Karl Ericsson Well, the story is not exactly unique. Beauty and the beast but maybe with a twist.The womanizer "business-man" gets his justice in the end and it is served by the idiot as far as mainstream intelligence goes. This idiot does however know what is right and what is wrong and why you have to act upon it. That is another kind of intelligence - moral intelligence and today very few possess it. But through pain their number may increase, maybe reaching the point of no return and then there will be changes. But if they don't hold on to it and teach it to their children, the passion will die again and we will have rich and poor again.If we want a society, in which the giant idiot will have his place of respect, we can have it. But then all material inequality has to go forever and are we up for it? Are we up for treating our fellow human beings as goals in themselves and not means for our goals? Are we up for justice? You don't need main-stream intelligence to know what is right. In fact, that kind of intelligence may fool you. It has its place and could be a tool for justice but without the intelligence of love, which is always the love for justice, main-stream intelligence is good for nothing.A simple story but somehow handled so that I could see the association that made out this review.

wes-connors In Germany, beautiful homeless blonde Anne Baxter (as Willie) is taken in by scuzzy carnival worker Steve Cochran (as Joe). Ms. Baxter, with movie-star hair and make-up, is an atypical dirty waif. Mr. Cochran gets her a job serving freaky "Carnival Story" workers food and drink, after letting her wash up in his shower. "You wet all over?" Cochran asks. "All over!" Baxter replies. "I'll bet you taste clean," he says, before carrying her off screen. Conversations like this make this movie more fun that its worth.Due to the way Baxter moves in her underwear, high-diver Lyle Bettger (as Frank) invites her to join his act. Baxter becomes a carnival star with Mr. Bettger, but remains hooked on Cochran. When tall, dark and handsome photographer George Nader (as Bill) gets in the picture, Baxter may finally have more men than she can handle. Mr. Nader was a much-noticed newcomer, with 1954 "Photoplay" and "Golden Globe" awards. Watching Baxter juggle her male admirers is ludicrously silly fun from the 1950s.***** Carnival Story (4/16/54) Kurt Neumann ~ Anne Baxter, Steve Cochran, Lyle Bettger, George Nader

wilvram A movie equivalent of one of those 1950s gaudy crime paperbacks, this low budget effort starts down a familiar path but is still able to provide its share of suspense and surprises.The lovely Anne Baxter, though a long way from ALL ABOUT EVE is an attractive heroine albeit with an accent that has a tendency to disappear at times. She obtains work in the carnival through Joe (Steve Cochran)whose pocket she has picked out of desperation and then becomes a partner of Lyle Bettger in a high-dive act. This is an intriguing start as Bettger often played sneering villains and Joe seems decent enough at first, though we soon learn that this is not the case. Steve Cochran was ideal in this sort of role.There is an incredibly similar sequence featuring a high-diver who jumps into a blazing tank in a section of the British film ENCORE, released two or three years before, which may have given the makers of this film some ideas.

Snow Leopard The believable atmosphere and some moments of real tension, along with Anne Baxter's starring performance, make "Carnival Story" worth watching despite its somewhat uneven quality overall. It has some strengths, but it leaves you feeling that it could have been improved without too much difficulty.The story has an interesting setting, with the drama and romance taking place in an American traveling show that is touring Germany, having attracted little interest in the US. Although the portrayal of the show and its players uses a number of clichés, in general the atmosphere is believable, and it supplies an effective background to the story. The world of the carnival is self-contained to begin with, and their presence in a foreign country emphasizes their isolation from the 'real world'. Jay C. Flippen plays the show's manager, and his character adds an appropriate air of run-down authority.Anne Baxter stars as the only German native among the main characters, an intense young woman who becomes involved romantically with more than one of the show's employees. In itself, the plot is the same as that in many other movies about romantic rivalry, with Baxter's character torn between the 'good' lover and the 'bad' lover. Baxter herself works well enough in the role, since her restless style fits in with her character here.Most of the other characters, though, remain one-dimensional, and some of the confrontations and tense moments lose something as a result. When the dramatic turns work, it is usually because they take place in an interesting setting, rather than because they have been filmed with any particular skill. The pacing likewise is inconsistent. There are a number of slow stretches that do little of note, but then it does make good use of the recurring high dive scenes, with the pageantry, danger, and tension that they bring.Overall, it has some definite strengths and some obvious weaknesses. It is essentially a formulaic drama about romantic rivalries, with a relatively interesting setting that hides enough of the weaknesses to make it worth seeing.