Ceux du voyage

Anne Baxter is channeling her 'inner Joan Crawford' at every key scene of this lively B-Movie time waster. Carnival Girl Joan was a natural for this - a shame she was too old. Those looks of blazing hatred and the words Baxter spits out at Steve Cochran (when she's not grinding all over him) need some serious eyebrows and shoulder pads. To be honest I watched this from start to finish and never felt the urge to turn it off. Many a 'great' movie I've left half finished. This is pure B movie and certainly not great but the story hooks keep it moving from scene to scene. I should have seen the ending a mile away but didn't bother to look for it.

That male high diving husband wore the CREEPIEST bathing suit I have ever seen on a man. I never saw the actor before but he was oddly sexless, effeminate and unsettling. There is one scene when he is having his blond locks lovingly styled by a midget that belongs in a Bunuel movie.

As I remember it, this was an exciting movie of the day and it still stands up to the test in my opinion. Steve Cochran was still the right age to look good and so was Anne Baxter. His character has caught up with her again, and they have some history together. She has got a job in a circus with a high diving swimmer. I remember the diver for his unique soft voice. He was the "goody" in the film. Anne Baxters character doesn't want to take up with him again and Steve Cochran sort of become a stalker, hanging around the tent at night and giving a low whistle. The dim witted strong man of the circus is a little in love with her himself and will do anything to protect her. The three main characters are all good looking people which puts this film at it best. There is also the technical and interesting stuff of climbing a high ladder and looking down at a drum of water that looks like you are going to dive into just a teacupful of water for you are seemingly so high. Anne Baxter is also expected to learn how to do this. Steve Cochran is bothering her... And watch out for the Big Wheel. A wonderful film.

In many ways this is a strange film with Anne Baxter being the black widow of sorts. The screen seems to come alive only when she is on screen with Cochran.

The plot is very simplistic and the characters not well developed and are even contradictory.

However, any film with them in it is worthy of viewing. Maybe a better script would have enhanced this film.

"Carnival Story" is a film in the public domain, so it can either be downloaded for free from the link on IMDb or you get can the disc from Netflix--which is ALSO rather washed out and in need of restoration. Considering that the film is not all that good, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a cleaner copy.

This is an unusual film in that it's an American-German co-production. In fact, two different versions were filmed at the same time--one with American actors in the leads ("Carnival Story") and another with Germans ("Circus of Love"). It's about an American carnival (with circus acts as well) that has traveled to Germany. There, the show is a huge hit. Into this setting, a German lady (Anne Baxter) meets up with what SEEMS like a nice guy working with the carnival (Steve Cochran). He's really nice to her and she is smitten with him. Soon, a nice guy (Lyle Bettger--playing against type) teaches her his diving act and the two of them become a sensation. Soon, they marry but Baxter is an idiot and soon starts carrying on with Cochran behind her poor husband's back. What's going to come of this? See the film and find out for yourself.

This is a moderately diverting film. However, I think it could have been written a bit better. In particular, Baxter's character seems very inconsistent and silly---and is definitely a weak point in the film. Even if this had been better, the film screams 'mediocre' throughout and is only mildly diverting...mildly.

Mrs. Shullivan and I both worked for the biggest and longest running Carnival the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) so we know a thing or two about the Carnival life. The people employed in the Carnival come from all walks of life and all have a past life. In Carnival Story an attractive lady named simply Willi (Anne Baxter) is desperate for employment when she encounters a suave talker named Joe Hammond (Steve Cochran) who helps her get her start in the carnival as a short order cook and waitress.

It doesn't take long before the other carnival workers take notice of Willi and are talking about this new girl in the kitchen named and the men's heads start turning none more than the high wire diver Frank Colloni (Lyle Bettger) who suggests that Willi join him in his high wire diving act and he will not only mentor her but make her his wife.

So a love triangle quickly unfolds with Willi in the middle between the rugged and handsome fast talker Joe Hammond and the high wire diver Frank Colloni. All three main characters cause problems for each other and the carnival's most famous line "the show must go on" is ever so appropriate at the climax of this genuinely interesting film for all carny workers and carny lovers.

I give the film a redeeming 7 out of 10 IMDB Rating.