheffield’s National Fairground Archive and is accompanied by an epic new score by Georg Holm and Orri Páll Dýrason of Sigur Rós, in collaboration with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Kjartan Dagur Holm.

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