The central idea in Ingmar Bergman’s 1953 film *Gycklarnas afton* (*"The Evening of the Clowns"*, also known as "Sawdust and Tinsel" and "The Naked Night") seems to be that life itself is inescapable, like a circus. The movie begins with a circus traveling toward a small Swedish town in the early 20th century. An introductory story told by a coachman recounts an embarrassing incident involving a clown and his wife, e…