Dreams of Clowns

The circus has always been closely related with film. After all, weren't films first shown as a kind of circus attraction? It is only natural that, once it had earned its own respectability, it would go back to the source and pay homage to this world of sawdust.

Many circus men and women also turned to the small or silver screen at some time or another. In France, circus owner Jean Richard became one of the most famous Maigret on TV.
But way before TV even existed, even before the famous Charles Chaplin tackled the subject, one of the most famous circus families appeared on film.

A poster for the brother's circus act in Paris

You may remember that François Fratellini played a part early in 1923 in Sarah Bernhardt's last film: The Fortune Teller. Unfortunately, the famous actress died during the making of the film and by the time it was decided to resume shooting with a double, François' part as the clown of the story had to be recast with Jean-François Martial whose character had become a painter as a consequence.


However, François' fame was used in another film in which, not only he got to star, but more importantly, he appeared with both his brothers Paul and Albert with whom he successfully appeared at the Cirque d'hiver in Paris at the time.

Ironically, although the film was shot almost one year after the first, it was released on the very same day as The Fortune Teller, on October 31, 1924. That movie was appropriately titled Rêves de Clowns (Dreams of Clowns).

Maybe I have not read enough about it, but it seems that the film experience of the Fratellini brothers has somewhat escaped the interest of their biographers.

Albert, François & Paul

However, newspapers of the time were more interested: Jean Eyre explains the plot in Mon Ciné on November 13, 1924.
The famous brothers entertain a wild audience at the circus, but a single lady seated at the front remains sad and fails to laugh. The men question their popularity and fear that have lost their talent.
As they rest backstage, they have a dream: they perform the wildest tricks, the funniest acts, but that same woman is always there and keeps a serious face.
As someone wakes them up to go back on stage, they still try to entertain the girl when a famous aviator, back from a dangerous mission appears to the acclaim of the audience and the relief of the young girl who was only anxious for him all along.
The brothers, reassured that they were not the cause of her seriousness and proud that they have a hero among the public, gladly go on wit their act.

On set, from left to right: Madame Vigier, René Hervoin and camera operators Georges Asselin & André Raymond

Albert Fratellini gives the best summary, almost 30 years later: "Dreams of clowns is the story of Dolores Braga that goes to the circus, but doesn't get pleasure out of it.
She leaves her seat as the Fratellinis are still on stage and this incident strikes our imagination so much so that, in our dressing room, it becomes the subject of conversation that goes on in an unreal world.

Transported in the kingdom of dreams, we meet Dolores Braga there that proposes, to make her laugh - oh irony - to improvise a love declaration. Succcessively, the Fratellinis all try their luck. But the woman remains unmoved, in spite of the wildest jokes. Desperate , not knowing what to do, we start to cry and big tears start falling down our cheeks, making lines in our makeup.
Facing these grotesque masks, she eventually makes a feeble smile. But who caused it? We cannot agree on that, and our argument soon turns to a fight.
Suddenly the dream stops. Time for the show. To our surprise, Dolores Braga is back on her seat. A rumor spreads through the crowd. A man jumps through the seats and falls in the arm of the young girl.  
'Long live Maraval! Long live Maraval!' they yell.
He is a famous aviator who has just won the  Paris-Dakar-Aden-Paris raid, breaking all previous records.
He arrived 24 hours early on the schedule and rushed to Dolores whom he had promised to marry should he succeed.
The three clowns thus understand the attitude of the young woman who, anxious about the fate of her friend, could not share the joy of the spectators.
The film ends as Georges Maraval takes out three dolls out of his pockets, that look like the Fratellinis."

As early as July 19, 1924, Albert Bonneau publishes an article about the shoot in Cinémagazine. It takes place at the cirque d'hiver, an 18th century building in Paris that hosts a circus. At the time, the film is still called Rêve de Clowns (Dream of Clowns).

François confirms his busy schedule, presumably the very one that prevented him from completing the previous picture. After this one, they are supposed to tour the south of France and present the film there in the summer and when they return in Paris on August 29, they are due back at the cirque d'hiver. The following photography, taken on the set, is reproduced in the article. It shows, from left to right: François Fratellini, director Madame Vigier de Maisonneuve, unit manager Jacques Calamy, production secretary Miss Beermann, director René Hervouin, actress Yane Odoni, Paul Fratellini, Miss Marguett, camera operator André Raymond, Albert Fratellini & ditributor Félix Méric.

Cast and crew

His experience with "modern" movie-making is rather new and they brothers still have a hard time adjusting to the bright lights on the set. However, Sarah Bernhardt aside, they already filmed a few short subjects before WWI with Ferdinand Zecca and René Leprince among others. Albert Fratellini does write a few chapters about the films he remembers in his 1955 autobiography "We, Fratellinis". He mentions their collaboration with Max Linder, and three shorts, two of which are currently not listed on the Imdb: L'auvergnat dans son bain about a man who cannot find the right temperature of his bath and ends up flooding his neighbors' apartment, La prise de Port-Arthur and Motorcar and Cripple (October 28, 1906). The Pathé catalog adds Acrobatic Elephant (November 1905).

On September 19, 1924, Cinémagazine publishes another article about the film by Jean de Mirbel with little more information, except that the clowns' dressing room has been recreated in a studio.

The brother's dressing room recreated in the studio

On October 1, 1924, in Cinéa Ciné pour Tous, Norbert Lecourt blames the direction for the failure of the film. To him, the magic of the circus has not been faithfully reproduced.

Jean Chataigner writes a severe critic in Le journal on November 21, 1924: "a blunderer (who would deserve to be named as a punishment) made poor use of the Fratellini brothers' talent. Thankfully, they will come out unharmed of this bad and deplorable adventure."

However this "failure" was successful enough with the audience that copies were still shown years after that. There is evidence of a showing on February 27, 1926 in Cancale.

As late as 1927, on September 19, the film still plays in Arcachon.

On the CNC website, Dreams of Clowns appears as one of the restored films. According to that website, there are color sequences in the film (probably tints). In any case, this film still remains unavailable on video.

Albert, in his autobiography, has no illusion about the quality of the story but does write that it is the only film that is actually about them at the top of their game and he hopes that "perhaps it will be shown again when the three Fratellinis are only characters of legend"

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That's all for today, folks!