BrianRxm Coins in Movies 189/377
The Loves of Carmen (1948)
Rita Hayworth as a Gypsy gets to wear gold coins and so does her boyfriend
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The 1948 film "The Loves of Carmen" shows some Spanish people of the early 19th century wearing coins in ornate necklaces, earrings, and money belts.
 
The film is based on the famous story about Carmen, the beautiful Gypsy dancer and the Spanish soldier who falls in love with her.
 
Rita Hayworth is the seductive Carmen and Glenn Ford is the soldier Don Jose. Except for the story, this film has no connection to the Georges Bizet opera Carmen.
 
Some scenes were filmed in California's Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains and Alabama Hills where many Western films were shot.
 
Rita, Glenn, and a Gypsy wear outfits which incorporate gold coins.
 
Loves of Carmen
1. Title
Prologue:
 
In the early 19th century Gypsies of Spain were a bitter and persecuted people who lived outside the law, scorning the standards of civilized society. Carmen was a product of that lawless and unhappy breed.
 
Don Jose Lizarabengoa is a Spanish soldier, a corporal, stationed in Seville.
 
Loves of Carmen
2. Corporal Don Jose riding into town
Don Jose and another soldier meet Carmen, the beautiful and seductive Gypsy girl.
 
Loves of Carmen
3. Carmen meets Don Jose
She wears a necklace of gold coins, if they were real gold the necklace would weigh quite a lot. Spanish gold eight escudo coins or "doubloons" were still being used in Spain then.
 
A Spanish doubloon:
 
Mexico eight escudos 1806
4. Spain gold eight escudos "doubloon" 1806 - Mexico Mint
For more information on these items, please visit: Pirate Coins
 
Back to the film:
 
Carmen lives with an older Gypsy woman who runs a restaurant. The older woman also wears chains of coins.
 
Loves of Carmen
5. Gypsy woman shows her money
Don Jose and his commanding officer get into a fight over Carmen and Don Jose accidently kills him. Don Jose and Carmen flee to the mountains and join an outlaw band. The outlaws have been robbing stagecoaches and travelers.
 
Loves of Carmen
6. Camping in the mountains
The large mountain on the right is Lone Pine Peak near Lone Pine, California.
 
Carmen has a bandit husband, Garcia, who appears to claim his wife.
 
Loves of Carmen
7. Garcia renews his acquaintance with Carmen
Garcia wears a gold coin earring which appears to be a Spanish gold coin or imitation of one.
 
The bandit gang head out to rob a stagecoach.
 
Loves of Carmen
8. Stagecoach moving along
The large mountain on the right is Mt. Williamson, California's second highest mountain.
 
Back to the film:
 
The bandit gang holds up the stagecoach and Don Jose becomes a wanted man with a price of 1000 duros (pesos) on him.
 
Don Jose and Carmen spend some time together.
 
Loves of Carmen
9. Carmen and Don Jose
Carmen is again wearing her money jewelry. Don Jose also wears his money in a large belt with gold coins attached.
 
The relationship is not the best as they are constantly arguing about her boyfriends. Carmen heads into town to meet another boyfriend, Lucas, a bullfighter.
 
Loves of Carmen
10. Carmen and the bullfighter
Don Jose has followed her into town.
 
Carmen sees something which gives her a fright.
 
Loves of Carmen
11. The Black Cat of Death
Black Cats are bad luck for Gypsies too.
 
Loves of Carmen
12. Carmen is worried
Don Jose shows up, they argue, he stabs her and is then shot by a soldier.
 
Loves of Carmen
13. Don Jose and Carmen together
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Rita Hayworth as Carmen
Glenn Ford as Don Jose
Victor Jory as Garcia
 
Director: Charles Vidor
Writers: Helen Deutsch
Based on the 1845 novel Carmen by Prosper Mérimée
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