Carnival

"Miss Pearl" is not so good, not so bad! That's how she is described when she takes to the boards as a ballet dancer. This ambitious, enthusiastic, lass (Sally Gray) comes from an ordinary family who struggle to make ends meet whilst she tries to make a success on the stage. Her relationship with her mother (Catherine Lacey) is a tough, but loving one, and with the gentle support of her put-upon father (Stanley Holloway) she starts to make some progress. Along the way, she falls for the pretty hapless artist "Avery" (a perfectly plausible effort from Michael Wilding). He wants her to marry him, but should she take the plunge? When her mother dies, many of her options are removed though and she finds herself stuck in a loveless marriage with the somewhat puritanical "Trewhella" (Bernard Miles) where she is expected to be an obedient farmer's wife in Cornwall. When "Avery" decides to pay her a visit, the green eyed monster rears it's head with tragic results! Gray is certainly way too old for the part, but she still adds a certain lustre to the otherwise rather dreary proceedings. There is a little joy from the supporting cast with fellow dancers "May" (Hazel Court) and "Irene" (Jean Kent) adding a little jollity and Nancy Price does well as her over-bearing mother-in-law who could have, single-handedly, set back the cause of women's rights by 200 years. The story has some interesting threads, and given it was released just after the end of WWII, it was probably intended to inject some optimism and hope into the lives of those still recovering from six years of devastation, but despite it's strong cast, it just lacks punch.