Circus World (film)

Circus World
film poster by Frank McCarthy
Directed by	Henry Hathaway
Screenplay by	Ben Hecht Julian Halevy James Edward Grant
Story by	Bernard Gordon Nicholas Ray
Produced by	Samuel Bronston
Starring	John Wayne Claudia Cardinale Rita Hayworth Lloyd Nolan John Smith Richard Conte
Cinematography	Jack Hildyard
Edited by	Dorothy Spencer
Music by	Dimitri Tiomkin
Production company	Samuel Bronston Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	25 June 1964 (1964-06-25)
Running time	135 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$9 million (estimate)
Box office	$1.6 million (United States/Canada rentals)[1]

Circus World (released as The Magnificent Showman in the United Kingdom) is a 1964 American Drama Western film starring John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale and Rita Hayworth. It was directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Samuel Bronston, with a screenplay by Ben Hecht, Julian Zimet (writing under the pseudonym Julian Halevy), and James Edward Grant, from a story by Bernard Gordon and Nicholas Ray.

The idea for Circus World originated from screenwriter Bernard Gordon. Nicholas Ray was initially assigned to direct the project until he suffered a heart attack while filming 55 Days at Peking (1963). He was replaced by Frank Capra who later entered into creative differences with co-writer James Edward Grant and John Wayne. By the summer of 1963, Capra was replaced with Henry Hathaway. Filming commenced in September 1963 and concluded in February 1964.

Prior to the film's release, the financial failure of The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) caused Samuel Bronston Productions to accumulate severe debts to financier Pierre S. du Pont III. It would be the last in a series of big budget epics produced by Bronston in Spain. The film premiered at the Loew's Cinerama Theater on June 25, 1964. It received mixed reviews from film critics and was a financial disappointment.