The Real History Behind P. T. Barnum and The Circus
The Greatest Showman has quickly become a favourite amongst new releases in the last six months and I am in no way and exception to that. I absolutely adored the movie! How could you not? Everything from the characters, the music, the society defying love story were utterly lovable.
However, despite all the feel-good feelings I got out watching it and listening to “This is Me” on repeat, I could not shake the discomfort I felt at the blatant re-writing of history going on in this movie.
For any of you who have been living under a rock and do not know what the movie is about (seriously, though, you have had six months!), the film is loosely based on Phineas Taylor Barnum, more commonly known as P. T. Barnum, as he creates his famous circus show. Though touched upon in the movie, Barnum’s motivation for creating his show was for the purpose of his own success and it is this specifically which brings attention the nature of the original circus business. The exhibition culture that his show, amongst others, built relied heavily on the commodification of the human body; especially of human oddities, and “freaks”.
The history of exhibitions similarly depended heavily on the presentation of the strange and exotic. Though we know museums to be more reputable places now, institutions of knowledge and a lot of angry security guards shush-ing you, in the nineteenth century museums were very much money-making places, using all sorts of performance, both by intellectual means and that of shock factor to draw in customers.
Additionally, important to note, as Eric Fretz does, is that this “exploitation of human strangeness, was a theatrical performance in the disguise of the (mostly) nonwhite subject”. In other words, those who were considered worthy of mass inspection and commodification were those who did not conform to standards of normativity. And more often than not, they would play out stereotypical roles for comedic purposes that seemed to confirm their otherness and inferiority to their spectators. In fact, Barnum’s career and initial success in the exhibition arena began by becoming a slaveholder to Joice Heth, an alleged 161 year-old woman, who was said to be George Washington’s nursemaid, and participated and promoted blackface minstrelsy for his circus.
While the message of the movie is about unapologetically being one’s self and building a family that does not care about societies expectations, it does not erase the rather sordid history of the circus. More importantly, I question the ethics of re-writing/obscuring this history to the millions of film viewers? The irony of “Rewrite the Stars” has not been lost on me.
But there is a danger in presenting alternative versions of history, in overlooking the exploitation and manipulation of peoples for the gain of others. The circus that featured “freak shows” such as Barnum’s, while offering a modicum of autonomy and independence to those who would usually never have any, can nevertheless dehumanize individuals, where their bodies are used a commercial products.
The love story featured in the movie between Zac Efron’s character Phillip and Zendaya’s Anne Wheeler is an interesting addition in regards to the concept of acceptance and non-normative individuals. The period typical racism that is displayed by Phillip’s parents and Anne’s fear that they will never be accepted as an interracial couple provides a stage in which the limitations and discriminations of society can be overcome by their love by the movie’s end. However, it similarly provides a convenient (ironic) distraction from the altered facts of the circus setting. By tackling the issue of obvious discrimination in the case of interracial relationships, the show does very little to address the commercialisation of the body that Barnum enacted for his own financial gain, and as displayed in the movie, by presenting a “freak show” he hoped to be accepted by those that reject his performers.
The message of the movie is not lost on me, nor do I in anyway dislike the film. However, the issue of altered facts for the purpose of entertainment in the film industry suggests that we have not moved so far beyond the institution of circus as one might hope. It is easy to see a film set in the past as including period typical racism and believe that it does not require speaking about because we are, obviously, so far passed that point. But the reality is that we are not, and we seem to be reminded of it every other day as more reports of racist, xenophobic, homophobic or misogynistic acts come in.
Considering this month is Pride month, it is important to remember that while there have been great strides for the LGBTQ+ community, there are many who are still facing difficulties and discrimination simply because they do not adhere to the imposed standards for the “normative queer”. Take time this month to celebrate, but also remember that the world is not always kind to those who are different. Pride is not simply another festival or party but an important part of gaining awareness, pushing awareness and understanding the history that affects the oppressions a lot of people.
~ S ~
