carousel 1956

I decided that watching the film based on the musical carousel, my chosen vinyl. Before i watched the film I read a lot of reviews so I could communicate a basic understanding of the film to my tutor. I presumed that it was a sad story about a man struggling through life, one bad decision after another. I felt sorry for him, I thought that I would cry throughout the film, especially when he tragically dies. 


However after watching the film I had a completely different response to everyone reviewing, it seemed. I didn't find the film sad at all, instead I was left filled with pure anger. I am fully aware that the film is set in 1873 and many things have changed since then but I cannot accept domestic abuse. From the storyline to the song lyrics it belittles women and describes them as objects that men own. Being called a slut for having a mans arm around your waist or being screamed and shouted at to go away when trying to tell your husband that you're pregnant.


A quoted from the blogpost below which I believe sums up the musical perfectly: 

"It’s a film with dizzying dance sequences and well-known musical numbers to be sure, butit’s also a film in which women are valued and treated with respect only while pregnant, and who are otherwise disregarded, objectified, slut-shamed, abused, or infantilized, and who are expected to accept the actions of the men around them without judgement, regardless of the harm those actions may cause."


http://www.btchflcks.com/2012/09/women-and-gender-in-musicals-week-carousel-a-fairytale-screen-adaptation-of-the-2012-republican-anti-woman-agenda.html#.U1_RSMaBHnY