"Circus"
1936
Directed by Grigori Alexandrov

Grigori Alexandrov's daring attempt to import the American musical comedy form into the Soviet Union was conceived by its director as "an eccentric comedy…a real side-splitter."  Marion Dixon is an American circus artiste, on tour with her German manager, von Kneischitz.  When she falls in love with a Russian engineer, her manager tries to blackmail her by revealing that she has given birth to a child out of wedlock, and that the baby is black - a daring conceit for 1936!  His plot backfires when she finds happiness and acceptance among the Soviet people. Lyubov Orlova is the star in this rare comedy. Russian with English subtitles. 89 minutes.