Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, odds are you’ve heard of the movie The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron (gasp), and Zendaya. The Greatest Showman is an original movie-musical following the rise of Phineas T. Barnum and the creation of what we have come to know as the circus.
While I have no knowledge pertaining to cinematic techniques or what makes a movie “good,” I do believe the movie itself is an absolute masterpiece. As of now, I have seen The Greatest Showman in theaters five times, but would gladly go again if anyone wants to see it (seriously, hit me up). The movie’s soundtrack is amazing; I have seen the movie with a few people who aren’t big musical fans, but they have admitted to listening to some of the songs on their own time.
Because I’m so in love with this movie, I was curious as to how much of the story was based on true events and what was fabricated. In short, the movie is an incredibly idealistic interpretation of P.T. Barnum’s history. The film touts itself as a celebration of diversity when, in reality, Barnum heavily exploited his spectacles.
However, despite this misrepresentation, I do not believe that moviegoers should dismiss The Greatest Showman as a hoax. The story — though (loosely) based on the events of P.T. Barnum’s life — develops a life of its own in the film; a wondrous, exciting, and sensational life that is just begging to be watched.
1. There is no love story between Barnum and Jenny Lind.
The film highlights a forbidden love story between singer Jenny Lind and P.T. Barnum, but this just wasn’t the case. Jenny did not agree to a tour with Barnum because she liked him; he promised her a large sum of money, and she acquiesced (though it is important to note that Lind donated all of her money — roughly $10 million today — to charity).
2. Zac Efron’s character, Phillip Carlyle, and Zendaya’s character, Anne Wheeler, were not real people.
Their characters, and subsequent love story, seem to have been added as an interesting subplot for the audience. Undoubtedly, including Zac Efron and Zendaya as main characters mitigated much of the risk that was The Greatest Showman. Including a forbidden interracial relationship also gave the film some much-needed depth.
3. Instead of an adult dwarf, Barnum paraded around a 4-year-old boy.
Image source: HistoryNet
The movie includes a dwarf character who is 22 years old, but Barnum actually presented a dwarfed 4-year-old boy who was 25 inches tall and weighed only 15 pounds. He further exploited the young boy by training him to sing, dance, and perform; he was known as “General Tom Thumb” — an homage to classic English folklore.
4. Barnum’s first “act” was an elderly slave.
Image source: Ripley’s
Barnum purchased, or “rented” (since slavery was technically outlawed in New York), an elderly slave woman named Joice Heth, who he advertised as a 161-year-old former nurse of George Washington. Horrifyingly, when Heth died, Barnum continued to make a show of the woman by hosting a live autopsy in front of 1,500 people. This is left out of the film for obvious reasons.
Although the film itself could be described as Barnum’s ultimate hoax, its message should not be ignored. The Greatest Showman’s anthem is the beautiful song “This Is Me,” which embodies everything the movie wishes to emanate: acceptance, resilience in the face of adversity, and self-love. Plus, the rest of the songs are catchy as heck and Hugh Jackman/Zac Efron are the ultimate musical power duo.