Man on a Tightrope

Cold War parable, decently acted and directed, but inevitably disappointing when compared to Kazan's other films of the era. There's no Brando or Dean to lift it above the ordinary - only Fredric March trying too hard to impress. The screenplay, by Robert E Sherwood from a story by Neil Paterson, concerns a struggling circus troupe in Communist Czechoslovakia who dream of escape to freedom in Austria. Apparently based on fact, but with little of the colour or energy of most big top tales.