Common Sense Media Review
Not like sunny Oklahoma! -- much darker.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Carousel
What's the Story?
A deceased Billy Bigelow, hoping to return to Earth for a day to visit his family, tells the Starkeeper in heaven about his rocky marriage. In the flashback, Billy and his mill-worker wife, Julie, meet at the fair where he works as a carousel barker. Julie marries him in spite of his reputation as a scoundrel. Since the female carousel owner had hired Billy based on his bad-boy reputation, he loses his job, and the couple depends on Julie's cousin. When Julie's pregnancy inspires the lazy Billy to earn money -- or steal it -- he meets his untimely end. The rest of the film follows Billy as he observes (from the beyond) his widow and teenage daughter in hopes of redeeming himself.
Is It Any Good?
Some of the dancing, especially the ballet, is particularly good as far as movie musicals go. The song, "You'll Never Walk Alone" is memorable. Plus, the widescreen, Technicolor DVD features breathtaking scenery of the New England coast. An older audience, however, will pick up on the bleak and often misogynistic themes that make this story primarily about marital hardship and a husband's redemption.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the film portrays Billy and Julie as fully developed characters, rather than as a stereotypical couple facing domestic violence. Also, what are some examples of those stereotypes in other films? How might the film be different if it were made today instead of 1956?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 16, 1956
- On DVD or streaming : November 7, 2006
- Cast : Cameron Mitchell , Gordon MacRae , Shirley Jones
- Director : Henry King
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Musical
- Run time : 128 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate