80s Pilsen Backyard Circus
Date Of Production
1980s
Abstract
Silent footage of an amateur circus performance in a backyard in the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen in the 1980s.
Description
After a brief overhead shot, a woman twirls a flaming baton on a stage. Adults and children watch from folding chairs set up in a crowded backyard, which has a two-dimensional painted circus tent set up behind the stage and a divider constructed from a quilt of American flags. Next, an older man wearing a fake nose lifts oversized weights while a young girl plays an accordion. In the next shot, a woman sings while a man hits a singing saw with a mallet. Local puppeteer Matthew Owens is up next; he slowly unbuttons his shirt to reveal a large rubber face covering his abdomen. He performs a dance with a straight face, moving his chest and hips so as to make the face appear animated. The following scene depicts one woman playing a flute while another woman dressed in a leotard dances with a pair of oversized butterfly wings. Then, a clown (Douglas Grew) delights children in the audience by balancing (and then dropping) a large number of boxes. The ringleader then invites all of the performers to join together to march across the stage.
Run Time
4 min 35 sec
Format
16mm
Extent
108 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Element
Print
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Main Credits
Palazzolo, Tom (is filmmaker)
Participants And Performers
Owens, Matthew (is performer)
Grew, Douglas (is performer)
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