Carnival Story ** (1954, Anne Baxter, Steve Cochran, Lyle Bettger, George Nader, Jay C Flippen) – Classic Movie Review 13,208

‘The story of one woman’s shame!’ Kurt Neumann’s 1954 circus melodrama movie Carnival Story stars Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran.

‘The story of one woman’s shame!’

Co-writer/ director Kurt Neumann’s 1954 circus drama film Carnival Story stars Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran, along with Lyle Bettger, George Nader and Jay C Flippen.

Anne Baxter plays the penniless but tough and beautiful Willi, a local Munich woman who is taken on as a big-top trapeze artist when the American travelling carnival comes to town, but arouses murderous passions in those who work with her.

Carnival Story is a rather tacky romantic melodrama, but there are good performances and Neumann (The Fly) co-writes and directs vigorously. There are no marks for originality: a very similar story was told as far back as 1925 in the silent classic Variety.

A German / American co-production, it is set and made in Germany, and a German version called Rummelplatz der Liebe [Circus of Love] (1954) with Curd Jürgens, Eva Bartok and Bernhard Wicki was made simultaneously by Neumann. The German cast can be seen in uncredited cameos in the English version, and the English cast in the German version.

It is shot in Agfacolor (with prints by Technicolor) in Munich in the Bavaria Studios and in the city.

The idea to film in 3D was dumped just before shooting.

Willi is of course mainly a German male name.

It is is written by Kurt Neumann and Hans Jacoby, based on a story by Marcy Klauber [Marcel Klauber] and Charles Williams [C B Williams], with uncredited work on the screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and Michael Wilson.

Carnival Story is directed by Kurt Neumann, runs 97 minutes, is made by King Brothers and Westia Film, is released by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by Kurt Neumann and Hans Jacoby, is shot by Ernest Haller, is produced by Frank King and Maurice King, is scored by Willi Schmidt-Genter, and designed by Hans Kuhnert and Theo Zwierski.

The cast are Anne Baxter as Willi, Steve Cochran as the carny barker Joe Hammond, Lyle Bettger as high-dive artist Frank Collini, George Nader as Bill Vines, Helene Stanley as Peggy, Jay C Flippen as Charley Grayson, and Ady Berber as silent strongman Groppo.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,208

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