''Life's Circus'' (German: ''Manege'') is a 1928 German silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Max Reichmann and starring

Raimondo Van Riel Raimondo Van Riel (22 January 1881, in Rome – 9 May 1962, in Mentana) was an Italian actor. Raimondo Van Riel was born on January 22, 1881, in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is known for his work on Quo Vadis? (1924), The Magnificent Rogue (1935) and ...

, Ernst Van Duren and Kurt Gerron.Bock & Bergfelder p.156 It was shot at the

Staaken Studios Staaken Studios was a film studio located in Staaken on the outskirts of the German capital Berlin. A large former zeppelin hangar, it was converted to film use following the First World War and operated during the Weimar Republic. In July 1923 it ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. The film's sets were designed by

Leopold Blonder Leopold Blonder (1893–1932) was an Austrian art director active in the silent and early sound eras.Rother p.236 He also directed five short films during the early 1920s. He worked on several mountain films with Arnold Fanck and Leni Riefenstahl ...

. It was made by the German branch of

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

and premiered at the Marmorhaus in Germany's capital city.

Cast

as Gaston Flamingo *Ernst Van Duren as Ralf Flamingo * Kurt Gerron as Bela Garay *

Lucie Höflich Lucie Höflich (born Helene Lucie von Holwede; 20 February 1883 – 9 October 1956) was a German actress, teacher and head of the Staatliche Schauspielschule (State Drama School) in Berlin.

as Seine Frau * Mary Johnson as Eve Garay *

Valerie Boothby Valerie Boothby (born Wally Drucker, 18 October 1904 – 14 April 1982) was a German actress, painter, and writer. Biography Valerie Boothby was born Wally Drucker on 18 October 1904 in Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg, in what was then the German Empire, ...

as Frau im Nordexpress *

Valy Arnheim Valy Arnheim (born Valentin Theodor Woldemar Appel; 8 June 1883 – 11 November 1950) was a German film actor and director. Selected filmography * ''Lightning Command'' (1921) * ''Anne-Liese of Dessau'' (1925) * ''Harry Hill's Deadly Hunt'' (192 ...

as Der Stallmeister * Alexander Murski as Der Direktor

References

Bibliography

* Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. ''The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema''. Berghahn Books, 2009.

External links

* 1928 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Max Reichmann 1928 drama films Circus films German black-and-white films Silent German drama films Films shot at Staaken Studios 1920s German films {{Germany-silent-film-stub