In 1937, Republican Militia force a circus troupe to fight on their side in the Spanish Civil War. The Funny Clown (Santiago Segura) slaughters dozens of Nationalist troops, armed only with a machete, before being shot and disarmed. While his fellow troupe members are executed, the Funny Clown is sentenced to work as a slave laborer, at the monument of the Valle de los Caídos. His son, Javier (Sasha Di Bendetto) tries to free him by setting off dynamite where he was working. But Colonel Salcedo (Sancho Gracia) tramples the Funny Clown to death with his horse. Javier knocks him down, gouging out his eye in the process. Salcedo vows to remember Javier for this insult.
Andrew Larabee teaches at a school run by his headmaster father Matthew, a traditional man who disapproves of his son's unconventional methods despite their popularity with the students. Andrew's special interest is archaeology, and he hopes to earn his father's respect through this field of study.
The story starts at a harem (which strangely has the Taj Mahal in sight, even though it is supposed to be located in Persia), where the elderly overseer bids his young charges to read the story of Haroun al-Rashid (Hall) and his wife Scheherazade (Montez), unfolding the film's plot in the process.
Set in contemporary West Berlin (at the time still enclosed by the Berlin Wall), Wings of Desire follows two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, as they roam the city, unseen and unheard by its human inhabitants, observing and listening to the diverse thoughts of Berliners: a pregnant woman in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, a painter struggling to find inspiration, a broken man who thinks his girlfriend no longer loves him. Their raison d'être is, as Cassiel says, to "assemble, testify, preserve" reality. In addition to the story of two angels, the film is also a meditation on Berlin's past, present, and future. Damiel and Cassiel have always existed as angels; they existed in Berlin before it was a city, and before there were even any humans.
Un cirque itinérant, dirigé par Monica Rivers, subit une série de drames; plusieurs de ses artistes trouvant la mort au cours de représentations. Et il parait évident qu'il ne s'agit pas d'accidents. Alors qui est le meurtrier ?
On an ocean liner, a passenger recognizes famed ballet creator Charles Coudray (James Mason), and asks him politely why one of his works has never been performed since its debut. When Coudray remains silent, the fan leaves him alone with his thoughts, leading to a flashback.
Overhearing stern Uncle Daniel describe him as a "millstone", hurt and insulted, Toby Tyler runs away from his foster home to join the circus. There he soon befriends Mr. Stubbs, the frisky chimpanzee. However, the circus isn't all fun and games. Harry Tupper, the evil candy vendor, convinces Toby that his Aunt Olive and Uncle Daniel don't love him or want him back. Devastated, Toby resigns himself to circus life, even scoring himself a much bigger role. When he discovers, with the help of Mr. Stubbs, that Harry lied to him about Aunt Olive and Uncle Daniel, who truly do love him, he departs the circus for home. On the way, Toby finds that Mr. Stubbs has followed him, and decides to take the chimp home with him, for safe keeping. Soon after though, Mr. Stubbs gets chased by a hunter's dog. The hunter, Jim Weaver, accidentally shoots Mr. Stubbs just as Harry arrives to haul Toby back to the circus.
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Musician Charlie Rogers (Elvis Presley) is fired from a gig at a teahouse run by Lou (Jack Albertson) after brawling with several college students in the parking lot. After a night in jail, Charlie hits the road on his Honda 305 Superhawk motorcycle. He spots Cathy Lean (Joan Freeman) driving with her father Joe (Leif Erickson) and their employer, Maggie Morgan (Barbara Stanwyck). When Charlie tries to become friendly with Cathy, Joe forces him off the road and the bike is wrecked after crashing into a wooden fence.
Tira (Mae West) shimmies and sings in the sideshow of Big Bill Barton's Wonder Show, while her current boyfriend, pickpocket "Slick" (Ralf Harolde), relieves her distracted audience of their valuables for Big Bill (Edward Arnold). One of the rich customers arranges a private rendezvous, during which Slick barges in and attempts to run a badger game on the customer. The customer doesn't buy it and threatens to call the cops and Slick whacks him over the head with a bottle. Mistakenly thinking he has killed the man, Slick flees, but is caught and jailed.
Kleinman (Allen) is awakened from a deep sleep by a vigilante mob. They claim to be looking for a serial killer who strangles his victims and to need his help. Before he leaves, his landlady who wants to marry him gives him a small paper bag with pepper in it.
Hank Whirling (Mature) needs a bank loan to keep his Whirling Circus going. He gets it from a stuffy New York City bank, but only on the condition he take along accountant Randy Sherman (Red Buttons) and publicist Helen Harrison (Rhonda Fleming) to help the circus turn a profit.
L'histoire commence avec une vieille grand-mère racontant à ses deux petites-filles l'histoire de la petite sirène. Malgré leur jeune âge, les filles ne croient pas à l'histoire, jusqu'à ce que leur grand-mère leur raconte une histoire. Il y a de nombreuses années, un jeune journaliste du nom de Cam Harrison qui n'avait pas réussi à gagner sa vie part à la recherche d'une bonne histoire en compagnie de sa plus jeune sœur, Elle. Là, ils vont au cirque et rencontrent une belle sirène piégée dans un réservoir de verre. Ils sont encore plus surpris quand la sirène apparaît devant eux comme une jeune femme avec des jambes. Le duo apprend vite d'une prophétie à propos d'une petite fille née sur terre, bénie du coeur d'une sirène. Avec cette prophétie venue à la vie dans Elle, ils sont de plus enchevêtrés dans un complot sinistre d'un sorcier qui souhaite garder l'âme de la sirène et la convertir au pouvoir.
The events of the original movie take place entirely in Norway; in the English-language version of the movie, the story begins in Britain, and ends up in Norway with the traveling circus.
Dodo the Clown is a funny man with a serious drinking problem. His son Dink is amused by Dodo's act, but not so the circus owner who dismisses Dodo for having insulted a paying customer. Dodo also ruins a job audition by turning up drunk.
Grayson's traveling carnival comes to Munich with acts that include high-dive artist Frank Collini and silent strongman Groppo. A local girl named Willi picks the pocket of Joe, who works for the carny, but she ends up being offered a job.