Carousel (1956) - film review

In a New England fishing village, Billy Bigelow is a fairground barker who has a tendency to be distracted by attractive young ladies.  One evening, his hungry eyes alight on Julie Jordan, an innocent mill worker.  Whilst he is attracted towards her, she is besotted by him.  They soon marry but, having lost his job and unable to find work, Billy becomes depressed and takes his resentment out on his adoring wife.  When he learns that Julie is pregnant with his child, Billy is at first overjoyed but then is immediately overwhelmed by his money worries.  Out of desperation, he falls in with Jigger Craigin, a petty crook who has absolutely no scruples.  In an attempt to rob a passer-by, Billy is killed, leaving behind a grieving widow and a fatherless daughter.  Fifteen years later, Billy is busy polishing stars in Heaven when he hears that his family is in some kind of trouble.  He is offered the opportunity to return to Earth for one day so that he can help avert a crisis...

Of all the Hollywood adaptations of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, Carousel is perhaps the one that is now held in the highest esteem, notwithstanding its dismal performance at the box office when it was first released.  With its haunting score and memorable songs, which include June Is Bustin’ Out All Over and the football fans’ favourite You’ll Never Walk Alone, Carousel has a lyrical quality and unaffected sincerity that few other Hollywood musicals can match.  The beautifully choreographed dances and beguiling mix of fantasy and realism reinforce the film’s charms and it leaves a lasting impression, with none of the off-putting mawkishness that is so apparent in the other R&H musicals.

It was the success of Oklahoma! (1955) that prompted Twentieth Century Fox to immediately embark on two further Rogers and Hammerstein adaptations – Carousel and The King and I.  Both films were recorded using the new CinemaScope 55 process, a high definition version of CinemaScope that was soon abandoned owing to a lack of interest from the cinema owners, who were unwilling to upgrade their projection equipment.

Frank Sinatra was to have originally played the male lead, but he walked away from the project (after recording the songs) when he learned that he would have to perform in front of the camera twice, once for conventional CinemaScope and then for CinemaScope 55.  (As it turned out, the film was only shot in CinemaScope 55.)  Gene Kelly was offered the part but turned it down when he was told that his songs would be dubbed.  Finally, the part went to Gordon MacRae, who had starred in Oklahoma! and had featured in  a number of popular lightweight musicals opposite Doris Day, notably On Moonlight Bay (1951).  As turned out, MacRae proved he was the best man for the job; he has an earthiness and macho charm that makes the flawed character he portrays a believable victim of circumstances.  Carousel is undoubtedly the high point of his career.

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