The 1936 Soviet film, The Circus presents Western Cultures such as the United States and even Germany as being highly racist. The film begins with Marion, a circus performer, being chased by a mob who are throwing rocks and yelling at her because she has a child of color. This scene takes place in “every town USA”. Marion ends up joining a circus in the Soviet Union and due to her abusive German agent, she tries to keep her bi-racial baby hidden. Once her secret is revealed, she finds that the people of the USSR are accepting of everyone. The circus director, Ludvig tells her, “Soviet people love all children: white, black, green, and pink with stripes”. Do you think that this message would have been necessary if in fact it were true?
