User reviews

...And at the zenith of her 'love goddess' period. This films is a literal (and completely non-musical) version of the Carmen story. When Rita dances in the film (and she does dance!)-- she is always hidden from the camera/audience--as a way of saying: love goddess at work--no frills necessary. Even so, she makes Carmen truly naughty--so much so that you wonder that she lives as long as she does. Carmen is a woman with more than the necessary number of tragic flaws. Rita makes her beautiful and vibrant--but tragic nevertheless.

When the naive and honored soldier Don José Lizarabengoa (Glenn Ford) meets the promiscuous gypsy Carmen (Rita Hayworth), he is bewitched by her beauty in the beginning of his downfall. Don José becomes his lover disobeying superior orders and when his colonel surprises him with Carmen, he accidentally kills him becoming an outlaw. His doomed love leads Don José and Carmen to a tragic end.

"Carmen", a.k.a. "The Loves of Carmen", is a melodramatic love story based on the novel "Carmen" and a remake of Raoul Walsh´s 1927 version directed by Charles Vidor and with the top-notch beauty of Rita Hayworth to give credibility to the plot. The unhappy ending is predictable even for those that watch "Carmen" for the first time. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Os Amores de Carmen" ("The Loves of Carmen")

There are times when RITA HAYWORTH, with her flashing eyes, heady mane of tresses and way with castanets and Spanish dances, amply fills the role of Carmen in THE LOVES OF CARMEN. She captures the flirtatious moods and stormy temperament without any trouble at all, and yet somehow every ravishing close-up reminds us that she has just been all glammed up by the make-up artist, every brush on her lips and hair and brows just given the royal Hollywood glamor treatment. Her glamor is so distracting that it renders her Carmen unrealistic, even though she certainly has the temperament to go with the part.

GLENN FORD is somber, stalwart and rugged enough as Don Jose but it doesn't seem like ideal casting. He looks uncomfortable in much of the early footage and only comes to life when he has killed a man and must spend the rest of the film on flight as a bandit and desperado in the rugged mountains. His performance strengthens and his love/hate relationship with Carmen is, for the most part, quite believable.

But some pseudo-Spanish music in the background score with a hint of Bizet would have been a wise approach to scoring the film. And giving Rita more than a couple of fiery dances would have been a smarter idea. As it is, her dancing moments are when she most completely captures the spirit of Carmen.

It's entertaining, in a lumbering sort of way--not exactly the most well paced version of the story. Hayworth is gorgeous to look at with a peaches and cream complexion that fairly glows in Technicolor, but all of her close-ups remind us that she is The Love Goddess being given the high gloss glamor treatment by the studio that made her a star.

But, reservations aside, for fans of Hayworth and Ford, this is a must see.

It may be Composer-Screenwriter-Author Helen Deutsh was too captivated by studying the work of "Carmen" librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy.

Back in 1873 this leading team penned a text for Georges Bizet's opera, "Carmen" that would support an ultimately legendary work. But times have changed.

Without Bizet's intoxicating score, this tale (from an 1845 novella by Prosper Merimee) now plays like something freshly removed from mothballs: stiled dialogue, cardboard characters and benign dramaturgy make for quite tepid viewing.

True, it's a great role for Rita, but she must utter quite cliched lines, while posturing with "Carmen mannerisms" with no real heart or soul. Mr. Ford also looks most uncomfortable as the naive novice soldier, and behaves as though he's stuck with some stagnant contractual obligation at Columbia Pictures.

Only when Ms. Hayworth is given an opportunity to dance does she truly come to life. Here she can really show off her vitality and the fruits of her long-term choreographic labours.

So, we have here Bizet's opera without Bizet's music.

The production design and costuming are most colorful as everyone struggles valiantly to breathe life into the proceedings.

Deutsch probably should have glanced at the libretto and novella, then gone on to write an original script--which should was capable of doing, based on her record of a half dozen successful musical and dramatic screenplays she penned over the years.

The recently released DVD on Columbia Classics should bring pleasure to film buffs in general and fans of Hayworth (and Ford) in particular.

Rita Hayworth reached back to her portrayal of Dona Sol in Blood and Sand and even further back to her Spanish heritage for a riveting performance as Carmen, the fiery and seductive gypsy created by Prosper Merimee and immortalized by Bizet in his opera.

The Loves of Carmen is Rita's co-production with Columbia Pictures and this would be her last film for several years as right after this film came out, she married Aly Khan. She became a Princess and lived one wild jet setting life. She was queen of the tabloids back then.

Carmen as done by Hayworth is beautiful, fascinating, and frightening. Scary in the way she just uses, abuses, and discards the male of the species. It's the perfect Rita Hayworth role for those demanding to see in my opinion the greatest sex goddess the cinema ever produced.

The reason that The Loves of Carmen is not a classic is the horrible miscasting of Glenn Ford as Don Jose. Try as he might Glenn Ford comes off about as Latin as Curt Jurgens. Ford had the same problem when he was cast in Rudolph Valentino's role in the remake of The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Tyrone Power worked well opposite Rita in Blood and Sand, but he was at the wrong studio. And it would have to have been the pre World War II Power. Someone like Farley Granger who could have suggested a callow youth might have been better.

Rita cast Ford in the part, partly for reasons of friendship, partly because it cost nothing extra because Glenn was under contract to Columbia as she was, and partly due to the big box office they became because of Gilda two years earlier. When Rita did return to the screen after her marriage to Aly Khan was over, Ford appeared opposite her in Affair in Trinidad which was far better suited to his image.

I won't go into the plot because the Bizet Opera and the musical Carmen Jones has made it all so familiar. Let's just say that between Hayworth's amorality and Ford's hormones it ends in tragedy for both.

The rest of the cast does just fine. Note the good performances of Arnold Moss as Ford's commanding officer, Victor Jory as the gypsy bandit leader, Margaret Wycherly as the old gypsy woman who foretells the future for all. Most of all Luther Adler who is a cynical observer of all around him from Jory's band of thieves.

But as in another Columbia classic, The Loves of Carmen could have been a contender.

So-so adaption of Carmen, a story I've never been that thrilled with. All the men are dithering idiots and it seems Carmen was the only attractive woman in Spain at the time. I do not like Rita Hayworth with bangs and could never understand why they styled her hair this way, as she had electrolocis to raise her hairline in the first place.

It's early 19th century Spain. Carmen (Rita Hayworth) is one of the wild lawless persecuted gypsies. She attacks another woman with a knife. Earnest soldier Don José (Glenn Ford) takes her into custody. She escapes and he's punished while she's dancing for his superior officer García. Nevertheless, he continues to be completely taken with her. He gets pulled further and further into her world. García catches Don José with Carmen. The men get into a duel and García is killed.

This is a Rita Hayworth vehicle. She gets to do a dance and lip sync a song. She taps into her Spanish heritage even though some may complain about white washing. The actual white washing has to be Glenn Ford. Hayworth has her dance background to fall back on but Ford is terribly stiff. It's fine initially to be a soldier with a stiff upper lip. It gets harder and harder to show the needed passion. It's also too bad that this isn't more a song and dance musical. This is not anything more than what you expect for a hot red-headed Hayworth.

A gorgeous but amoral gypsy , marvellous Rita Hayworth, falls in love for a soldier , ever-so-handsome Glenn Ford , but things go wrong when his superior , Arnold Moss , becomes involved into the twisted affaire. As Carmen is victim and protagonist of a fatalist chain of events , turbulent loves , uncontrollable passions , jealousy and bloodshed. To want her was Torture.. to love her meant death ! A story of beauty and savagery.. love and hate.. splendor and shame...

Made by the same team responsible for the classic noir Gilda , this romantic costume adventure strikes some strong sparks. It is a decent movie , though corny at times, but still entertaining to see sparks fly between Rita as the wonderful vixen and an always angry and jealous Glenn Ford . Rita Hayworth in his extreme splendor plays an immoral gypsy hussy who ruins life of a youg Spanish officer. She looks brilliant and stunning as the tempestuous gypsy , but Ford as a Spanish dragoon is merely wasted . Support cast is pretty good , such as Ron Randell, Víctor Jory, Luther Adler , Margaret Wycherly, Arnold Moss , Trevor Bardette , among others . And Georges Bizet music might have helped a bit, rather than the ordinary soundtrack provided by Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco. Adding a glamorous and picturesque cinematography by William Snyder. The motion picture was professionally directed by Charles Vidor .

There are several versions based on Prospero Merimee tale : First silent retelling Carmen 1915 by Cecil B De Mille with Geraldine Farrar, Pedro de Córdoba, Wallace Reid. The loves of Carmen with Dolores Del Río, Don Alvarado. Carmen 1944 with Vivían Romance , Jean Marais. The Devil made a woman 1959 by Tulio Demicheli with Sara Montiel, German Cobos , Amado Nazzarí. Man, Pride and vengeance 1967 by Luigi Bazzoni with Franco Nero, Tina Aumont, Klaus Kinski. Carmen Jones by Otto Preminger with Harry Belafonte , Dorothy Dandridge . Carmen 1983 by Carlos Sara with Laura del Sol, Antonio Gades .Carmen de Bizet 1984 by Francesco Rosi with Julia Migenes , Placido Domingo, Ruggiero Raimondi . Carmen 2003 by Vicente Aranda with Paz Vega , Leonardo Sbaraglia, Antonio Dechent .

Fresh on the heels of the mega hit Gilda and Rita going blonde in Then Lady from Shanghai producer Roy Cohn got his director (Charles Vidor) and stars (Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford) back in the studio with this high brow opera story minus the music from Carmen. Denied of its lifeblood it is a colorfully dull re-working of the hit with Rita as alluring as ever and Glenn, hair dyed and curled looking uncomfortable and foolish as a Spanish soldier.

Vidor's drab direction fails to create much spark as his leads fail to re-capture the chemistry of Gilda. Victor Jory as the sadistic bandit Garcia and Margaret Wycherly as Old Crone are notable but minus the music it remains a colorful balloon with no air in it.

Glenn Ford is "Lizarabengoa", a rather respectable soldier who joins his new regiment in Córdoba. He is quickly introduced to the sultry charms of local gypsy "Carmen" (Rita Hayworth) which sets him against his colonel (Arnold Moss) and after a bit of swordplay, he finds himself joining her and the gang of petty banditos led by "Garcia" (Victor Jory) with whom he vies for her affections. "Carmen" isn't exactly a one-woman-man though, and is also keen on local toreador "Lucas" (John Baragrey) and the scenario starts to fulminate when our gallant officer must try to reclaim her love whilst dealing with the jealous "Garcia" and the pursuing soldiers chasing the killer of their commanding officer. Hayward is well off her best here - even when she is dancing. In fact, the whole story could hardly be farther from anything imagined by Georges Bizet. Is there chemistry between the two or do we just want there to be because they were off-screen lovers, apparently? Well I couldn't say - Ford was always little better than a rather static, safe pair of hands, and I think both roles here called for someone grittier, more natural and visceral. The production is fine, but after the first fifteen/twenty minutes it all turns a little too melodramatic for me.

As stated elsewhere,this is a non-musical version of "Carmen", based not on the opera, but on Prosper Merimee's original story which inspired it. The movie doesn't use Bizet's music, not even as background, but the plot is essentially the same as in the opera, and the Merimee story. Without giving away the ending for those who don't know it, I will say the Production Code enforced at the time imposed an even harsher "eye for an eye" ending than in any previous or future version. The acting is sincere, if not great. Rita Hayworth is an excellent choice for Carmen; unfortunately,the producers were trying for a follow-up to the smash hit "Gilda",so they again paired her with Glenn Ford, hilariously miscast as Don Jose, her soldier-lover. (It doesn't work this time.)The sets are very obviously studio bound,and no one will ever be fooled into thinking this was really shot in Spain. The dialogue verges on typical "B" picture dialogue;in fact, if you didn't know this was "Carmen", you WOULD think it was just a trashy-but-fun-to-watch melodrama in gorgeous Technicolor.

A movie that far outdoes its meager reputation. It reunites Gilda's stars, Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth, in a Spanish adventure based on the original novel Carmen, on which Bizet's opera is based. The story is extremely melodramatic, of course, but it's endlessly entertaining. Glenn Ford is pretty good as a nobleman who throws everything away for the love of his gypsy woman, Carmen. And Hayworth is as scorching as ever, even though her hair is brown. For those who love classic Hollywood opulence, this is definitely your movie. The film is in truly glorious Technicolor, some of the most beautiful cinematography of its era. The costumes, art direction, and music (none of it based on Bizet) are exceptional. The Loves of Carmen deserves better than it has gotten. 9/10.

Despite the dynamic chemistry that was apparent in "Gilda" (and also in "Affair in Trinidad"), Rita and Glenn just didn't seem to have it here. While the role of Carmen was made for Rita, Glenn was just not the Don Jose type. His usual film persona is too strong and independent to play the part of a weak, lovesick fool. His whole performance was lackluster, even his fight scenes were insipid. (In fact, he needed help from Rita to kill off his first opponent.) Even when he joined the band of outlaws and became a successful highwayman, it just didn't ring true.

Rita, however, was stunning as the free-spirit gypsy, and she gave her usual outstanding dancing performances.

Too bad someone else wasn't playing Don Jose.

This movie tried to capitalize on the (deserved ) success of "Gilda" (same director,same actors).The screenplay is faithful to Prosper Merimée's novel (Preminger's "Carmen Jones" rather found its inspiration in the opera libretto) with a slight difference in the finale .Rita Hayworth is ideally cast as Carmen and her suggestive flamenco is the peak of a rather undistinguished work.Glenn Ford ,notably ,seems ill at ease in his uniform and anyway he is not "latin" enough to portray a Spanish officer successfully.Directing lacks madness and instead of using the beautiful Spanish landscapes,all seems to have been filmed in studio.

Don Jose is a solier and has been transferred to Seville, where he bumps into Carmen on the streets of the city. Inexperienced as he is, he falls head over heels for this exceptionally attractive woman.

Carmen is a gypsy, and a woman who fully exploits her charms to win men around her finger, steal them, and/or turn their heads, she enjoys this to the fullest without shame and guilt.

Yet Don Jose (however naive he is) manages to touch a nerve with her, but her depraved character will ultimately prove fatal to both of them.

Rita Hayworth is of course perfect for the role of Carmen, she can play the role of the ultimate seductress like no other and does so very convincingly (perhaps even better than in Gilda).

The transformation of Glenn Ford's character from naive shy soldier to extremely jealous husband is believable enough, although it is extreme.

This is the 3rd film with Hayworth and Ford together and all three are more than worth watching.

From 1948, another Glenn Ford & Rita Hayworth film which tells the story of Carmen (Bizet wrote a famous opera about her & there would be an all black version made in 1954 called Carmen Jones), a Spanish gypsy who corrupts every man she meets w/her latest victim being Ford, a recent military transfer to Hayworth's village. Told in broad strokes & saturated colors, this tale of a brassy harlot who manipulates the men in her orbit straddles the line between adventure & camp w/either side never really getting a decent footing in either stronghold but w/anything showcasing Hayworth in her prime, a watch is almost worth it (case in point a scene where she de-skins a piece of chicken while staring Ford into submission is one for the old memory banks).

When you watch this film, you might think that Rita Hayworth is all wrong to be playing Carmen. After all, she hardly looks like a Gypsy*....with her red hair and fair skin. However, had she made the film before the studio head, Ray Cohn, had her made over in the early 1940s, she would have looked perfect...with her dark hair and Hispanic looks. It seems that Rita Cansino (her real name) played up her half Spanish heritage as a dancer...only to be later made a lot less exotic by Columbia Pictures. Glenn Ford, on the other hand, is totally wrong in the film...he doesn't look nor act Spanish and the part is not exactly a rugged and manly one.

The story is a non-musical version of the story of Carmen...which was made into a world famous opera by the Frenchman, Bizet. Before this, "Carmen" was a story by Prosper Mérimée...and the film is a bit more like the original story.

Carmen is a Gypsy*...and she embodies every negative stereotype heaped upon the Romani people. She's a thief and with a heart of stone...who destroys men just because she's bored. Her latest 'project' is Don Jose (Ford), a respected Corporal in the army. She manages to ruin him, orchestrates him killing his commanding officer and leads him into the life of a highway man. Not surprisingly, she soon bores of him...and the whiny Don Jose can't handle this..even though it's OBVIOUS to EVERYONE that Carmen is no good nor ever will be. What's next? See the film...or, better yet...see the lovely opera...it's just better.

So why do I say the opera is better? Well, operas are supposed to have broad characters and are very obvious....that's just the nature of operas. Plus, the music is there to make up for shortcomings of the characters. But here, without the opera music, you are just left with some broadly written characters that seem difficult to believe or care about in any way. Curiously uninvolving and one of Glenn Ford's worst films, as it gives him little to do but whine and act like a love-sick puppy.

* The film is filled with terrible stereotypes about the Romani people. Even the word 'Gypsy' is considered perjorative and I used it simply because that is how Carmen and her people are referred to in the story. I am pretty sure today, many would be offended by this broad stereotype.

Ah, too bad they don't make like these anymore! Beautiful, much-missed (by me!) old Technicolor helps to create both romantic, pristine 19th century Spain which never was and romantic, enchanting beauty of Carmen. She is gorgeous, entertaining and artificial with red hair (shouldn't it be dark?), red flowers and black mantilla. There is also sometimes delicious 1940's dialogue (by Helen Deutsch who also wrote great 1955 Cinderella movie Glass slipper). Carmen is a gypsy version of Scarlett O'Hara, rotten apple with no compassion to anyone - and she really likes to spit! - although it is easy to sympathize her desire not to give her heart to any of the supposedly innocent but actually brain-between-legs admirers around her. They offer shallow, "pure" love while being sex-obsessed, abusive boors: general hits his servant, Carmen's charms make every man to follow her like dog in heat, Carmen tells that wife-beating is rampant in village... Don't get me me wrong, Carmen needed good tongue-lashing, but good and evil are really blurring in this extremely well-made (thanks to virtues of old studio system!) melodrama.

The Loves of Carmen (1948) may not be my favorite take on this classic story nor is it among the cinematic greats, but it is nevertheless a fun romantic melodrama with tons of personality. The color photography is beautiful. The atmosphere is perfect. Glenn Ford is great as the obsessed Don Jose, a man torn between his integrity and his passions. The character could have easily been played stiff, but Ford gives him tragic dignity (plus he looks great in those tight pants).

But it seems everyone, love or hate this movie, agrees that Rita Hayworth as Carmen is the best asset on display. She is charismatic and sexy, sympathetic and infuriating. She brings the movie to a higher level and contributes much to its success.

will people stop saying Glenn ford was stiff and not good in loves of Carmen. he was excellent maybe people kept seeing him in detective clothes or cowboy outfits. he rendered his role with awesome facility and when he wasn't saying dialogue you could feel the tension just by the expression in his eyes. Rita Hayworth is for me the most beautiful of all Hollywood actresses and the role of Carmen fitted her like a glove. a good movie...a little fake scenery that we could spot but fell greatly to my expectations, but please don't be so hard on Glenn ford...he did a good job and his teaming with miss Hayworth will never tarnish.