Cinema | 70 Years of Berliner Festspiele

Zirkus, Circus, Cirque

Berliner Festwochen 1978
Colour
Film by Thilo Fischer

Film, 109'51", colour, sound. Film still © RBB | Courtesy of the artists

The 1978 festival with the polyglot title “Zirkus, Circus, Cirque” was one of the most successful in the history of the Festwochen and, as in the circus, perhaps one of the very few festivals in which animals and children also played a prominent role.

In an archive film collage made especially for this cinema programme, you will see the highlights of the 1978 Circus Festival including, amongst others, Cirque Gruess from France, Circus Barum from Germany, the Swiss clown Dimitri and the one-of-a-kind circus performances of the group Neue Musik Berlin. The finale consists of excerpts from “Varieté Varieté” by the Tübinger Zimmertheater directed by Helfried Foron, based on plans and sketches by Oskar Schlemmer. In addition, questions of animal care and circus management were examined and the long tradition of the circus discussed.

With

Circus Barum, Circus Safari, Cirque Gruss, Tänzer der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Gruppe Neue Musik, Kaspar Fischer, Clown Dimitri und Varieté, Varieté nach Oskar Schlemmer von Helfried Foron

© RBB | Courtesy the Artists