A documentary that explores the origins and heyday of the American sideshow.
Although most of this is the biography of the Hilton Sisters (who, it turns out, were not Hiltons at all), it also veers off into talking about the 1893 World's Fair, the evolution of the midway, vaudeville, and more. If you entered into this knowing nothing about sideshows and circus freaks, you will probably leave a little bit more aware.
The film runs a tad long at 90 minutes, as the story of the sisters is not quite as interesting as you might expect. The story is not boring, but it is quite limited, and keeps the viewer wondering why these women were connected. With no shared bones or organs, it seems at some point a surgeon would have come forward to liberate them. But no.
Although most of this is the biography of the Hilton Sisters (who, it turns out, were not Hiltons at all), it also veers off into talking about the 1893 World's Fair, the evolution of the midway, vaudeville, and more. If you entered into this knowing nothing about sideshows and circus freaks, you will probably leave a little bit more aware.
The film runs a tad long at 90 minutes, as the story of the sisters is not quite as interesting as you might expect. The story is not boring, but it is quite limited, and keeps the viewer wondering why these women were connected. With no shared bones or organs, it seems at some point a surgeon would have come forward to liberate them. But no.