The Circus

Set against the backdrop of one of Africa's most stunning locations – the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya – this compelling series follows the remarkable stories of wild elephants. From the first faltering steps of Breeze, a new born, to the experiences of elderly matriarch Harmattan, this series explores behaviour and relationships revealing elephants to be caring and compassionate beings.

Conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton were once the cream of the sideshow crop. Taught to sing and dance at an early age, the winsome duo ascended through the early 20th-century vaudeville circuit as a side attraction (working alongside Bob Hope and Charlie Chaplin as well as a memorable turn in the Tod Browning classic "Freaks") before a cascade of unscrupulous management and harsh mistreatment brought their careers (and lives) tumbling down. This engrossing glimpse into a bygone era is filled with fascinating interviews and rare archival footage.

This Pete Smith Specialty showcases the Cristiani Family, a circus act. They mount and dismount moving horses and perform acrobatic feats while riding them.

Impressionistic glimpses of London life from early morning to rush hour.

Great herds of Asian elephants once roamed from Baghdad to Beijing. Now only remnants of these once mighty herds survive, protected today by the Indian government. It is here that filmmaker Naresh Bedi turns his camera, capturing an intimate portrait of thee largest of land mammals. An adult elephant eats 300 pounds of green fodder and drinks 40 gallons of water a day. This film follows these gentle giants as they forage and feed, wallow in watering holes, dust their skin with dirt, and care for their young.

Back To Africa

The film tells of the beginnings of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. At the end of the 1950s, the Tanzanian National Park Administration wanted to fence in the protected area around the Ngorongoro Crater. Bernhard and Michael Grzimek were invited by the national park administration in 1957 to get a precise picture of the animal migrations and to provide the national park administration with the values ​​they needed for their project. Using a new counting method with two airplanes, the Grzimeks found out that the migration of the herds was different than assumed.

In a sunny open air setting with a background of high, deep foliage trees, and a white-walled storeyed house, an acrobat with light shirt and trousers and white plimsolls is doing acrobats in a trapeze in the center of the area. Behind it, a pair of men in similar dress seem to be carrying barbells from one place to the other, rather then exercising with them.

A young man and his young elephant street beg in gritty Bangkok amid the controversial elephant business that threatens their survival, until the opportunity comes to release the elephant to the wild.

Join Athena, the majestic matriarch, as she leads her elephant herd across an unforgiving African landscape.

Follow filmmakers as they capture the epic journey of African elephants across the Kalahari desert. The team faces extreme weather, inaccessible terrain, crocodile-infested waters and close encounters with lions in order to shine a light on these remarkable creatures and their ancient migrations.

Imagine walking some of the largest land animals in existence across one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Intelligent, majestic and awe-inspiring, Elephants have a long and fascinating history with man. On this epic journey we experience the modern day relationship between man and beast.

One man, one camera, one goal...to capture the essence of adventure. An experimental, often abstract new type of filmmaking process creating color rich visuals combined with a lush soundtrack that grounds the project. A unique cinematic experience.

Cirque Pinder Jean Richard

Jonas is 13 years old and his life's dream is to maintain the circus that he created in his backyard. While he faces this challenge, he will live the adventure of growing up.

A young girl has already seen everything there is to see and her world has lost all meaning. Her anger shatters her world and she finds herself in the universe of QUIDAM, where she is joined by a playful companion, as well as another mysterious character who attempts to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling and the terrifying.

A far cry from the dialogue-free circus performances Cirque du Soleil is known for, Alegria chronicles the fate of a small boy who has been forced into slavery. Eventually, he learns that in order to free himself and the other children, he must defeat a fire-breathing or an equally tough but decidedly more philosophical inner dragon.

From the Italian 'saltare in banco' – which literally means 'to jump on a bench' – Saltimbanco explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, it takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart and soul of the modern city.

Four of the best clowns of Salvador return to the place where they were initiated 15 years before to conduct an initiation process of a new clown. In addition to the memories of this experience and its consequences in Salvador's clown scene, the creative process of these artists is revealed in a metalinguistic environment, a tribute to the act of creating.

Celebrates 30 years of televised specials by The National Geographic Society.