Were Live Animals Used In The Greatest Showman

Upon learning that a P.T. Barnum movie was coming out around Christmas, I originally intended to ignore the moving-picture show in the midst of the busy awards moving-picture show season, as I do with nearly family films that have mediocre reviews.

Except for one difference: I was fully aware that P.T. Barnum was not some inspirational American hero every bit presented. He is responsible for the exploitation of human beings, and in equal measure, torture of animals. I knew this, but no matter, what impairment could a moving-picture show exercise, right? Information technology would laissez passer.

Then I saw more Facebook statuses celebrating the 'inspiration' that was The Greatest Showman and an outpour of joy from my community online. Maybe some twisted algorithm idea I would like the premise of this movie. My attempts to ignore information technology could no longer keep: this was a bubble that had to exist popped. In the wake of exposing numerous men in Hollywood as abusers, pedophiles, and toxic misogynists, the embrace of this motion picture and its protagonist is unbearably hypocritical. In an attempt to fully indict Mr. Barnum, I researched and plant a rabbit hole of atrocity deeper than I always realized. The true legacy of P. T. Barnum is a man who proudly enslaved humans, tortured animals, exploited his entertainers, manipulated the media in a Trumpian fashion, and much more. Here's a wait at Barnum and how the picture show The Greatest Showman grossly misportrays him.

Part ane: Joice Heth, "Freaks," Slaves and Barnum'south Human Rights Legacy

I did exactly the thing I'1000 now telling you not to practice: I paid money to see this picture. I had to know everything that was on the tabular array. Near of Barnum'south story is completely overlooked in favor of a uncomplicated, rags-to-riches, "exist yourself" tale. Liberties are always taken with true stories, merely I am surprised at the extent history is rewritten here. Permit's outset with a small misreading the film has: Barnum portrayed himself as being a pauper that was a self-made American Dream success story. In his self-published biographies, he referred to himself as the son of a tailor, and his father did die when he was underage. What Barnum failed to mention is that his grandfather outlived his dad and was one of the richest citizens of Bethel, NY. While this is misleading and morally questionable, it'south the least of his vices.

A authentication of The Greatest Showman is that Barnum is portrayed as welcoming to those with deformities and physical abnormalities, what would be known as "freaks" at the fourth dimension. Information technology'due south meant to be a message of diversity and inclusion perfect for today's audiences. The truth is uglier:

It was an era when the exotic sold, and Barnum embraced the bizarre as a means for profit to the curious eyes of 19th century public. Freak shows were by no means an opportunity to champion diversity. The scientific customs, run entirely by white men, was looking for ways to assert the superior traits of their ain race. Barnum helped commercialize scientific interest in racial anomaly by using 'freaks' of all kinds, proposing they were the "missing links" in a Darwinian evolutionary chain extending upwards from monkey, to black man, to white man. His shows were affirment in the at present-dated scientific belief of racial bureaucracy.

The moving-picture show would have you believe that Barnum'southward 'humble' beginnings of bear witness business concern kicked off with his American Museum. In fact, this was not his first amusement venture. In 1834 at age 25, Barnum came beyond Joice Heth, an elderly black woman who had gained local attention for two reasons: first, she was allegedly 161 years old. More intriguingly, she was allegedly the nurse who had raised George Washington. Barnum recognized a striking in the making and arranged to purchase Heth for the sum of $1000. Here'south how little the value of a black homo life was to Barnum: in the same era he purchased an elephant for $10,000. Despite being from New York, where slavery was illegal, no one batted an eye at the transfer of Heth to a Northerner. In her unabridged run as a profitable alpine tale for Barnum, Joice Heth was never paid.

It'due south generally agreed that Barnum knew his act was a hoax simply saw the opportunity to mislead audiences and pique their curiosity. George Washington's historical exoneration was underway, and Joice Heth could tap into his popularity. Benjamin Reiss wrote an entire book on this venture that kickstarted Barnum's career, aptly titled The Showman and the Slave. Barnum's showmanship included the following:

Since she looked "as well vigorous" to be 161 years former, Barnum put Heth on a diet of strictly eggs and whiskey until she was brought down to "mere musculus and bone."
It was hard to imagine a woman that quondam would have any teeth left, so Barnum decided to remove them. Co-ordinate to Barnum's own autobiography, Heth then lashed out in a tirade of swearing to keep her teeth. Barnum sedated her by getting her plaster drunk on whiskey, at which point she agreed to the process while intoxicated. A few days afterwards, Barnum had all her teeth removed nether the guise of "consent."
Barnum made $1500 a week off of Heth's performances. The evidence was so successful that he enlisted a rigorous schedule for Heth: on a typical twenty-four hours, she would be publicly performing for 14 hours a solar day while Barnum reaped all the benefits. Eventually, the fatigue was so great on her he was forced to reduce the hours.

As Heth'southward wellness began to visibly refuse beyond the indicate of no return, Barnum, who was responsible for this increased crumbling, didn't skip a crush: he appear her final bout equally a premature Death Annunciation and raised prices.

When Joice Heth did die, Barnum candidly describes his reaction in his own 1855 autobiography: "I shed tears upon her apprehensive grave – not of sorrow for her decease, just of regret on account of having lost a valuable and profitable curiosity." He made one last squeeze of profit out of the now-dead slave woman: a public autopsy which sold 1500 tickets for 50¢ apiece (an equivalent price to opera tickets). At the time autopsies were illegal due to the human being correct of resting in peace. However, black bodies were 'belongings' and frequent props for white scientists studying human biology. Barnum was able to get abroad with such a public autopsy was because she may exist 161 years one-time, they viewed information technology as a scientific necessity to encounter why she had lived and then long. Of course, this was made upward. It volition come under no surprise that it was revealed in a graphic public dissection that Ms. Joice Heth was no older than 80 years onetime. Barnum'due south fabricated story had successfully hoodwinked the entire American public: so began his career as a showman.

Back to The Greatest Showman for a moment, which can't be direct compared here since it chose to entirely omit the kickoff of Barnum's story. Zac Efron's character, a fictional Phillip Carlyle, is persuaded to work for Barnum, but in club to exercise so, he needs to get paid a pct of the profit. After a song about it, the wealthy white graphic symbol is given 10% of the circus box office to be in the show. In dissimilarity, the troupe of 'freaks' in the movie are presented as just happy to get an opportunity on the stage. They are recruited in a montage without whatsoever finances discussed. This is a mutual issue with movies: solving inequality is more complicated than 'getting a shot.' It'south also being properly valued monetarily. Freak performers of all races were in no position to negotiate an agreed upon charge per unit in this time, and Barnum exploited this.

Efron'due south character takes some roots from Barnum's second venture later Joice Heth. Barnum plant an Italian born "plate dancer" and was then won over by his talent he took him on tour under the stage name Signor Vivalla. Since he was a white performer, Vivalla was in a position to negotiate wages and earned $12 a week. Like Zac Efron, the only performer in Barnum's early career to earn a turn a profit was a white male person.

Oddly plenty, The Greatest Showman movie does introduce some conflict with this. In one compelling moment, Barnum refuses to permit the "freaks" enter the party with all the rich aristocrats. They're rightfully bummed out, so flare-up into vocal about how nothing should end them (the song is nominated for an Oscar too). In a purely fictional film, it would be a prissy character change for Barnum to finally realize at the end of the motion-picture show he was mistreating his friends, and and then let them take center stage with aristocrats. But the picture knows Barnum never did such a thing, so, like an unfinished sentence, it merely avoids any follow-upward. The side by side time we see Barnum with the troupe, they're able to have a drink together and gleefully say the bear witness must get on. Instead of addressing a legitimate historical conflict head-on, the movie has an Uncle Tom effect: information technology makes the circus performers look similar all they ever desire to exercise is serve Barnum.

Barnum had a few more ventures before his famous circus. He was instrumental in the nativity of the minstrel show, a popular pastime among Northern whites that perpetuated the worst black stereotypes and long outlasted slavery, and managed many blackface acts prior to his circus. Despite their omissions from the movie, Barnum'southward show business organization ventures began with Joice Heth, Vivalla, a slew of minstrel shows, and a mermaid scam, all before the offset of his American Museum, where The Greatest Showman chooses to brainstorm the story.

Even in one case his beloved circus was underway, in that location is no sign that this man preached a bulletin of diverseness and inclusion. I of the freakshows included in his circus that The Greatest Showman fails to mention was chosen "What is it?" I'll permit Reiss'south passage on the subject explain what exactly it was:

Source: The Showman and the Slave

Time and time again Barnum preached to the sick-informed audiences that black people are a less advanced version of people on the Darwinian scale, and therefore their natural land is to be controlled past a more superior race.

As if these morally outrageous shows weren't enough to spell out white supremacist, Barnum himself did dabble in the slave market and bragged virtually information technology to The New York Atlas. Here'due south Reiss's await at what this story included:

Source: The Showman and the Slave

Barnum returned to New York City triumphant, in having been a savvy businessman and displaying his dominance over the enslaved race. Despite the law, this was non questioned every bit unethical in his fourth dimension. In that location is no mention of these career moments in The Greatest Showman.

Part ii: Media Manipulation

The Greatest Showman does accost Barnum's reputation of beingness a self-proclaimed scoundrel. He directly says in the motion picture there'due south no such thing as bad publicity, reminiscent of the current U.S. President. Throughout the film, Barnum'due south testify has protestors: a villainous lot of creepy-looking drunk men conveying pitchforks and torches like extras from Oliver Twist. An antagonist theater critic, James Gordon Bennett (played by Paul Sparks) writes scathingly negative reviews of the circus. He is dismissed by Barnum as existence arrogant and narrow-minded. All critique of Barnum is dismissed as people who don't believe in magic and are out of affect. Despite proclaiming at that place is no such thing every bit bad publicity, the film refuses to acknowledge whatsoever dark sides of Barnum's legacy.

Barnum lived when newspapers were taking shape: it was the commencement of paid advertizing and selling to the working class. In the wake of Joice Heth's autopsy and the reveal that Barnum had duped countless customers, you would think his career equally a conviction man would be over. But Barnum only gained more from this deceit. Joice Heth was a blockbuster and the print media saw her as instrumental in selling papers, so ran countless stories on both sides of the debate, resulting in record sales. Barnum knew the quantity of press was what mattered nearly, and fanned the flames of doubtfulness. Sometimes, Barnum would portray himself as being unaware of the truth and that she had tricked him too. Other times, he used information technology as proof that he was a not bad businessman: he had been able to take a worthless old slave and spin her into profit. Generating wealth was extremely highly-seasoned, and he reinforced his folk hero mythos as a master capitalist with an autobiography he re-published annually, occasionally updating his own life story to what best suited the times. It seems to me that The Greatest Showman has taken his self-published autobiography at face value.

I quick oddity of the film transparently shows its own disconnect from the truth. I have never seen more drinking in a PG-rated picture. One song between Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman has them downing shots to the vanquish of the vocal. One song has all of Barnum'due south troupe at a bar drinking with him. At that place'south goose egg overtly wrong with this, except that Barnum was known for his stance in favor of prohibition and was widely known for speaking nearly temperance (or sobriety as we'd call it today). It frankly seems baffling to include this as a part of his story.

Role 3: Barnum'due south Animal Rights Legacy: Elephants and more than

Early in The Greatest Showman, young Barnum gets slapped for making a joke in front of an aristocratic character. The full audience I saw the pic with gasped in horror. I tin can only imagine how they'd experience seeing how Barnum and Co. treated his elephants and other creature performers.

P.T. Barnum was not the get-go American to import elephants to the United States for the purpose of amusement, but in 1850 launched an trek in mod-twenty-four hours Sri Lanka and stole 10 elephants direct from the wild. In 1882, his biggest spectacle was Colossal, an African elephant, who became the circus mascot. Jumbo was killed in a train accident – most elephants in captivity meet premature deaths.

Capturing elephants from the wild for the purpose of entertainment is horrifying in its ain right even if it wouldn't be considered so then. Their near-extinction today is entirely due to numerous forms of human greed. Nevertheless, the capturing is nothing compared to the conditions they were given once in the circus. From Barnum'southward era until at present, circus trainers aim for total command over their elephants. The breaking process involves removal of infants from their family units, followed by "body immobilization, beating, and starvation or other deprivation until the elephant accepts the trainer equally his or her 'principal.'

The tool of choice of circus trainers handling elephants is something called an "ankus." Quoting One thousand.A. Bradshaw, "it is a wooden pole with a curved metal hook at i end used to inflict pain on sensitive points, including the genitals, mouth, and anus of an elephant being broken."

Bradshaw's book afterward describes how with every generation of training elephants, the demands of speed increment and less care is put into any sort of humane handling.

The most well-known entertainment Barnum brought to the world was his utilise of exotic animals in his shows. It's articulate that in a biography film about P.T. Barnum, this would demand to exist included. However for most of the movie, at that place are no animals. The circus is portrayed with every performance equally a phase full of human dancers. The Greatest Showman has learned from the cautionary tales of Bounding main World and A Dog's Purpose: creature rights violations don't sell tickets. So they largely ignore this key chemical element. At the end of the picture when the circus is at its peak, there are approximately v shots with CGI elephants and tigers doing tricks you lot'd expect to run into them doing in a circus. The CGI here looks intentionally bad, probably so that PETA could clearly see no animals were used in the flick, a polite mode to avoid controversy through more revisionist history.

In this cursory terminate montage, supporting graphic symbol Tom Pollex is seen riding an elephant. A niggling person riding an elephant is probably the to the lowest degree harmful atrocity committed by Barnum but has an insidious effect. Elephant tourism is notoriously awful to these creatures and still prevalent today – most animal tourism is deceptively harmful. (Permit it go on the record: if you become to a place where you tin ride an elephant, you are role of the problem. Ask Forbes, Peta, Dullard, or VICE). Even in an attempt to cutely include Barnum's elephants, they're still promoting a concept that's insulting to anyone who remotely cares for animals. You can find the Ringling Brothers legacy of harming animals and following lawsuits on their Wikipedia folio. Virtually of these atrocities that turned into lawsuits happened inside the last 20 years, under a more than scrutinous public. Animal treatment in the days of Barnum himself was far worse.

In spelling all this out, my event is less with Barnum himself and more with those that chose to repurpose him. Barnum was a horrific opportunist and exploiter, but in the terminate, he'south a product of a unlike era without today'due south morals. I practice have a serious problem with revisionist history. I abominate that a make new flick is existence sold to the masses as inspirational and progressive builds upon the legacy of someone disgustingly antithetical to those morals. As the pic continues to gobble up family-friendly coin, Barnum's legacy is continually rewritten. Peradventure even more than painful is that the filmmakers (many of whom are extremely talented and responsible for phenomenal films such as Logan and La La Country) seem to rely solely on Barnum's self-made biography to tell the story. In his interview with MovieMaker mag, we get a clear thought outset time director Michael Gracey did not care to fact-check the movie's script: "Gracey responded non but to the opportunity to make a large-calibration musical but to the idea that Barnum was a visionary similar to men like Steve Jobs and Jay-Z today; he loved the thought of telling a story most transcending everyday life through a dream and changing the globe." Barnum has more than in common with a slave trader than with Jobs or Jay-Z. IMDb'southward first bit of trivia on the movie claims Jackman read 3 dozen books on Barnum, which raises more than questions about knowingly selective history. I take however to come across whatsoever publications ask the film'due south talented cast and crew most Barnum, nor have I seen whatever of them accost this yet.

For futurity filmmakers looking to spin history into family unit-friendly fun, I recommend picking figures who didn't commit heinous atrocities. Last year, Ringling Brothers Circus close down permanently in the confront of decades of criticism. Barnum would have y'all believe people have lost their magic. I'd argue maybe they can find it somewhere that doesn't need cruelty to achieve it.

I'll end with a quote taken direct from The Greatest Showman that Hugh Jackman's Barnum says to Zac Efron's grapheme: "Comfort is the enemy of progress." Seeing movies that make history inspirational is comforting. It's easier to think of people as showmen than every bit human & creature rights abusers. Just the era for those types of films is over. Instead of settling for a sugar-coated version of history in flick, my preference is to embrace movies that are authentic in their message of progressive values: The Greatest Showman is not one of them.

Notable nonprofits that support elephant or human rights:

Elephants DC
The Humane Society
In Defence of Animals (IDA)

Further reading:

For an investigative expose of Barnum'due south early on career, the book I recommend is this one. It largely helped me understand the realities of Barnum:

The Showman and the Slave: Race, Death, and Memory in Barnum'south America by Benjamin Reiss

For a better agreement of the painful human relationship between elephants and their captors, and their truthful emotional intelligence, I recommend this book: