Around 1982 or 1983, I saw a live-action Christmas special, telling the story of "The Clown of God." I don't think it was new at the time; it was probably filmed in the 1970s. I think it was half an hour long, but it could conceivably have been an hour.
At that time, I was most familiar with the story from Tommy de Paola's picture book version, but I knew it was a much older folktale. In this version, the setting seemed to be northern Europe, based on the appearances of the characters and what I remember of the church architecture.
The story was the standard one. A young man becomes an exceptional and popular traveling juggler. But eventually, as he ages, he makes embarrassing mistakes and no one wants to see him perform any more. He heads home and arrives at his hometown church late on Christmas Eve. He sneaks in after the service and gives his best performance ever before the altarpiece of Mary and Jesus. He dies of exhaustion after the show, but when his body is found, the previously grim baby Jesus in the icon is smiling down at him.
What made a particular impression on me was the juggling. It included tricks and equipment I had never seen before. Unfortunately, I can't remember any details, except that the performer did something with a large wooden box held in front of him and at one point held something in his teeth. Not having seen a juggling performance like that since then, I would like to find this program again.
