Circus of Books (2020)
89%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
2 wins & 4 nominations total
Like the cheekily named store at this documentary’s center, Circus of Books proves there are countless stories below the surface if we’re only willing to look.
Circus of Books is a documentary that will leave you feeling like you just stumbled upon a hidden gem. It’s a wild ride that covers everything from LGBTQ history to pornography to religion, all while telling the story of an American family who found themselves at the center of it all. But don’t worry, it’s not all serious stuff – there are plenty of laughs to be had along the way. You’ll come away from this film feeling like you’ve just made some new friends, and maybe even a little bit inspired to embrace who you are. So grab some popcorn and settle in for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Virgen Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2020
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1 / (high definition)
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Apr 22, 2020
Genre(s)
Documentary/Biography
Keyword(s)
documentary, biography, LGBTQ+, adult bookstore, gay porn, United States, Rachel Mason, Adam Baran, Cynthia Childs, Camilla Hall, Kathryn Robson, Karen Mason, Larry Flynt, Jeff Stryker, Phil Tarley, Justin Andrew Honard, reviewed by Taryn Allen, Jo Livingstone, Tre’vell Anderson, Angie Han, Christy Lemire, Scott Tobias, Ben Turner, Jason Adams, Richard Crouse, Phil Guie, Matthew St Clair, Katie Duggan, produced by Adam Baran, Cynthia Childs, Camilla Hall, Kathryn Robson, directed by Rachel Mason, written by Kathryn Robson, Rachel Mason, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, LGBTQ+ history, pornography, religion, obscenity law, media, AIDS, coming out, parenthood, LGBTQ+ culture, Los Angeles, personal journey, cultural events, documentary film
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rachel Mason – self
Larry Flynt – self
Jeff Stryker – self
Phil Tarley – self
Justin Andrew Honard – self
Adam Baran – producer
Cynthia Childs – producer
Camilla Hall – producer
Kathryn Robson – writer, producer
Director(s)
Rachel Mason
Writer(s)
Kathryn Robson, Rachel Mason
Producer(s)
Adam Baran, Cynthia Childs, Camilla Hall, Kathryn Robson
Film Festivals
Tribeca
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
2 wins & 4 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (59) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (1)
Circus of Books is a triumph of filmmaking in the way it covers such a range of topics so seamlessly: LGBTQ history, pornography, religion, obscenity law, media, AIDS, coming out, parenthood, and more.
May 29, 2020
Taryn Allen
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Circus of Books is the story of an American family who wandered into the eye of history, and a virtuoso example of how to make a movie both very big and very small at once.
April 29, 2020
Jo Livingstone
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
A worthy homage to the Los Angeles-area landmark of LGBTQ+ culture.
April 29, 2020
Tre’vell Anderson
Out Magazine
TOP CRITIC
You come to see through [director Rachel Mason] telling the story how she came to see her parents as people.
April 24, 2020
Angie Han
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
This is a great little L.A. story. It’s a great slice of life into a very specific community.
April 24, 2020
Christy Lemire
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
The sense of closure is satisfying, but it’s missing a charge.
April 24, 2020
Scott Tobias
NPR
TOP CRITIC
Circus Of Books is a spellbinding portrait of two unlikely Queer allies, charting their personal journeys with a community that would become central to their lives.
September 1, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Turner
The Pink Lens
Circus of Books cops a feel for the personal, the political, and the pornographic, all at once — you’ll need a cigarette after it’s done with you.
July 6, 2021
Jason Adams
The Film Experience
The store may be long gone but its ethos of embracing who you are is well represented in this charming documentary.
January 30, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
Circus of Books entertains so much because of how unlikely the Masons’ story first appears, but it’s also fascinating to watch history unfold and see how they regularly found themselves part of larger cultural events.
January 1, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Phil Guie
Film-Forward.com
A successful ode to its owners and the impact they crafted.
September 23, 2020
Matthew St. Clair
Cinema Sentries
The documentary serves as a fittingly idiosyncratic memorial to the remarkable resource and vital meeting space that Circus of Books was … a heartfelt message of love and gratitude to the owners and patrons that keep the spirit alive.
July 27, 2020
Katie Duggan
Film Daze…
Plot
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Books. A decade later, they had become the biggest distributors of gay porn in the US. The film focuses on the double life they led, trying to maintain the balance of being parents at a time when LGBT culture was not yet accepted. Their many challenges included facing jail time for a federal obscenity prosecution and enabling their store to be a place of refuge at the height of the AIDS crisis. Circus of Books offers a rare glimpse into an untold chapter of queer history, and it is told through the lens of the owners’ own daughter, Rachel Mason, an artist, filmmaker and musician.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with the owners of the adult bookstore, Karen and Barry Mason, as well as their daughter, filmmaker Rachel Mason.
Rachel-Mason.jpg
