Customer Reviews

American Carny: True Tales From the Circus Sideshow

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw the film at the Coney Island Film Festival and feel it could become a cult classic for those who visited the place in years past. I am aware that Coney Island will be closing forever soon and thought that ownership of the film will memorialize the fond memories people have of this legendary playland which includes the "Tales" of the sideshow that will be lost to future generations. It represents a culture of people that is little understood but which greatly impacted on the evolving entertainment media of today. I highly recomend it.

This is a documentary about a form of entertainment that is disappearing from America. American Carny brings back memories of the type of acts that I saw as a teenager at the NJ State Fair when I was growing up.
Todd Robbins is the foremost historian on the subject of Circus Sideshow acts, and is also an amazing performer.
The director Nick Basile and his crew did a great job on this film.

This is my favorite DVD on the sideshow and I own many of them. My bookshelf is full of books on the subject and beyond a doubt this video covers all of the topics one would hope. Great movie!

This film is so beautifully shot and its subject matter so lovingly handled, it will move you to tears. The sideshow is such an important part of our cultural heritage that, for this alone, everyone should see American Carny. Focusing on the world of the phenominally gifted Todd Robbins (and all of its inhabitants)was the single best choice Nick Basile could have made as a film maker. Mr. Robbins is the reigning master of all things carny. His humor, sophistication, and shear magnetism could make the most jaded of us easy marks for whatever he wishes to sell - however he wishes to sell it. The carnival has a rock star, and his name is Todd Robbins.

I really thought this would be more of a documentry on the history of carnivals but it's really not. It is basically interviews with one sideshow circus group in Coney Island. Some of it is interesting but not what I expected at all.

I really wanted to like this documentary, as I'm fascinated by the subject matter. Unfortunately, I found it to be very unfocused. It seemed that the filmmaker couldn't decide if he was telling the biography of Todd Robbins, or doing a documentary about the last existing sideshow attraction on Coney Island, or the history of sideshows, or the personal stories of various sideshow performers, or the "Sideshow School" that Robbins is involved with. He tried to do a little of everything, resulting in a movie with no through-line. I got the feeling the filmmaker really fell in love with the people he interviewed and wanted to give them a lot of screen time. As a result, there is a lot of repetition and most segments go on longer than necessary. As an example, there's a totally pointless sequence showing Robbins riding around in a Coney Island bumper car. Robbins is certainly an engaging performer, but puh-lease! I rented the movie, but I got so bored I was unable to get through it in one sitting.