Cinema Therapy — Charlyne Gelt, Ph.D.

The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman (2017) celebrates the birth of show business in the early 1800s, and the tumultuous life of the visionary, PT (for Phineas Taylor) Barnum (Hugh Jackman), the man who made it all happen. Born into poverty, Barnum went on to basically “invent” the circus and became a worldwide sensation. This film, billed as a musical, plays out more like an operetta. We accompany Barnum on the ups and downs of his roller coaster life, a journey of heartbreak, shame, and self-discovery, ending successfully for Barnum and those who supported him.

The Greatest Showman is also a love story between Barnum and Charity Hallett (Michelle Phillips) from an elite upper-class family. Barnum’s father works for the family as a tailor, so they have known and cared for each other since childhood. When Barnum sets out to seek his fortune, they continue their relationship through correspondence, and end up getting married and having children. But for Barnum, living a humble life with Charity does not bring him contentment. He dreams of more. He wants to give more to Charity, and he wants a life of fame, wealth and comfort. For Charity, however, being married to Barnum is more than enough.

But P.T., whose strong personality, showy style, and relentless drive to stand out and succeed all make it hard for him to work for employers, keeps pushing the limits. He takes financial risks―with other people’s money! After getting fired from a shipping company when it goes bankrupt following the sinking of their trading ships in a typhoon, Barnum talks the bank into giving him a loan using the sunken trading ships of his former employer as collateral. He then uses his charm, charisma and creative ingenuity to build the Barnum's American Museum in Manhattan which showcases wax models of interesting subjects including a giraffe, elephant, and various historical figures. He then adds “alive” models that intrigue the public, “freaks” (the Bearded Lady, etc.) whose defects and abnormalities draw large crowds and high-ticket sales. They serve as performers for his museum and when his venture succeeds, Barnum renames it “Barnum’s Circus.” It now incorporates a vibrant community of performers.

PT, in search of ways to prove himself and build his reputation and credibility amongst the upper class, persuades his young protégé, Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) to join his group with promises of financial earnings. After Carlyle joining, he becomes smitten with Anne Wheeler (Zendaya), an acrobat and trapeze artist. Carlyle is able to up the group’s professional profile when he arranges for Barnum and his troupe to meet Queen Victoria. While there, Barnum meets the famed European opera singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), who is just about to retire when he convinces her to perform in America, with Barnum acting as her marketing manager. The tour is successful, but it causes Barnum to neglect his original circus and the troupe’s performers, who feel they are being ignored. The romance between Philip Carlyle and Anne Wheeler is derailed by Philip’s parents, and Barnum’s wife feels increasingly isolated from her husband when he’s on tour with Lind. Lind has become increasingly attached to Barnum so when he rejects Lind’s advances, she feels betrayed, and calls off the rest of the tour. This puts Barnum in a bad financial situation.

On top of all this drama, Barnum returns home from the shortened Lind tour to find his circus on fire, a result of a fight between protesters and the troupe’s performers. Philip Carlyle, believing Anne Wheeler to be stuck in the burning building, races in to rescue her. Anne emerges on her own, unharmed, but Carlyle is still inside when it collapses, and he is gravely injured. The sets and props are all destroyed. That, along with the loss of income from the Lind tour, cause Barnum to be evicted from his mansion, and estranged from his wife.

Dejected, broke and hopeless, Barnum turns to alcohol. His troupe of performers persuade him to rebuild the circus. This is Barnum’s defining moment. He vows to get off the roller coaster and keep himself grounded, down-to-earth, rather than letting himself get carried away by his drive for reputation and wealth. Meanwhile, Philip Carlyle wakes in hospital to find Anne Wheeler beside him. They reignite their relationship. Barnum visits his estranged wife, who resolves to rebuild a mutually trusting marriage. P.T finds a bank willing to lend him the money to rebuild the circus, and the recovering Carlyle steps in, offering to use some of his earnings to help.

Barnum decides to rebuild as an open-air tent circus. The new circus is a great success and Barnum hands over the reins to Carlyle, so P.T. can retire from the fray and focus on his family.

Psychological Implications
Some people build walls while others find ways to break them down. Such is the story of the famed American showman P.T. Barnum. As the film moves along in a whirlwind of melodrama, we are actively engaged with it, and with Barnum’s struggle to overcome his life challenges, the twists and turns of the love that nurtures his fire, his personal defeats, his defining moments, and how, supercharged with inspiration, he rises from the ashes of his crises to succeed again in a way where everybody wins.

The Greatest Showman begs us to look at what drives a person to perceive the mediocre as unacceptable. What motivates a person to push himself, to go out on a limb, and strive for a level or achievement and success that seem far above their grasp, intellect, or place in life? PT’s family was considered lower class, but he refused to define himself by the label others gave him: loser, failure, underdog. He felt what was important was how he viewed himself, the name he answered to, and he had the burning desire and intellectual firepower to create change.

This story offers multiple subplots on the matter of survival strategies in a world where one struggles against external odds in order to fulfill one’s potential. In this case, love is the driving force that feeds and nurtures his ego strength. An underlying theme is Barnum’s uncanny ability to bring a sense of belonging and connection to a group of outsiders, to those who feel they have no place in this world, where looking different equates with being victimized; where one is not okay: the bearded woman, dwarfs, and various “freaks.” He pieced together a highly unlikely combination of elements, showing how one can be productive by embracing one’s own sense of differentness, facing it rather than fearing it or projecting it onto others. On a humanistic level, The Greatest Showman is about love and compassion, all humans are equal, no matter if we are short, fat, bearded, black, or Chinese. We are the same inside. Open-mindedness is the single most important characteristic we have as human beings.

PT challenged the belief of the times that class and wealth determined status. He envisioned oceans of unlimited possibilities, believed that one’s birth family doesn’t determine one’s future. He believed he was created to thrive, and how one sees oneself is how others see you. He possessed a thriving mentality, not just a surviving one, illustrating for us that it is not enough to simply break even; we are supposed to break through the barriers. Being chewed up and spit out by circumstance couldn’t take the wind out of his sails. He focused on solution. He helped others embrace their differentness and see their greatness inside.

PT went through chaos and a multitude of physical and emotional disasters in pursuing wealth and fame, and in fulfilling his creative potential―though it put him and everyone one else through hell. Peace and a sustainable lifestyle finally came about, both in his marriage and his work, when he welcomed spiritual-mental values over his obsessive drive for materialist ones. His new challenge became growth and life transformation which in the ends helped transform those around him.

Charlyne Gelt, Ph.D. (PSY22909) is a clinical psychologist who practices in Encino. She leads Women's Empowerment Groups that help women learn the tools to move beyond self-destructive relationship patterns. She may be reached at 818.501.4123 or cgelt@earthlink.net. Her website is www.drgelt.com. Her office address is 16055 Ventura Blvd. #1129 Encino, CA 91436.