Before the divorce suit was filed, Chaplin had begun work on a new film, "The Circus". He built a story around the idea of walking a tightrope while besieged by monkeys, and turned the Tramp into the accidental star of a circus. Filming was suspended for ten months while he dealt with the divorce scandal, and it was generally a trouble-ridden production. Finally completed in October 1927, "The Circus" was released in January 1928 to a positive reception. At the 1st Academy Awards, Chaplin was given a special trophy "For versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing "The Circus"". Despite its success, he permanently associated the film with the stress of its production; Chaplin omitted "The Circus" from his autobiography, and struggled to work on it when he recorded the score in his later years.