Carmen Jones (1954)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Oscar Hammerstein II (book)
Harry Kleiner (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

Contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast.

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Love | Desire | Parachute | African American

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18

10:15 PM

TCM

Cast

Harry Belafonte	...	Joe
Dorothy Dandridge	...	Carmen Jones
Pearl Bailey	...	Frankie
Olga James	...	Cindy Lou
Joe Adams	...	Husky Miller
Brock Peters	...	Sergeant Brown (as Broc Peters)
Roy Glenn	...	Rum Daniels
Nick Stewart	...	Dink Franklin
Diahann Carroll	...	Myrt
LeVern Hutcherson	...	Joe (voice) (as Le Vern Hutcherson)
Marilyn Horne	...	Carmen Jones (voice) (as Marilynn Horne)
Marvin Hayes	...	Husky Miller (voice)

Also Known As:

Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #17140) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

California Highway 118 between Moorpark & Somis, California, USA

Company:

Carlyle Productions

Trivia:

Otto Preminger wanted to film on location in Chicago and South Carolina, but studio records show the movie was shot entirely on the Fox lot. One notable exception was the children's chorus scenes that were shot on location at a working dynamite factory. The parents, of course, were present, many of them sitting on boxes of explosives - idly smoking.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Reflected in a window as Carmen is walking through town.

Quotes:

Frankie: We'll be livin' off the fatheads of the land.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

Soundtrack:

YOU TALK JUS' LIKE MY MAW

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Use'ta

In school I heard of Natalie Wood but not Dorothy Dandrige. I heard of James Dean, but not really Sidney Portier. So how nice it is to see such a film on my own to know that it existed and is as worthy of favorable acclaim as the rest.

I saw this on A&E and was blown away! I am so disappointed to not see films of this caliber nor actors getting work to really challenge their skills like these actors did. This all star cast was superb and intense. They sweat, they cried, they had veins sticking out of their heads literally...so into their roles. The opera singing is something I don't think will be seen in black cinema today. If so, it'll probably be ostracized. "Carmen Jones" represents the missing link in black films today, the true element of quality, character and story.

I MUST buy this and have it for other to see, even if it is 15 years later!

Lil