The Loves of Carmen (1948 film)

The Loves of Carmen is a 1948 American Technicolor romantic drama film directed by Charles Vidor. The film stars Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed lover Don José.

The Loves of Carmen was publicized as a dramatic adaptation of the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée and is otherwise unrelated to Georges Bizet's opera Carmen. It is a remake of the 1927 film of the same name, which was directed by Raoul Walsh and stars Dolores del Rio and Victor McLaglen.

Following the plot of the classic opera, "Carmen," this story follows the wild gypsy's adventures as a siren and bandit. Carmen (Rita Hayworth) lures an innocent soldier (Glenn Ford) to his ruin, getting him expelled from the army. He then turns to banditry, killing Carmen's husband (Victor Jory) and others. The drama culminates in an ending with the innocent soldier repenting of his sins and dying.

This was the first film chosen and co-produced by Hayworth's production company, the Beckworth Corporation, which gave her approval over her material and a percentage of the film's profits. As co-producer, Hayworth hired her father, the dancer Eduardo Cansino, to help choreograph the traditional Spanish dances. Also, her uncle José Cansino can be seen as her dance partner in one scene, and her brother Vernon Cansino has a bit part as a soldier.

The musical score of the film was composed by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.