Circus (dir. Aleksandrov, 1936)

Given the racial tension exhibited in the United States in the 1930s--not to mention right down to the present--the idea of a white woman giving birth to a black child is a bold subject to tackle. Circus's portrayal of interracial and interethnic harmony in the USSR contrasts sharply not only to the reality of American life, but to the protrayal of African-Americans and other minorities on the Hollywood screen. As Moira Ratchford noted in her article, Aleksandrov based the opening sequence of Marion Dixon's flight from a lynch mob on first hand testimony that he heard while living in the United States in the early 1930s. While ordinary Soviet citizens no doubt had their own racial and ethnic prejudices, Circus is striking for the way it testifies to the Soviet government's outspoken condemnation of such beliefs, at least in principle. To advance its anti-racist perspective, Circus uses exactly the kind of socially conscious humor that Eisenstein notes would be what sets Soviet comedy apart from even the best that Hollywood has to offer.

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