''Carnival'' is a 1946 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

about a ballet dancer of the

Edwardian era In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

, directed by Stanley Haynes and starring

Sally Gray Constance Vera Browne, Baroness Oranmore and Browne (''née'' Stevens; 14 February 1915 – 24 September 2006), commonly known as Sally Gray, was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Her obituary in ''The Irish Times'' described he ...

Michael Wilding Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, '' Under Capric ...

Stanley Holloway Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles Stanley Holloway on stage and screen, on stage and screen, especially t ...

and

Jean Kent Jean Kent, born Joan Mildred Field (29 June 1921 − 30 November 2013), was an English film and television actress. Biography Kent was born Joan Mildred Field (sometimes incorrectly cited as Summerfield) in Brixton, London in 1921, the only c ...

. It is based on the 1912 novel of the same name by

Compton Mackenzie Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish nationalist. He was one of t ...

, which had previous been made into a 1932 film '' Dance Pretty Lady'' by

Anthony Asquith Anthony Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among other adaptations ...

. It was shot at

Denham Studios Denham Film Studios (''later dubbed Anvil Studios)'' was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda, in Buckinghamshire. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Carmen Dillon. The title of the film is not explained as there is no carnival in the story.

Plot

Jenny is born. Her father is out at the theatre, watching a clown show - the clown is also his lodger. Three elderly women stand by the bed and lecture Mrs Raeburn on the follies of her daughter joining the stage. Later, Jenny is on stage as a ballerina, her father proudly and loudly pointing her out from the balcony, not that the audience wish to hear. Jenny takes the name of Pearl. She is attractive and easily draws the attention of men. At an art gallery one day, she tries to demonstrate how a sculpture of a dancer is not physically possible and falls over in the process. She is caught by the artist Maurice Avery and they begin a love affair. He asks her to live with him - but not to marry. At home she still lives with her hard-working mother and fun-loving (and often drunk) father. A new lodger moves into the house, Mr Trewhella. He is told of the ballet and goes to see Jenny on stage. Maurice is already disturbing her career and making her miss rehearsals. Now he plans to take her to Europe on an artistic tour - but he has not told her. Trewhella spies on Jenny and Maurice as they chat after the show. At home he tells Jenny he disapproves of the male audience leering at her. He is a country person and does not like town ways. On her birthday Maurice takes Jenny dancing to the

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

Ball and gives her a bracelet. He tells her he is going to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and asks her to join him. She stays out all night and in the morning changes her mind and tells her parents that she is leaving. But when she goes to Maurice's studio he has already gone. Their mutual friend Fuzz explains and asks her to marry him instead and she runs off. Her colleagues have little sympathy for her loss. When her mother dies unexpectedly Trewhella asks to marry her and look after both Jenny and Maisie in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. Reluctantly she accepts and is then known as Mistress Trewhella. Maurice reappears, and they have a tryst. She asks him to take her to Spain and faints. He carries her off.

Cast

as Jenny Pearl *

as Maurice Avery *

as Charlie Raeburn, Jenny's dad *

Bernard Miles Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles (27 September 190714 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in 1959, the first new theatre that opened in the City of London since the 17th century. He was ...

as Trewhella *

as Irene Dale *

Catherine Lacey Catherine Lacey (6 May 1904 – 23 September 1979) was an English actress of stage and screen. Stage Lacey made her stage debut, performing with Mrs Patrick Campbell, in ''The Thirteenth Chair'' at the West Pier Brighton on 13 April 1925. He ...

as Florrie Raeburn, Jenny's mum *

Nancy Price Nancy Price, CBE (3 February 1880 – 31 March 1970) was an English actress on stage and screen, author, animal welfare activist and theatre director. Her acting career began in a repertory theatre company before progressing to the London stage, ...

as Trewhella's mother * Hazel Court as Maisie (May) Raeburn, Jenny's sister * Michael Clarke as Frank (Fuzz) Castleton *

Brenda Bruce Brenda Bruce OBE (7 July 1919Some sources cite 17 July 1919. – 19 February 1996) was an English actress. She was focused on the theatre, radio, film, and television. Career Bruce was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, in 1919, and started ...

as Maudie Chapman * Anthony Holles as Corentin * Ronald Ward as Jack Danby *

Mackenzie Ward Mackenzie Ward (20 February 1903 – January 1976) was a British stage and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the ...

as Arthur Danby *

Dennis Arundell Dennis Drew Arundell OBE (22 July 1898 – 10 December 1988)"Arundell, Denni ...

as Studholme * Phyllis Monkman as Barmaid * Amy Feness as Aunt Fanny *

Marie Ault Marie Ault (2 September 1870 – 9 May 1951) was a British character actress of stage and film. Biography Born Emily Cragg, in Wigan, Lancashire, the daughter of Jane Ann (née Ault) and Thomas Cragg, a plumber by trade. She made her first sta ...

as Mrs. Dale * Virginia Keiley as Elsie Crawford *

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a working-cla ...

as the Trewhella's maid (uncredited)

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "a disjointed, dispirited picture. None of the principal characters, with the possible exception of roles done by Stanley Holloway and Michael Clarke appears credible."

References

External links

*
''Carnival''
at BFI Film & TV Database {{Compton Mackenzie 1946 films British black-and-white films Films based on British novels Films scored by Nicholas Brodszky Films scored by Charles Williams (composer) Films set in London Films set in the 1900s British historical drama films 1940s historical drama films Two Cities Films films Films shot at Denham Film Studios 1946 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films English-language historical drama films