Australian
Screen

an NFSA website



The Last Circus? (1993)

Synopsis

A plea for the survival of the circus as a form of entertainment. The film shows children and adults as they enjoy the circus. Audience members are interviewed. Trainers demonstrate their methods of training, arguing that they are humane. The film puts an argument to counter animal liberationists’s claims that circus animals are cruelly treated.

Curator’s notes

The film was produced in 1993 in Wollongong, New South Wales, at a regional television station. While its pro-circus animal arguments are now dated, it contains what will become increasingly rare footage of a bygone era.