One of my favorite movie or TV genres are musicals; while I do enjoy the action, drama, comedy and occasional sci-fi flick there is nothing like singing and dancing. I will go into more musicals I love over time, but today I want to do the latest movie I watched: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.
Based on the popular Broadway show, Carousel follows carousel barker Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae) and mill worker Julie Jordan (Shirley Jones) as they fall in love and lose their jobs all in one night. Short time later after they are married Billy cannot find work and in frustration strikes Julie (while not shown on film it is talked about and is shown during the Broadway productions.) Upon discovering Julie is pregnant, Billy feels forced into committing a robbery with his frequent jailbird friend. Unfortunately it ends badly for Billy. 15 years later Billy is allowed to go back to make amends with Julie and his daughter Louise after the town has turned against them.
This was the second time MacRae and Jones stared in a musical together, that one will be at a later date, and their chemistry remained intact. If I did have to make a comparison I thought their chemistry in the prior film was better. While the film does kinda gloss over the fact Billy was hitting Julie, at least once, they both admitted they loved each other (yes I know everyone says that, doesn’t mean I agree with it.) Of course their voices are magic together; MacRae has a very deep voice that causes everyone to turn their heads to the screen while Jones’s sweet and melodious singing can make anyone feel so good.
The songs in the film are terrific; some sticking out more than others. The first to really hit with the audience is the duet between Billy and Julie “If I Loved You.” While they were not saying what they were feeling it was obvious of the attraction growing. The big dance sequence was “June is Bustin Out All Over” showing how the town was celebrating the summer. Everyone’s voices were blended perfectly and the dance sequence was a joy to watch. Gordon MacRae’s soliloquy solo number showed what the character was going through after finding out about Julie’s pregnancy and coming to terms with what he has to do. A final stand out was Louise’s dance number on the beach as Billy and the audience find out just what the girl had been going through since her father’s death.
The film is on Netflix, but only until October 1. Other than that it will occasionally air on TV. It is also coming back to Broadway in the 2018 season which will star Tony nominee Joshua Henry (The Scottsboro Boys and Velvet), Tony winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and was nominated for her role in Waitress) and Grammy winner Renee Fleming. I hope you will enjoy the musical, the film or coming to New York whichever one you prefer.
Films or Television Worth Watching 