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Circus of Books

  • 2019
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
Karen Mason and Barry Mason in Circus of Books (2019)
BiographyDocumentaryHistory

In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking di... Read allIn 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their bec... Read allIn 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Book... Read all

  • Director
    • Rachel Mason
  • Writers
    • Rachel Mason
    • Kathryn Robson
  • Stars
    • Karen Mason
    • Barry Mason
    • Micah Mason
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    5.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rachel Mason
    • Writers
      • Rachel Mason
      • Kathryn Robson
    • Stars
      • Karen Mason
      • Barry Mason
      • Micah Mason
    • 30User reviews
    • 34Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:40
    Official Trailer

    Photos8

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    + 5
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    Top cast37

    Edit
    Karen Mason
    Karen Mason
    • Self
    Barry Mason
    Barry Mason
    • Self
    Micah Mason
    Micah Mason
    • Self - Karen and Barry's Son
    Rachel Mason
    Rachel Mason
    • Self - Karen and Barry's Daughter
    Josh Mason
    Josh Mason
    • Self - Karen and Barry's Son
    Fernando Aguilar
    Fernando Aguilar
    • Self - Former Employee
    Freddie Bercovitz
    Freddie Bercovitz
    • Self - Former Employee
    Gisella Colindres
    • Self
    Ellen Friedman
    • Self
    Larry Flynt
    Larry Flynt
    • Self - Publisher of Hustler Magazine
    David Gregory
    David Gregory
    • Self - Former Employee
    Joseph Hawkins
    • Self
    Alexandr Jonah Ivolgin
    • Self
    Harold Kameya
    • Self
    Ellen Kameya
    • Self
    Polly Kim
    • Self
    Ben Liefke
    Ben Liefke
    • Self - Employee
    Billy Miller
    • Self - Magazine Publisher
    • Director
      • Rachel Mason
    • Writers
      • Rachel Mason
      • Kathryn Robson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews30

    7.15.1K
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    Featured reviews

    8vernislaurent

    A family story around a business unlike any other

    This film is a collection of acceptance, family, faith, education, freedom, resilience, respect and equal rights.
    9TR604

    Wonderful

    Having grown up in the late 1970s and the era of the early years of this family's journey with The Circus of Books store, this film played with my heart the entire time. From with flashbacks to bygone times, through heartwarming reality and crises, clearly perseverance and love abound in each of their lives' chapters.
    7owjan-45979

    Always respect pioneers

    We are so use to judging people that its absolutely normal to condemn anybody who is not doing things in our way. I am a straight man but I do really respect gay guys for standing for what really like to do. The couple in this documentary is a nice sample of good people, minding their own busines, running a small business and in the mean time not judging others for their sexual orientation.
    7Sir_AmirSyarif

    A slice of LGBTQ culture and history definitely worth to watch

    'Circus of Books' tells the unconventional story of a straight Jewish couple who just happened to run the most legendary gay porn bookstore in Los Angeles, United States. It often loses its focus midway through, but the charming and quirky documentary is a slice of LGBTQ culture and history definitely worth to watch.
    8chong_an

    A documentary of accidental gay porn entrepreneurs

    This is a very interesting documentary of the life of a straight Jewish couple. Seeking income of any sort, they start distributing Hustler magazine, then take over a bookstore whose owner has been delinquent in payments. It turns out that the bookstore's main business is gay porn, and they manage to make a success of a business they don't fully understand. Their good reputation in the porn community lead to their producing gay porn movies, including ones by superstar Jeff Stryker. Along the way, they have to deal with people disappearing in the AIDS era, a porn prosecution under the Regan administration, keeping a blind eye to what was happening in their "back room", and keeping their 3 children from learning what the "bookstore" really sells.

    The last part becomes ironic, when 1 of their sons had to come out as gay, which did bother his religious mother. Meanwhile, this movie was a project of their daughter, who managed to get intimate confessions that would not be possible with a stranger

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    Related interests

    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Karen Mason: Don't drop the soap. Let me see what it says about that one.

      Self - Karen and Barry's Daughter: What are you looking for?

      Karen Mason: I'm just trying to find something that..uh... isn't quite as explicit.

      Self - Karen and Barry's Daughter: What does he want?

      Karen Mason: He wants white men and no penetration, he said.

      [pauses a beat]

      Karen Mason: Do these guys look white to you, Jorge?

    • Connections
      Featured in The 2020 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2020)

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Circus of Books?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 22, 2020 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Цирк книг
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA(most of film)
    • Production companies
      • Future Clown
      • Passion Pictures
      • Neon Heart Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 32m(92 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

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