Carmen Jones

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Horror fan 4 What a great movie with terrific performances. Although no actors did any singing it was still a fun time. Loved the ending. Tim Treakle Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/26/25 Full Review Audience Member Otto Preminger's realism with whimsical musical nature is called Carmen Jones. The story is about temptation and the inevitable consequences of temptation. The musical score by George Bietz his original opera is not only used appropriately within the context of the film's storyline but also help advance the film's plot. The musical numbers in Carmen Jones is pretty catchy, amazing, and impressive. The costume designs for the film were beautiful as the costumes were filled with so much subtlety and charm. Last but not least, the beautiful Dorothy Dandridge puts on a wonderful performance with her beauty, charm, and strong willpower. She portrayed the titular character with so much wisdom and authority, it what makes her performance and the character she plays so beautifully artistic. Generally, Carmen Jones is a wonderful and impressive film and Dorothy Dandridge stole the show with her fantastic and high-powered performance. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review georgan g Musicals are not my favorite genre, but this is an excellent candidate for enjoying music AND acting. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L On the one hand, Carmen Jones is one of the first majorly successful, sincere American films to feature a predominantly African-American cast, including the first performance by an African-American (Dandridge) to be awarded a nomination for Best Actress. On the other hand, the music is surprisingly unimpressive, with English lyrics that sound wrong paired with Bizet's opera (which is essentially too famous for this kind of treatment, except as parody) and delivery that is far too sing-song, safe, and of the period. Hard to give the film too much credit as a standout of the period in support of the equal capabilities of black performers when the leads often find themselves dubbed over in the actual musical numbers with painfully traditional voices. The film's conservatism is immediately nailed home as soon as Pearl Bailey shows up, as she delivers an active, high-tempo (and undubbed) performance that hints at what the film could have been with more of a nudge towards originality. Certainly incomplete, but worthy of praise for taking a leap in a year in which good ol' American tough guy John Wayne was the ideal of US culture and the top box office draw. (3/5) Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/21/21 Full Review Audience Member Carmen Jones is required viewing for Dorothy Dandridge alone who is glorious. Although it is a film packed with Black Excellence, it is also still a victim of horrible Black tropes. I do so wish that the film makers hadn't been so concerned with the Bizet estate or European acceptance and made a more folk/rock opera with Dandridge's and, of course, the talented and beautiful Harry Beleafonte's superb voices. The dubbing really took me out of the scene and I think their versions would have felt more authentic even if they were in imperfect registers. The film is beautiful - beautiful cinematography, art direction, costumes, and sets. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review steve d The adaptation didn't work for me despite strong performances. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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