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6.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Caravan remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like someone tried to film a stage play during a fever dream, sure, watch Caravan. It’s got a weird, dusty charm that keeps you awake, but don't expect it to make any sense. If you hate people bursting into song while they’re supposed to be having a life-or-death argument, stay far away.
The whole premise is classic fairytale stuff—royalty meets vagabond—but the execution is just... so much. Loretta Young is doing her best to look regal while surrounded by sets that look like they were made of cardboard and hope. There’s this one scene where they’re in a caravan, and the background movement is so obviously a projector screen that it made me laugh out loud.
Charles Boyer is playing the musician, and he’s clearly having a better time than the rest of the cast. He’s got that smirk, you know the one. He acts like he’s in a completely different movie than everyone else. Sometimes it works, sometimes he just looks like he’s waiting for his paycheck.
Honestly, watching this made me think of the weird, stilted energy in Sands of the Desert, though this one has a bit more swing to it. It doesn’t have the same grit you find in something like The Main Event, but it’s got its own frantic rhythm.
It’s not a movie you watch for the plot. The plot is just a clothesline to hang musical numbers on. If you stop trying to follow the logic and just look at the weird lighting choices, it’s actually kind of a trip. 🎻
Some of the supporting cast are clearly just there to fill space, standing in the back with these blank, thousand-yard stares. I bet they were just as confused as I was. It’s not great, but it’s certainly not boring.