The casting of Rita Hayworth as Carmen, the passionate Spanish gypsy who rolls her own cigarettes and picks her own men, was inspired; "The Loves of Carmen," was not...

Making lavish use of her considerable charms, physical assets and whatever acting ability was necessary, Rita made her Carmen the most colorful, heartless and hot-blooded screen heroine of the year... Although by this time Rita's mind was on the Riviera, where she was about to embark on the great romantic adventure of her life...

Ford was not able to make audiences believe in him as the Spaniard with spoiled love life since his acting forte usually followed a much different romantic approach—Offer the heroine yourself, the prospects of a happy future and a direct sexual approach, open and above-board... And if that fails, a few fast slaps across the chops would usually bring any reluctant heroine to her senses...

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.

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")