Product Description: Carnival barker returns to Earth to guide daughter.
Amazon.com: Like its immediate predecessor, Oklahoma!, this 1956 screen musical boasted then state-of-the-art widescreen cinematography, stereophonic sound, a starring romantic duo with onscreen chemistry, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein imprimatur. Adding to its promise was a source (the venerable Ferenc Molnar play Liliom) that had already been filmed three times. Yet unlike the original Broadway production, and despite evident craft, Carousel proved a box-office disappointment. Why? Hindsight argues that '50s moviegoers may have been unprepared for its tragic narrative, the sometimes unsympathetic protagonist, and a spiritual subtext addressing life after death.
Whatever the obstacle, Carousel may well be a revelation to first-time viewers. The score is among the composers' most affecting, from the glorious instrumental "Carousel Waltz" to a succession of exquisite love songs ("If I Loved You"), a heart-rending secular hymn ("You'll Never Walk Alone"), and the expectant father's poignant reverie, "Soliloquy." Top-lined stars Shirley Jones (as factory worker Julie Jordan) and Gordon MacRae (as Billy Bigelow, the carnival barker who woos and weds her) achieve greater dramatic urgency here than in the more successful Oklahoma!, with MacRae in particular attaining a personal best as the conflicted Billy, whose anxiety and wounded pride after losing his job are crucial to the plot. It's Billy's impatience to support his new family that drives him to an ill-fated decision that transforms the fable into a ghost story. Adding to the luster are the coastal Maine locations where 20th Century Fox filmed principal photography. --Sam Sutherland
Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Brand: FOX Home Entertainment EAN: 0024543381471 Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Item Dimensions:40 Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Languages:EnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 5.1SpanishSubtitledFrenchDubbedDolby Digital 2.0 MonoSpanishDubbedDolby Digital 2.0 Mono Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product. Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment MPN: 2447042 Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Region Code: 1 Release Date: November 07, 2006 Running Time: 128 minutes Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: February 16, 1956
Customer Reviews
What if MacRae... was Sinatra?
I count "Carousel" as one of the three best American theater musicals ever--along with "Porgy & Bess" and "West Side Story." R & H had so many good musicals, but this one may have the best music and the best story. This 50th anniversary edition (no blu-ray?)has two CDs of high quality video and lots of extras, highlighted by the commentary of Shirley Jones and a duet of "If I Loved You" by the original Broadway leads, Jan Clayton and John Raitt from a 1954 TV show.