Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that The Greatest Show on Earth is a sprawling, lavish, over-two-hour look at the life of the circus from 1952. It's a visual feast of costumes, performances, and the glamour of a show in an era when it was still a respectable way of life, not to mention still a major draw in any city. However, it runs long and is rather gritty with some adult themes, such as unrequited love, escaped criminals, dangerous high-wire acts, cutthroat competition, and the despair of dashed dreams. There also is quite a bit of peril and violence: A man falls from a high distance and is left partially paralyzed; blood is shown trickling from his mouth. A train full of circus people and animals crashes into a car placed purposely on the track, destroying it and leaving many people wounded, with some blood shown. A transfusion is performed.
Sexual
Content
A man and woman kiss. Very minor jokey innuendo about girls who "get around." A man romances a woman by embracing her and whispering sweet nothings.
Violence
There's a perilous overtone to the movie, particularly with regard to the high-wire acrobatics and risk. A man falls from a high distance and is left partially paralyzed; blood is shown trickling from his mouth. A woman sticks a piece of hot iron on a man's hand. A woman's act involves an elephant's foot hovered just above her face, ever at risk of crushing her. A man hits a man over the head with a stick. A train full of circus people and animals crashes into a car placed purposely on the track, destroying it and leaving many people wounded, with some blood shown. A transfusion is performed.
Language
Very minor references to dated or era-specific ideas, such as blackface.
Social
Behavior
The Greatest Show on Earth espouses positive messages about circus life, loyalty, commitment to the performance above all else, and putting personal issues aside to do good work.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Brief, era-specific smoking of pipes, cigars, and the occasional cigarette.
