18 Minutes

18 Minutes is a 1935 British drama film directed by Monty Banks and starring Gregory Ratoff, John Loder and Benita Hume.^[1] It was shot at Walton Studios near London.^[2]

Synopsis based on the shortened version, titled The King of the Circus.

Lion tamer Nikita learns that another lion tamer named Marco has been killed by the lioness Caprice. Nikita buys Caprice for the notoriety. Marco's daughter Lida does not want to go to an orphanage, so he takes her back with him to Paris. When he goes to do his act, he tells Lida that it lasts exactly 18 minutes. He tours the world, traveling to London, Rome in 1927, Berlin in 1929, Buenos Aires in 1931, Vienna in 1933 and back to Paris in 1935.

However, "Papa" Korn, the impresario of the Cirque D'Hiver, the Paris circus that stars Nikita, has signed a rival act, the young magician Trelawney. Nikita tells Korn that there is only one headliner, him. When Trelawney tries to become better acquainted with the now-adult Lida, Nikita punches him in the face. Afterward, dreading the thought of losing her, he asks Lida to marry him. He takes her shock for acceptance, though she does not want him for a husband. Nevertheless, they get married, and she hides her true feelings.

At the reception, Nikita becomes furious when Trelawney shows up. After Korn takes Nikita away for a talk, Trelawney dances with Lida. When he tells her she must be happy being in love, she runs away. He follows and finds her crying. She makes him promise not to tell anyone.

Returning from another world tour, Nikita is angered to find that Trelawney is now the headliner of the Cirque D'Hiver and has been assigned his dressing room. Korn informs Nikita that the public has tired of his act, so Nikita tells Korn he will do a dangerous stunt that has never been performed before. He will go into the cage with Caprice with his hands handcuffed behind his back. After many attempts, he perfects his act.

Meanwhile, Trelawney tells Lida he loves her. When he kisses her, she does not object, though she runs away afterward. Pietro, Nikita's longtime assistant, discovers the truth and, in a desperate attempt to stop Nikita from debuting the stunt, informs his master that Lida is with Trelawney in his dressing room. Nikita breaks into the dressing room and fights with Trelawney. When the men are separated, Lida confesses she loves Trelawney. Broken, Nikita returns to the ring, but after he handcuffs himself, he turns his back to Caprice. The lioness pounces on him.

• Gregory Ratoff as Nikita
• John Loder as Trelawney
• Benita Hume as Lady Phyllis Pilcott
• Katharine Sergava as Lida
• Richard Bennett as Korn
• Hugh Wakefield as Lord Pilcott
• Paul Graetz as Pietro
• Rosamund Barnes as Lida as a Child
• Carl Harbord as Jacques
• Margaret Yarde as Marie
• Hal Gordon as Osso

TV Guide described 18 Minutes as an "Interesting drama, way above average for British films of the time"; and rated it three out of five stars.^[3]

• Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
• Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.

• 18 Minutes at IMDb
• shortened version titled The King of the Circus on YouTube