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Movies like The Mountebanks (1930)

The best movies like The Mountebanks (1930) are Limelight (1952), Lola Montès (1955) and Water for Elephants (2011). If The Mountebanks hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Limelight (1952)

    A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  2. Lola Montès (1955)

    Lola Montes, previously a great adventuress, is reduced to being the attraction of a circus after having been the lover of various important men.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Water for Elephants (2011)

    In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Great Expectations (2012)

    Orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)

    A despairing clown suffering a broken heart and a self-indulgent count who uncontrollably laughs learn to help each other with their problems, but both fall in love with the same young woman.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

    To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Hold-up (1985)

    Dressed as a clown, the clever rascal Grimm holds up the most secure bank of Montreal and takes 30 hostages. While confusing and ridiculing the police with his strange behavior, he calmly manages to rid the bank of a fortune. But then an unsatisfied companion arouses trouble...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Flamingo Road (1949)

    A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. The Man Who Laughs (1928)

    When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)

    Lu, a conformist woman in her forties, learns that her 15-year partner has been having extramarital affairs. Starting from scratch, she gets involved in an unexpected relationship with a young womanizer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  11. Shall We Dance? (2004)

    A bored estate lawyer spots a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Chéri (2009)

    The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

    After a baron steals his scientific discoveries, runs away with his wife, and slaps him in public, a man joins a Parisian circus sideshow as a clown whose act consists of being slapped repeatedly and becomes infatuated with a showgirl colleague whose father intends to marry her off to the baron.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Excess Baggage (1997)

    A rich brat fakes her own kidnapping, but in the process ends up locked in the trunk of a car that gets stolen.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Still Breathing (1997)

    Two lost souls: she a con-artist in L.A.; he a puppeteer in San Antonio have the same dream linking each with the other. He travels to L.A. to find this woman he has become obsessed with. She resists, afraid of his kooky ideas until she travels with him to San Antonio and meets his wise grandmother. Story of two disparate people linked by "fate" gets increasingly interesting as it rolls along.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Shanghaied (1915)

    A shipowner intends to scuttle his ship on its last voyage to get the insurance money. Charlie, a tramp in love with the owner's daughter, is grabbed by the captain and promises to help him shanghai some seamen. The daughter stows away to follow Charlie. Charlie assists in the galley and attempts to serve food during a gale.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Chocolat (2016)

    Chocolat the clown, the first black stage performer in France, goes from anonymity to fame after forming an unprecedented duo with fellow performer Footit in the very popular in Belle Epoque Paris. But easy money, gambling, and discrimination take their toll on their friendship and Chocolat's career.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. The Mother (2003)

    A grandmother has a passionate affair with a man half her age, who is also sleeping with her daughter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Clown (2014)

    A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize the suit is part of an evil curse that turns its wearer into a killer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  20. Endless Love (2014)

    A privileged girl and a charismatic boy's instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Mountebanks and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Mountebanks?

The closest matches to The Mountebanks are Limelight (1952), Lola Montès (1955) and Water for Elephants (2011). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Mountebanks?

Start with Limelight (1952), the closest match to The Mountebanks.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Mountebanks?

¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), rated 8.4/10 by 378 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Mountebanks?

¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there French movies like The Mountebanks?

Yes: Lola Montès (1955), Hold-up (1985) and Chocolat (2016).

How are movies similar to The Mountebanks chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Mountebanks, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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