Battle Circus

Battle Circus

M-G-M's great drama of desire under fire!

NR 1953 · 90 min · ★ 6.0 · Drama, Romance, War

A young Army nurse, Lt Ruth McGara, newly assigned to the 8666th MASH during the Korean War, attracts the sexual attention of the unit's commander Dr. Jed Webbe. Major Webbe, who has a drinking problem, at first wants a "no strings" relationship. McGara is warned by the other nurses of Webbe's womanizing ways. Despite these initial handicaps, their love flourishes against a background of war, enemy attacks, death and injury. The relationship deepens and uplifts both characters.

Directed by Richard Brooks · Written by Richard Brooks

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

Humphrey Bogart Major Jed Webbe
June Allyson Lt. Ruth McGara
Keenan Wynn Sgt. Orvil Statt
Robert Keith Lieutenant Colonel Hillary Whalters
William Campbell Capt. John Rustford
Perry Sheehan Lt. Laurence
Patricia Tiernan Lt. Rose Ashland
Adele Longmire Lt. Jane Franklin
Jonathan Cott Adjutant
Ann Morrison Lt. Edith Edwards
Sarah Selby Capt. Dobbs
Dick Simmons Capt. Norson

Make it a double feature

3h 18m together

Battle Circus

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Both from Richard Brooks.

More from Richard BrooksSee all →

MGM: When the Lion Roars

MGM: When the Lion Roars · 1992

MGM: When the Lion Roars

SeriesDocumentary

On April 24, 1924, the movies changed forever: The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio opened and soon assembled “more stars than there are in the heavens.” Patrick Stewart hosts this enthralling Emmy® winner as Outstanding Informational Series, a three-part story of M-G-M’s reign as Hollywood’s class act and legendary entertainment empire. Bursting with memorable film clips, rare interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and insider info, this is a mother lode for film fans, profiling perfectionist moguls, glamorous and charismatic actors, innovative filmmakers and landmark movies.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof · 1958

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues · 1981

Hill Street Blues

SeriesDramaCrime

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood · 1967

MovieCrimeDrama

After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity.

Key Largo

Key Largo · 1948

MovieCrimeThriller

A hurricane swells outside, but it's nothing compared to the storm within the hotel at Key Largo. There, sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco holes up - and holds at gunpoint hotel owner James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud.

The Killers

The Killers · 1946

MovieCrimeMystery

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.

Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry · 1960

A charismatic charlatan begins a business — and eventually romantic — relationship with a roadside evangelist to sell religion to 1920s America. Based on Sinclair Lewis' novel of the same name.

Brute Force

Brute Force · 1947

MovieCrimeDrama

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

The Professionals

The Professionals · 1966

The Professionals

MovieWesternAdventure

An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.

Deadline - U.S.A.

Deadline - U.S.A. · 1952

Deadline - U.S.A.

MovieCrimeDrama

New York City newspaper The Day is in trouble. Even though editor Ed Hutcheson has worked hard running the paper, its circulation has been steadily declining. Now the publisher's widow wants to sell the paper, which will most likely mean its end. Hutcheson's only hope is to finish his exposé on a dangerous gangster before the sale is finalized.

Blackboard Jungle

Blackboard Jungle · 1955

Blackboard Jungle

MovieCrimeDrama

Richard Dadier is a teacher at North Manual High School, an inner-city school where many of the pupils frequently engage in anti-social behavior. Dadier makes various attempts to engage the students' interest in education, challenging both the school staff and the pupils. He is subjected to violence as well as duplicitous schemes.

The Last Hunt

The Last Hunt · 1956

A buffalo hunter has a falling-out with his partner, who kills for fun.

Any Number Can Play

Any Number Can Play · 1949

Any Number Can Play

When illegal casino owner Charley Kyng develops heart disease, he is advised by a doctor to spend more time with his family. However, he finds it difficult to keep his work separate from his life at home. His son, Paul, feels ashamed of Charley's career and gets into a fight at his prom because of it. Meanwhile, Charley's brother-in-law, Robbin, who works at the casino, begins fixing games due to his extreme gambling debts.

Lord Jim

Lord Jim · 1965

MovieAdventureDrama

After being discredited as a coward, a 19th century seaman lives for only one purpose: to redeem himself. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2000.

Mystery Street

Mystery Street · 1950

MovieCrimeThriller

When a young woman's skeletal remains turn up on a Massachusetts beach, Barnstable cop Peter Moralas teams with Boston police and uses forensics, with the help of a Harvard professor, to determine the woman's identity, how she died, and who killed her.

Sweet Bird of Youth

Sweet Bird of Youth · 1962

Sweet Bird of Youth

Gigolo and drifter Chance Wayne returns to his hometown as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra Del Lago, whom he hopes to use to help him break into the movies. Chance runs into trouble when he finds his ex-girlfriend, the daughter of the local politician Tom "Boss" Finley, who more or less forced him to leave his daughter and the town many years ago.

More Like This

Chungking Express

Chungking Express · 1994

Chungking Express

MovieDramaComedy

Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal server at a late-night restaurant.

The Bothersome Man

The Bothersome Man · 2006

The Bothersome Man

MovieComedyDrama

Forty-year-old Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there. He is presented with a job, an apartment - even a wife. But before long, Andreas notices that something is wrong. Andreas makes an attempt to escape the city, but he discovers there's no way out. Andreas meets Hugo, who has found a crack in a wall in his cellar. Beautiful music streams out from the crack. Maybe it leads to "the other side"? A new plan for escape is hatched.

A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember · 2002

A Walk to Remember

MovieDramaRomance

When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production, he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life, as well as a very big secret she must keep from Landon.

More on MaxSee all →

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone · 2001

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.

The Batman

The Batman · 2022

MovieCrimeMystery

In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler.

Interstellar

Interstellar · 2014

MovieAdventureDrama

The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King · 2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

MovieAdventureFantasy

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two · 2024

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Supergirl

Supergirl · 2026

MovieActionAdventure

When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.

Inception

Inception · 2010

MovieActionScience Fiction

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight · 2008

The Dark Knight

MovieActionThriller

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th · 1980

Friday the 13th

Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

Dune

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence - a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential - only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets · 2002

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

MovieAdventureFantasy

Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban · 2004

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry Potter's life is in danger once more as dangerous wizard Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison and is heading to Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire · 2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

MovieAdventureFantasy

When his name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools. Signs of Voldemort's return emerge as Harry's friends help him prepare for the Triwizard Tournament.

The Matrix

The Matrix · 1999

MovieActionScience Fiction

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie · 2025

A Minecraft Movie

MovieFamilyFantasy

Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 · 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills.

Superman

Superman · 2025

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring · 2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

MovieAdventureFantasy

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat II · 2026

Mortal Kombat II

MovieActionFantasy

The fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Joker

MovieCrimeThriller

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter