Die Todesschleife (1928)

The circus clown Botto is one of the best in his profession, but his fame has not helped him overcome a long-standing shyness around women. Once, a girl he loved very much laughed at him because of his profession. The performer André, a young, attractive man, is quite different: he loves women and is no stranger to their charms. His current flame is Hanna, who performs as a trick shooter at the circus. One day, André meets the very young Blanche Vallette, who has nothing whatsoever to do with the circus. Sensitive Blanche shows an interest in André, but, because of a misunderstanding, assumes Hanna is André’s lover and suffers a breakdown. Botto finds Blanche lying unconscious in the street, cares for her tenderly, and takes her home. The clown quickly becomes part of Blanche’s family and meets her mother and father. But still suffering from his painful experience of the past, he claims to be an engineer so that a lady he loves will not laugh at him again. He showers Blanche with gifts and is already thinking of marriage when storm clouds gather over their relationship… A few months later, one evening, Blanche visits the circus where Botto and André perform. She immediately catches the eye of the womanizing, flighty André, who tries to charm her with his Casanova ways. During the interval, Hanna arrives and makes a jealous scene with her André. This leads to a quarrel between Blanche and Botto, who has been hurt before, and Blanche runs off. However, she returns to André, who knows much better than Botto how to captivate a woman. During a grand performance in London, she performs with him in a looping act. During the death loop, the Looping the Loop, a serious accident occurs. André falls from a great height and dies. Botto, who is there at the same time, in full costume and makeup and waiting for his own turn, rushes to Blanche and helps her. Since Blanche does not recognize him beneath his clown makeup, she does not know that her rescuer is Botto. As she pours her heart out to him, Botto realizes that she truly loves him, whatever his profession may be. Blanche realizes that the now unmade-up Botto is standing before her and asks his forgiveness, and the two can now set out on their life together.