Carmen Jones (film)
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- This article is about the 1954 film, for the musical the film was based on, see Carmen Jones
| Carmen Jones | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Produced by | Otto Preminger |
| Written by | Oscar Hammerstein II (book) Harry Kleiner |
| Starring | Harry Belafonte Dorothy Dandridge Pearl Bailey Olga James Joe Adams |
| Music by | Georges Bizet Oscar Hammerstein II Herschel Burke Gilbert |
| Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
| Editing by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | October 5, 1954 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Carmen Jones is a 1954 musical film produced and directed by Otto Preminger for Carlyle Productions, released on October 5, 1954 by 20th Century Fox. An adaptation of the 1943 Broadway musical of the same name, Carmen Jones is a retelling of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen set during World War II with an all African-American cast. The film stars Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Olga James, and Joe Adams, also featuring Brock Peters (his film debut), Roy Glenn, Nick Stewart, and Diahann Carroll (her film debut). Despite Miss Dandridge's singing career, she is not the Operatic Mezzo-Soprano the music calls for, and her voice was dubbed by the very young Marilyn Horne in her first high-profile job. Belafonte and Adams were also dubbed, by Leverne Hutchinson and Mervin Heyes respectively.
Photographed in CinemaScope, the film was a critical and commercial success, and proved to be a major star-making vehicle for Dorothy Dandridge, who portrayed the title character. Carmen Jones won the 1955 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Dandridge, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, was the first African-American so honored.
In 1992, Carmen Jones was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
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[edit] Plot
Parachute maker Carmen Jones (Dorothy Dandridge) makes a play for a soldier named Joe (Harry Belafonte), who is in love with sweet Cindy Lou (Olga James). Joe resists while he is transporting her to jail after being arrested, but succumbs to Carmen's charms. Encouraged by Carmen, Joe deserts from the Army.
After meeting boxer Husky Miller (Joe Adams), Carmen is asked along with her friends Frankie (Pearl Bailey) and Mert (Diahann Carroll), to go to a boxing match with them in Chicago. She goes to Chicago with them, but initially stays with Joe.
Carmen's relationship with Joe gradually sours and Carmen longs to be free again. One night Carmen goes to meet Frankie and Mert. The three read their cards. The cards promise Frankie and Mert a future filled with wealth and love but Carmen's cards foretell her death. This sign is the last straw for Carmen; she leaves Joe to pursue Husky Miller.
Cindy Lou tries to convince Joe to return to her but he refuses and continues to obsessively pursue Carmen. Later on, at one of Husky's boxing matches, an insane Joe corners Carmen demanding she return to him. She refuses saying that they are finished. Joe, in a fit of madness and rage, kills her.
[edit] History
The film version of Carmen Jones was adapted by Harry Kleiner from Oscar Hammerstein II's book and lyrics for the Broadway musical. Hammerstein's stage musical used the original musical score from Bizet's opera, and adapted its Meilhac and Halévy libretto (based upon the original novel by Prosper Mérimée) into a contemporary setting. The film was shot primarily at the RKO studio, save for location work at local dynamite factory and in rural California.
In 1955, Carmen Jones received the third Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Dorothy Dandridge was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, the first African-American so honored. Herschel Burke Gilbert, who arranged the film's score, was nominated for the Oscar for Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture). In 1992, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Halle Berry, who played Dandridge in the 1999 TV biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which included a re-enactment of one of the film's famed scenes, was the first African-American actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film Monster's Ball.
[edit] Cast
- Carmen Jones - Dorothy Dandridge (singing voice: Marilyn Horne)
- Joe - Harry Belafonte (singing voice: LeVern Hutcherson)
- Husky Miller - Joe Adams (singing voice: Marvin Hayes)
- Cindy Lou - Olga James
- Frankie - Pearl Bailey
- Mert- Diahann Carroll
- Sergeant Brown - Brock Peters
- Carmen's Grandmother - Madame Sul-Te-Wan
[edit] Songs
- "Send Them Along" - Chorus
- "Lift 'Em Up an' Put 'Em Down" - Children's Chorus
- "Dat's Love (Habanera)" - Carmen Jones
- "You Talk Jus' Like My Maw" - Joe and Cindy Lou
- "Carmen Jones is Going to Jail" - Chorus
- "Dere's a Cafe on de Corner (Séguedille)" - Carmen
- "Dis Flower (Flower Song)" - Joe
- "Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum (Gypsy Song)" - Frankie
- "Stan' Up an' Fight (Toreador Song)" - Husky Miller
- "Whizzin' Away Along de Track (Quintet)" - Carmen, Frankie, Mert, Dink, and Rum
- "There's a Man I'm Crazy For" - Carmen, Frankie, Mert, Rum, and Dink
- "Card Song" - Carmen, Frankie, and Chorus
- "My Joe (Micaëla's Prayer)" - Cindy Lou
- "He Got His Self Another Woman" - Cindy Lou
- "Final Duet" - Carmen and Joe
- "String Me High on a Tree" - Joe
[edit] External links
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