The Day the Clown Cried Page #4

Synopsis: Helmut Doork, a once great and famous clown, is fired from the circus. Getting drunk at a local bar, he pokes fun at Hitler in front of some Gestapo agents, who arrest and send him to a prison camp. Helmut angers his fellow prisoners by refusing to perform for them, wanting to preserve his legend. As times passes, Jews are brought into the camp, with fraternizing between them and the other prisoners strictly prohibited. Eventually, Helmut is forced by the others to perform or be beaten. His act bombs and he leaves the barracks depressed, trying the routine out again alone in the prison yard. He hears laughter and sees a group of Jewish children watching him through a fence. Happy to be appreciated again, he makes a makeshift clown suit and begins to regularly perform. His audience grows, but a new prison Commandant orders Helmut to stop. When he refuses and continues to perform, he's beaten and thrown in solitary confinement. But the Nazis soon come up with a use for Helmut, keeping th
Year:
1972
90 min
1,439 Views


Helmut hears it all and it sounds so good and right.

HELMUT:

I will go now and see Schmidt ...

I will tell him I won't take any

more degradation ... I will tell him

I am a "clown" not a stooge ...

A "clown" ... A special person ...

A special clown ...

Ada happily gets his hat.

ADA:

(placing the hat on his head)

Go, my love ... Go and fight for what

you know is right ... I will warm your dinner

and wait for you to come home.

She kisses him, opens the door for him and he goes.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. THE EMPTY CIRCUS - NIGHT

The low key light and the silence of the circus is almost

ominous and a little frightening for Helmut as he walks

across the empty arena ... with a small light burning from

up high. All the equipment is tied off. Slight ANIMAL

SOUNDS in the deep background ... and the faintest SOUND of

circus music is heard. Helmut is now center of the main

ring and stops and looks around.

HIS POV - THE EMPTY STANDS

CLOSE SHOT - HELMUT

His face tense, then eases as he looks around.

HIS POV:

The stands are full, the lights come up, and the

audience is standing, applauding thunderously!

MED. CLOSE - HELMUT

In his clown outfit bowing and acknowledging the ovation.

HIS POV - THE AUDIENCE

as they stop applauding and sit down.

WIDE SHOT:

Helmut -- the chair and the trombone --

THE TROMBONE PANTOMIME

As the completion of the "Trombone Pantomime" Helmut walks

away from the position he was in with the trombone and bows

and milks the crowd for reactions and as he bows the second

time ... WE SHIMMER:

BACK TO:

CLOSE - HELMUT

In bowing position as he looks at the crowd.

HIS POV - THE EMPTY STANDS

CLOSE - HELMUT

His face shows signs of utter despair and dejection ... the

dream is gone and the memory of what was really hurts deep

down. He looks around making sure he hasn't been noticed by

anyone and takes that deep sigh and strolls towards the back

of the circus tent area on his way to find Schmidt.

WIDE ANGLE:

TRUCK WITH HIM, HOLDING the many empty seats in the b.g. as

he walks ... trying to muster up the courage he's going to

have to call ... something that has now become totally

foreign to him.

HIGH SHOT - THE EMPTY CIRCUS

We see Helmut as the tiny figure he feels like, walking out

of the tent area and into the backstage section.

CUT TO:

BACKSTAGE OFFICE AREA - NIGHT

Helmut enters the section of the circus where Schmidt has

his "Temp" office quarters. It is a tent-like arrangement

with the canvas flap as his door and we see light streaming

from the half open canvas flap.

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Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis AM (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, singer, film producer, film director, screenwriter, humanitarian and innovator. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He and Dean Martin were partners as the hit popular comedy duo of Martin and Lewis. Following that success, he was a solo star in film, nightclubs, television, concert stages and musicals. Lewis served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and host of the live Labor Day broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for 40 years. more…

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Submitted by aviv on January 26, 2017

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