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As horrified people gather round the cage containing one
of the members of a carnival's freak show, the barker explains that the
pitiful specimen inside was once a beautiful aerialist named Cleopatra,
who was known as the "Peacock of the Air." Hans, one of the
carnival's dwarfs, is infatuated with Cleopatra's beauty and normal
size, much to the dismay of his fiancée Frieda, who is Hans's size.
Cleopatra delights in toying with Hans's affections and making Frieda
jealous, and she continually borrows large sums of money from Hans.
One day, Hercules, the strongman, ends his relationship
with Venus, one of the other "normal" members of the carnival, and takes
up with Cleopatra, who shares his cruel attitude toward the "freaks."
Venus is comforted by one of the clowns, Phroso, and her friends, the
freaks. Venus, Phroso and Roscoe, another clown who is married to
Daisy Hilton, one of the carnival's Siamese twins, begin to worry about
Hans, who is increasingly ignoring Frieda to moon over Cleopatra.
Hans breaks off his engagement to Frieda, after which Frieda goes to
Cleopatra and begs her to cease leading Hans on. Cleopatra laughs at her
and, after Frieda inadvertently tells Cleopatra about Hans' fortune,
Cleopatra and Hercules plot against him.
Cleopatra and Hans marry, and at the wedding feast,
Cleopatra is horrified when the drunken freaks tell her that she is now
one of them. She shouts at them, then humiliates Hans by carrying him
around on her shoulders. She later reveals to Hans that their
marriage is a joke and, after he collapses in hysterics, another dwarf,
Angeleno, overhears Cleopatra and Hercules discuss the poison they gave
to Hans.
The next morning, a doctor examines Hans and reveals
that, although he was poisoned, he will recover. Venus confronts
Hercules, but he refuses to tell her what poison Cleopatra used. A
week passes, until one night, after Cleopatra gives Hans some medicine
she has doctored, he and the other freaks plot their revenge on her and
Hercules. A thunderstorm begins, and some of the freaks chase
after Cleopatra while the others prevent Hercules from harming Venus.
Hercules is killed and, after a chase, Cleopatra is mysteriously
transformed into a grotesque "duck woman" who is put on display with the
other freaks.
Some time later, Hans and Frieda are happily reunited,
while Phroso and Venus continue their romance.
American Film Institute
Catalog
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