Beginning of the movie, featuring Phineas Barnum, a poor kid whose dad just passed out and life became more rough on him since then. In this scene, he was actually trying to steal food but was caught by the store owner. However, he was offered food but from another poor lady.
At this young age, Barnum fell in love with Charity, a daughter of a wealthy man who Barnum's father used to work for. The two kids would use to meet by the beach then go to a closely palace that they consider the place for achieving dreams. That image is from a speech they had by the beach.
Many years later, Barnum became a grown man and got a job, then was able to marry the love of his life. Although his life isn't that wealthy, she's satisfied and happy to be just with him. However, Barnum is dreaming to get her a better life that she deserves. This scene was after the couple finally got together. It was a musical scene where both were swinging and dancing on the roof of the building.
After the dance, got settled in their house with candles all around.
This scene was from this morning when Barnum was suggesting an idea to his manager at work and the manager astonished him and his colleagues when he said they are all dissmissed. The manager mentioned that all their ships sunk in the depths of the ocean, that's why they dismissed everyone. It was a hard shock for Barnum, who's not only living for his wife but got two daughters, which means he has a big family responsible for.
Barnum took a loan from the bank and started a new business! In this scene, you can see the building behind the two girls which has a signboard saying Barnum's museum. Barnum decided to take his family there and show them.
In this scene, Barnum is excited for the idea of his museum, however his family don't share the same feeling when they got a tour there. They believe the museum is kind of dead and boring and people would be more interested in something active, vibrant and unique.
Unique persons wanted! That's the new idea that Barnum had, making a show featuring only unique people with different talents, sizes and shapes. He started it off by just hanging posters to find those people.
Barnum already did! The first one of his crew is Charles Stratton, he's a midget and his dream is to become a knight. Barnum convinced him here in this scene to join his crew and become the star he want to be. Although Charles hates being out in front of people(as they laugh at him), he agreed to join Barnum.
Lettie Lutz, a woman having a beard and Barnum was able to find her. In this scene, he approached her while she was singing with such a beautiful voice but she was hidden behind the clothes that was hanged on the washing rope. Barnum got her from shadow to light and convinced her she would be a star by joining his show.
It's the first day of the show! This is the beginning where the whole group would get out of the dark led by Barnum, there are also some animals there. You can see two elephants each on both right and left side.
Barnum and his team performing. Some are making some fire in the rings, others are dancing.
This is a picture of the full team
Barnum and his team performing.
Barnum is performing.
It's the end of the first show and Barnum could now feel being successful. In this scene, he hears the cheer and clapping hands, and just astonished from where he came to what he was able to do. It was a huge moment for him, not believing himself and that his dreams could finally come true.
Philip Carlyle, Barnum's new partner in this scene just saw Annee Wheeler for the first time. Carlyle immiedietly started to fall in Love with her (you can obviously recognize from his eyes) when she was doing her act in the show and doing the trapeze in one of the shows.
In this scene, Carlyle was apologizing to Annee for his parents who were cursing her as she's black. He told her that he doesn't care about other people's judgments and opinions and then admitted his love for her.
Carlyle and Annee in this scene singing one of the most famous songs of the movie "Rewrite the stars" while swinging on the trapeze. However, Annee by the end of the song would confess that they won't be able to be together because of the community they are part of.
Jenny Lend, a Swedish opera singer and one of the most famous in Europe, but here in this scene, she is singing in America. Barnum made with her a deal to be featured with him in America and he would in advance provide her a high percentage from the show's profit. She's actually singing in this scene "Never Enough", one of the most effective and attractive songs in the movie.
Huge fire brought the whole circus down. Some protestants got into the circus and made fire there to put an end to this show. Barnum was on a tour and just came back by the train station. He noticed everyone running towards the circus so he followed them and realized it was too late. The building was all set in fire and some of his team members were in danger.
With the love and support of his team and family, Barnum was able to step up again and get his show back. However he didn't have the biggest dreams. He just wanted to live a happy life. He left during his show and instead went to watch his daughter playing ballet.
It's the end. Barnum now is satisfied and believes he have everything he ever wanted. Not his show, it's actually in having a lovely happy family.
When life is so harsh on you, you keep trying and failing, but you still have dreams. Could you make these dreams real? Well, yes you can, and the biggest example is phineas barnum or as everyone knows him “The Greatest Showman”. The Greatest Showman is a musical/drama movie talking about Barnum, who started as a poor kid, his father was a tailor and he would help him out whenever he went to clients in their houses. Barnum didn’t have a normal life. His father passed out when he was really young and since then he had been through a lot from stealing food to selling used journals. Years later, he achieved one of his dreams and married the love of his life, Charity Barnum. However, Life didn’t go that well for him. He then lost his job, tried making his own business but failed. Then it was this moment that he realized I needed to stand out and produce something new which is “The Greatest Show”. The Greatest Show is not a circus show (although some would assume it is), it’s in fact a show featuring a group of unique people having special talents, coming from different races, having different sizes (some having unrealistic physical features). Basically, the most diverse and weirdest group of people you would ever see in your life, but it was Barnum who brought them into light for everyone to watch. The show became extremely successful, not only in New York but among the whole country, which made Barnum become a selfish man aiming for more fame. He started just thinking about himself, how to be more and more successful. Well he actually did become more successful first by grabbing Phillip Carlyle (an upper-crust rich kid) to be his partner then making a deal with Jenny Lend, the famous European Opera singer who will make Barnum even more famous. Additionally, in this period he started getting away from his unique group and excluding them from important events. After this huge fame and richness, Barnum would end up back to the zero point. How would he come back with the Greatest Show again? It’s actually with the love and support his family and group have for him.
The movie has this sort of activeness, ambition with however some selfishness and being overwhelmed.
At the very beginning, you will get the mood of the circus, dancing and music.
The color palette is more leaning to circus vibe which is red, yellow and a little blue and it kind of met the color palette of the season as it was fall, so many scenes had this red and yellow tree leaves down. The movie is about the early 1800's in New York, so it’s pretty much an old fashioned style in everything (clothing, architecture, transit, etc..).
feeling of a circus, inspiration, love and relationships
The Greatest Showman
5 words: Ambition, never giving up ,courage, embracing yourself, activeness, music, show, dance, circus vibe, diversity, new world (world of dreams)
Thesis statement:
Despite how harsh life is on you, you can still be successful but only if you think differently and with a creative mind and that’s what Barnum did with his Greatest Show.
JugglingBalls_Trial _2 from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.
Trial from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.
FireDistribute 2 from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.
