Blu-ray Review – The Clowns

Having visited the circus once as a child and raised outside of the influence of the painted man arts, I'm not one to list clowns as a phobia, curling up in terror when a white-faced person of professional tomfoolery skips near. Those who suffer from coulrophobia (heavens, there's actually a name for it) would be well advised to steer clear of the 1970 Federico Fellini effort, "The Clowns." For viewers with a larger appetite for top shelf high jinks, the picture is an extraordinary time capsule of circus feats, blurring the line between fantasy and reality as a master filmmaker delves into his most cherished subject, whisking viewers across Europe on a hunt for unforgettable clowns. It's a movie containing extensive performance footage, bizarre tales from the vocation, and rosy-cheeked sorrow for a dying art form. It's Fellini's childhood obsessions splashed across the screen, producing a pleasurably disorientating viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com