Home :: DVD :: Musicals & Performing Arts :: General  

Ballet & Dance
Biography
Broadway
Classical
Documentary
General

Instructional
Jazz
Musicals
Opera
World Music
Carousel

Carousel

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $15.98
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Best R&H Score
Review: "Oklahoma!" was the first and broke with tradition; "South Pacific" has the most significant message; "Carousel" has the best score. The songs run from happy to inspirational. Music and lyrics are perfect.

The colors are rich, the scope wide, and the singing voices of even supporting players are magfnificent. The official review gavce picture a "3 of 5" while I think it is a "4". The only reason for the deduction is the letterbox format that creates black bars at top, bottom,and sides of my 16X9 high definition TV (no, DVD is not high definition, but it is digital). I like it much better when the, in this case the 2.55 aspect ratio, is enhanced for 16X9 so there are no side bars.

When you watch this re-mastered filmn it is difficult to believe it was made more than 35 years ago. Of the 66 musicals in my collection it is among the top four [no I can't further differentiate] and definitely the best R&H.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Good R&H Musical
Review: "Carousel" is a very good Rodgers & Hammerstein musical. The songs are wonderful. My favorites are "If I Loved You" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." Superb acting by Shirley Jones as Julie Jordan and Gordon MacRae as Billy Bigelow. I really recommend this movie!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: COLORFUL INSIGHT AND STORYLINE, THIS MUSICAL IS TIMELESS.
Review: "Carousel" is Shirley Jones' best peice of work by far. A brilliant combination of dancing and music mixed with exploration and tradgedy, this musical is a dipication of the changing climate of the times and it addresses senarios which still hold true to this day. I cherish this movie and cannot wait till my copy arrives. I would like to see a remake of this story in the form of a current day motion picture and also remade in a lovely animation - perferably by Disney.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Plot Lacking In Movie of Songs
Review: "Oklahoma!" was the first and broke with tradition; "South Pacific" has the most significant message; "Carousel" has the best score. The songs run from happy to inspirational. Music and lyrics are perfect.

The colors are rich, the scope wide, and the singing voices of even supporting players are magfnificent. The official review gavce picture a "3 of 5" while I think it is a "4". The only reason for the deduction is the letterbox format that creates black bars at top, bottom,and sides of my 16X9 high definition TV (no, DVD is not high definition, but it is digital). I like it much better when the, in this case the 2.55 aspect ratio, is enhanced for 16X9 so there are no side bars.

When you watch this re-mastered filmn it is difficult to believe it was made more than 35 years ago. Of the 66 musicals in my collection it is among the top four [no I can't further differentiate] and definitely the best R&H.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Best R&H Score
Review: "Oklahoma!" was the first and broke with tradition; "South Pacific" has the most significant message; "Carousel" has the best score. The songs run from happy to inspirational. Music and lyrics are perfect.

The colors are rich, the scope wide, and the singing voices of even supporting players are magfnificent. The official review gavce picture a "3 of 5" while I think it is a "4". The only reason for the deduction is the letterbox format that creates black bars at top, bottom,and sides of my 16X9 high definition TV (no, DVD is not high definition, but it is digital). I like it much better when the, in this case the 2.55 aspect ratio, is enhanced for 16X9 so there are no side bars.

When you watch this re-mastered filmn it is difficult to believe it was made more than 35 years ago. Of the 66 musicals in my collection it is among the top four [no I can't further differentiate] and definitely the best R&H.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best of the Rogers & Hammerstein filmed musicals
Review: 'Carousel' is certainly the best and curiously least appreciated of R & H musicals put on film. This movie possesses a poetic beauty rarely captured in movies (especially nowadays). Shirley Jones and Gordon MacCrea are captivating as Julie and Billy. And Henry King adapts the story for the screen far better than did Fred Zinnemann with 'Oklahoma' the year before. A must to own on DVD!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The sun also rises!
Review: Although alot of filming was done in Booth Bay Harbor in Maine, many scenes were shot in Los Angeles, hence the setting sun problem! This is one of those facts that makes the rounds of movie triva sites, etc. I thought Gordon MacRae gave his best performance. Readers may be interested to know that Frank Sinatra was signed for the role. He pre-recorded his songs and appeared on the first day of shooting at Booth Bay. When he was told that they would be filming each sequence twice... once for the new CinemaScope 55 cameras and once for the standard 35mm CinemaScope ones, he was quoted as saying, "I only signed for one film, not two." He left the set, and they closed down production until MacRae could be signed on. Ah, the legends of Hollywood!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: Being both a Maineac and an ardent Rogers and Hammerstein fan, I had seen Carousel when it made the tour of Maine movie theaters years back and wanted to enjoy it again as our temporary residence in the Southwest brought on that longing for the Maine coast. However, for those interested in purchasing the video, I would strongly suggest avoiding the widescreen version which we purchased. We don't buy many videos and did not realize that on the video case it states: "the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are standard for a widescreen presentation." It was like watching a performance through the sight opening in an old Army tank. Very disappointing viewing even though, as always, we thoroughly enjoyed the R&H's muscial score and lyrics- buyer, do yourself a favor and increase your enjoyment. Purchase the regular VHS or DVD, not the widescreen.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great movie!!!
Review: Carousel is definiely worth watching. It has a wonderful story and the music is fabulous!!! It's a classic movie that everyone will enjoy. Great ending!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: CAROUSEL A SUPERBLY PRODUCED FILM MUSICAL!
Review: CAROUSEL represents Rodgers and Hammerstein's finest hour musically, the closest thing to Grand Opera the duo ever wrote. The 1956 film version showcases the best performance, before or since, that this magnificent score has ever received. Beautifully photographed on location in CinemaScope and Technicolor, the poignant and tragic love story of barker Billy Bigelow and factory worker Julie Jordan unfolds with compassion and conviction. Gordon McRae gives the performance of a lifetime as Billy and his stunning rendition of the seven-minute "SOLILIQUY" is one of the greatest vocal performances of the 20th Century. Shirley Jones, ravishingly young and beautiful in only her second film appearance, is equally effective as Julie, a naive inexperienced young woman who finds in tragedy an inner strength she never knew existed within her.

CAROUSEL's greatest strength is, however, the great songs, which are woven seamlessly into the story. What else can you say about a score that includes such standards as "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE' and 'IF I LOVED YOU"? In the capable hands of the legendary composer/arranger/conductor Alfred Newman, Richard Rodgers' soaring melodies are taken to heights of brilliance undreamed of in the Broadway original. This is especially evident in "Louise's Ballet." Ken Darby's excellent choral arrangements and wonderful vocals by MacRae, Jones, Claramae Turner, Barbara Ruick, Robert Rounseville and Cameron Mitchell all add up to the most perfect performance of this musical ever.

See this movie with someone you love and bring extra handkerchiefs. Also prepare to be dazzled with the glorious New England scenery rendered flawlessly on this superbly produced DVD and Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest score in genuine 6 channel discrete stereo.

CAROUSEL is the kind of movie they just don't make any more. Most of today's filmmakers couldn't, even if they were courageous enough to try.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates