Analysis: The Greatest Showman
A couple weeks ago I had the wonderful experience of going to see the movie The Greatest Showman, directed by Michael Gracey and starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum. The movie follows Barnum as he strives to create a wealthy life for his family, and utilizes his knack for storytelling and amazing audiences to achieve this. The real stars of the show, however, are the various freaks and performers he recruits for his act; from the bearded lady (played by Keala Settle) to the trapeze artist twins (played by Zendaya and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), each of the performers finds a family within the circus.
During the last act of the movie, Barnum appears to lose everything. The building that housed his circus burned down, his wife has left him and the bank repossessed the house he had purchased. He goes to his favorite bar to think, and that is where the circus freaks he has recruited for his act go to console him. It is there that they prod him into trying again and making peace with his family; they have found a new family, a place where they belong, and they cannot risk that being lost. They even go so far as to include Barnum in this “family.”
This idea of finding a family within a performing group is still true to this day. In my own experience I have formed strong bonds with members of the orchestra that I consider to be something more than just friendships. Performing in an ensemble, no matter what it is, will create bonds between the performers that will most likely endure for years. Furthermore, it allows for these performers to form communities with those that they are similar to. These communities act as a second home, and in times of need will often provide support for the distressed performer. Ultimately, performing groups offer a form of sanctuary and shelter that cannot be found anywhere else.
One of the main conflicts in the movie is how the circus freaks do not traditionally belong in the public eye, that they should only be seen when they are performing. This is especially demonstrated when Barnum cruelly forces the freaks to watch his more “elegant” performance with Jenny Lind (portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson) from the shadows of the concert hall. This thematic idea of the circus freaks being outsiders and the outcasts of society directly parallel the struggle that LGBT groups have experienced in the past.
In our society’s past if you were of LGBT orientation you were generally shunned, forced into hiding, or generally shamed and made into a social pariah. Even today if you are a part of the LGBT population then you are viewed with a different lens; certainly it is more positive than the past, but it is far from the “normal” experience that a straight person would have. The Greatest Showman does a wonderful job of exposing this experience under the guise of the circus freaks. These freaks are generally outcasts of society, shunned because of physical disabilities, impairments, or appearances. However, they do not let themselves become downtrodden by the rest of society. During a pivotal moment of the movie the circus freaks band together and decide that no matter what society thinks, there is nothing wrong with them (“This Is Me”). This sequence and song declare that just because they are strange looking, the circus freaks are no less of a human being. The underlying thematic ideas of LGBT rights and struggle cannot be ignored, and this part of The Greatest Showman directly reveals them.
The Greatest Showman is a movie about a family created out of a performing group and the struggles of a group shunned and degraded by society. It explores how performing groups can lead to supportive families and communities, which in turns leads to a happier life. Additionally, the movie allows for the struggles of LGBT groups to be subtly explored and experienced. In conclusion, The Greatest Showman is a wonderful movie that explores one way performing groups benefit performers and the LGBT community’s struggles.