Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones is a 1954 American musical film starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Harry Kleiner is based on the lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II, from the 1943 stage musical of the same name, set to the music of Georges Bizet's 1875 opera Carmen. The opera was an adaptation of the 1845 Prosper Mérimée novella Carmen by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.

Carmen Jones was a CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color motion picture that had begun shooting within the first 12 months of Twentieth Century Fox's venture in 1953 to the widescreen format as its main production mode. Carmen Jones was released in October 1954, exactly one year and one month after Fox's first CinemaScope venture, the Biblical epic The Robe, had opened in theatres.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Back in 1943, Oscar Hammerstein Jr. took Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, rewrote the lyrics, changed the characters from 19th century Spaniards to World War II-era African-Americans, switched the locale to a Southern military base, and the result was a beloved stage musical. This Cinemascope retelling directed by Otto Preminger -- starring Dorothy Dandridge as the temptress Carmen, a worker in a war plant, and Harry Belafonte as her soldier lover -- manages to recapture the spirit and stay pretty faithful to the musical even with the various changes made for the re-imagining.
 * 2) Otto Preminger's realist sensibility often seems contradictory to the whimsical nature of a musical, but some strong elements survive the segregationist context.
 * 3) With the film being exceptionally liberal in its time with an all-black cast, Dorothy Dandridge's performance in the lead is a reminder of the kind of African-American films that might have emerged if given the chance. After poor showing at the box office of all-black musical films Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky from 1943, adapting a play like Carmen Jones was a very risky move. In other words, this film is the first mainstream Hollywood film with an all-black cast in over a decade, but the first one to be a box-office hit or be in color.
 * 4) Dandridge's beauty and power startled filmgoers. She portrayed in authority and knowingness that had not been previously permitted to black actresses and mainstream film and her seduction of Belafonte's Joe crackles with unexpected energy and emotion.
 * 5) Amazing acting from the entire ensemble cast, including Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey, Olga James and Brock Peters.
 * 6) The opening title sequence is notably the first film title sequence created by the legendary Saul Bass, which marked the beginning of Bass's long professional relationship with Preminger. Bass also designed the film posters for the movie.
 * 7) George Bietz's score from his original opera is used appropriately within the context of the film's storyline, and help to advance the plot.
 * 8) Even though Dandridge and Belafonte were both singers, their opera voices were dubbed by Marilyn Horne and LeVern Hutcherson, who were both classically trained singers. Yet the singing doubles manage to match well with the personalities of both of the leads. Marilyn Hones singing for Dandridge in particular is a particular stand-out.
 * 9) Amazing and beautiful cinematography with the extremely wide Cinemascope frames, with surprisingly elaborate and extended shots.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Although it's difficult to fault the sincerity of the cast and crew, many aspects of the film have aged poorly -- such as Hammerstein's idiomatic lyrics, or the fact that a good chunk of the story takes place in a weirdly idealized South where Hammerstein doesn't truly feel comfortable until a nightclub scene with familiar musical types.
 * 2) As mentioned above Dandridge and Belafonte were both singers, their opera voices were dubbed by Marilyn Horne and LeVern Hutcherson, who were both classically trained singers. And with Horne and Huntcherson handling their voices, the lip-syncing with the singing doubles -- while managing to be passable most of the time --can often be obvious and awkward at various different points.

Trivia

 * The film is based on the 1943 musical of the same name with music by Georges Bizet, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, as produced on the stage by Billy Rose. The musical was derived from the 1875 opera Carmen, which was based on the short story of the same name published in 1845.  According to director/producer Otto Preminger, the movie was derived more from its literary source more than from its musical adaptations.
 * Theater impresario Billy Rose—who produced the film on Broadway—originally intended to produce the film adaptation with Elia Kazan as director. Rose was known for his vast legacy as a showman and lyricist, as well as being the husband of entertainer Fanny Brice. Their relationship was immortalized in the Oscar nominated film Funny Lady starring Barbra Streisand and James Caan. Rose ultimately sold the rights, and Otto Preminger and Twentieth Century-Fox produced the project.
 * The film marked the feature film debut of actor Brock Peters, who later became known for his performance as the falsely accused Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird.
 * The film marked Oscar-winning graphic designer Saul Bass’s first movie title sequence, beginning an iconic career that lasted more than 40 years.
 * The European release of the film was delayed because director/producer Otto Preminger had neglected to clear the rights to Georges Bizet’s music in Europe before production began. The Bizet score was already in the public domain in the U.S., but it was still privately owned in Europe. Preminger planned to hold the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival aboard an American aircraft carrier to avoid conflicts with European copyright law, but a special out-of-competition screening was eventually permitted on festival grounds.
 * The film launched the careers of Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. In an interview one month before the film’s release, Belafonte was asked if the movie would open new possibilities for Black actors. He replied: “Not really… but I think it will provide some help symbolically… I don’t think Hollywood, as a whole, is geared to pioneering of this sort.”
 * The film was nominated for two Academy Awards® – Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) and Best Actress, marking Dorothy Dandridge’s sole acknowledgement from the Academy. She was the first person of color to be nominated for a leading role.