Bound by Flesh

A documentary that explores the origins and heyday of the American sideshow.

Although most of this is the biography of the Hilton Sisters (who, it turns out, were not Hiltons at all), it also veers off into talking about the 1893 World's Fair, the evolution of the midway, vaudeville, and more. If you entered into this knowing nothing about sideshows and circus freaks, you will probably leave a little bit more aware.

The film runs a tad long at 90 minutes, as the story of the sisters is not quite as interesting as you might expect. The story is not boring, but it is quite limited, and keeps the viewer wondering why these women were connected. With no shared bones or organs, it seems at some point a surgeon would have come forward to liberate them. But no.

Reviewed by Larry Gleeson. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2012 on November 2nd, 2102, Chinese Mann Theatre. Bound by Flesh, directed by the affable Leslie Zemeckis, tells the story of conjoined twins who were fused at the hips and buttocks, shared circulation but shared no major organs yet, shared almost every conceivable aspect of their lives together from birth to marriage and finally even death. The girls, often referred to as the "Hilton twins" were sold by their mother/guardian into the entertainment industry and thus began a long eventful and full life as the girls were hugely successful in vaudeville, somewhat successful in burlesque and not quite so successful in film. The girls were quite attractive and had stage presence and attracted large audiences with a minimal of talent. The girls knew how to entertain. Yet, despite their huge success as performers the girls wound up pretty much penniless and at the kindness of church members at the end of their lives due to managers taking advantage and exploiting the girls for financial gain. The girls fought back as girls will do and won an emancipation lawsuit and were awarded $100,000 in their attempt to have normal lives. They were successful in court and began to manage their own affairs. Unfortunately, while the girls knew how to entertain, they didn't understand the business of entertainment and fell into several business deals that bore no fruit. Despite themselves, the girls continued to entertain and began performing at supermarket openings and at community events. While, their earnings fell off markedly, the girls ineffable spirit of being together always shone forth much like the spotlight from their younger years performing together in vaudeville.

Zemeckis tells the Hilton twins story in a mostly compelling manner. During the conversation following the viewing , Zemeckis revealed her three state, fifteen day whirlwind shooting schedule. Her flawless use of present day interviews revealed as much about the characters being interviewed as it did about the girls and the time period in which they performed. With her exquisite use of the interview of primary sources I felt as though I ad taken a step back in time as I watched playwright, John Bramhall of "Daisy and Violet" provide a testimony of the girls dynamic stage presence with long mutton chops and an Old West medallion placed on his breast giving a spit'n'image of lawman Wyatt Earp. In addition to the primary interviews, Zemeckis added recorded sound bites of the girls in their youth, a multitude of black and white photographs, and eye pleasing modern day graphics. I thoroughly enjoyed the Zemeckis documentary, Bound by Flesh and recommend the film to any film buff and to anyone interested in the history of vaudeville and burlesque. Zemeckis knows how to tell a story and not just on the screen.

They say that - "Within every black cloud there is a silver lining" - Well - After viewing "Bound By Flesh" - I, for one, don't believe that this flippant, little expression holds much water.

Through archival footage, countless stills, and informed interviews - "Bound By Flesh" is an intriguing, thought-provoking documentary that takes a close-up look at the highs and the lows of the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton who were conjoined twins.

Born in Brighton Beach, England (1908) - Daisy and Violet were already being exploited because of their "abnormality", as freaks, at the super-young age of just 1 month.... And the worst was yet to come for these 2 very vulnerable, naive, and gullible girls.

Impressively directed by Leslie Zemeckis - "Bound By Flesh" is, without question, a sad, eye-opening, real-life human-experience that is guaranteed to stay with you long after the final credits have rolled by.

Bound by Flesh (2012)

*** (out of 4)

Highly entertaining documentary taking a look at the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, the conjoined twins who are best remembered today for their role in Tod Browning's FREAKs. The documentary covers pretty much every aspect of their lives ranging from their mother giving them away at a very young age, their rise in the carnival circuit and their later years when they were basically living in poverty, unable to exploit themselves as times started to change.

BOUND BY FLESH is without question a well-meaning and entertaining documentary but I think where the film really works well is in its heart. Director-writer Leslie Zemeckis obviously has a passion for the subjects because there's so much heart in the picture and one can't help but really feel heartbroken for the sisters and especially at the end of their lives. In fact, hearing there entire story makes you wonder why Hollywood hasn't tried to tell it, although I'm sure the appeal might not be that wide.

The film's strongest points come in the history of the circus. It was very fascinating learning how the circus worked back in the day, how the "sideshow" was added and how much certain acts were making a week. It's certainly fascinating seeing how the sideshow world worked at one point in time and how popular it was. Hearing the Hilton sisters earning $5000 a week is pretty impressive and especially when you hear stories about how their "managers" were making good money on top of that. Of course, the documentary also covers other subjects including the personal lives of the two sisters and there's even an exploitation feel dealing with their sexual lives and the various men who were in and out of their lives.

We get several talking heads telling some wonderful stories and sharing their opinion on the sisters as well as what was going on during this period in history. It's hard to believe that this type of thing was once normal but at the same time it's easy to see why the trend really didn't stay around too long. As for the Hilton sisters, they've certainly always had their fans since FREAKS has become a cult favorite but you'll certainly see them in a different way after viewing this rather touching film.

This documentary is anything but a feel-good film! It's the story of a real set of conjoined twins--the Hiltons. And, unfortunately, their lives together were rather sad. When the film begins, it's near the beginning of the 20th century and a woman gives birth to the twins, Daisy and Violet. However, instead of caring for her girls, the mother essentially sells them and the new owner of the girls, 'Aunt Mary' begins exploiting the crap out of them--taking them to freak shows and the like throughout the UK and Australia. Eventually, they end up in America and by now are the property of the daughter of Aunt Mary and her husband. And, once again, they are abused and pushed into the freak show circuit. Eventually, the girls tire of the maltreatment and sue to gain their independence. You'd think things would get better for them--but it didn't. What follows is a long spiral into poverty and sadness.

Despite being an awfully depressing film, it is well made and engrossing. In many ways, it's like a train wreck--something you cannot help but stare at in wonder.