Carousel

That is no disrespect to the film, which was a very good film, and one of the better film/TV adaptations of Rodgers/Hammerstein's(who were responsible for some of the greatest songs ever written) work. It was though let down by moments of static direction and a slow and for first-time viewers confusing start, but at least looked good, had great choreography and splendid leads. This TV production is excellent, it does have a few slow spots and I do think Billy's Silliloquy is done better in the film, the notoriously difficult last minute of the song doesn't have as much power transposed and Gordon MacRae sings it with a little more passion. The Silliloquy is still very well-performed and nuanced, just not quite as good. Even with some of the abridgements, the story is more cohesive here and captures the spirit of the stage musical more, while still fun and colourful it emphasises the darkness and tragedy as well a little more while not overdoing it. The direction is more fluid, the production looks absolutely lovely and very detailed, and the choreography is lively and the drama emotional and succinct. It's somewhat simpler than the film, but that's hardly a bad thing, it's still energetic and is to the point. The music is of course outstanding and the orchestra perform it beautifully. The performances are fine, handsome Robert Goulet's Billy is both gutsy and vulnerable and he sings resonantly. Mary Glover is delicate and moving and sings in a simple, controlled and radiant way. The rest of the cast are very good with nobody disgracing themselves and taking care not to outshine the leads. All in all, excellent and a little superior to the film. 9/10 Bethany Cox