Trapeze

Mike Ribble was once one of the few aerialists capable of completing the triple somersault, until an accident at the Paris circus where he worked cut his career short and left him grounded. Tino Orsini, the son of a famous flyer, seeks Mike out and asks to be trained in the dangerous move that made Mike's name. Mike eventually agrees to teach the young man and to return to the rig as his catcher, and the act they build together wins over audiences.

The arrangement is unsettled by Lola, a performer at the same circus who becomes involved with both men, turning their partnership into a rivalry. Carol Reed directed the film, placing it between The Third Man and The Agony and the Ecstasy in his filmography. The screenplay was written by Wolf Mankowitz, Ben Hecht and James R. Webb, and James Hill produced. Burt Lancaster plays Mike, Tony Curtis plays Tino, and Gina Lollobrigida plays Lola, with Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez and Johnny Puleo in supporting roles.

Made for about four million dollars, the film returned roughly fourteen million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.8 from around 5,800 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.3 from about 103 votes, a much smaller sample. A critics' rating of 6 out of 10 from eight reviews places it close to the audience scores.