Carmen Jones (1954)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Oscar Hammerstein II (book)
Harry Kleiner (screenplay)
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Release Date:

28 October 1954 (USA) more view trailer

Genre:

Musical more

Plot:

Contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

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Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations more

NewsDesk:
(2 articles)

Actor Brock Peters Dies at 78 (From WENN. 23 August 2005)
MTV Sets Hip Hop Version Of Carmen (From Studio Briefing. 18 January 2001)

User Comments:

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

Also Known As:

Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones (USA) (complete title)
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Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1 more

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 more

MOVIEmeter:

17% since last week why?

Company:

Carlyle Productions more

Trivia:

The singing voices of Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge were dubbed by LeVern Hutcherson and Marilyn Horne respectively, even though Belafonte and Dandridge were both accomplished singers. However, neither had the training nor the range to sing operatic roles. Catherine Hilgenberg, a soloist with the Roger Wagner Chorale (morphed later into the Los Angeles Master Chorale), was originally signed to sing the Carmen role, and a number of the arias were already recorded (with piano, on a separate track), when director Otto Preminger's bullying behavior became too much for her and she quit. Horne ("Jackie") was a 19-year-old music student at nearby USC. She auditioned for the part and was immediately hired - for $300. But it was a terrific break for her, and she grabbed it, and did an outstanding job, re-recording what Hilgenberg had already sung, plus the balance of the music. It's also fun to note that Horne was a singer for Tops Records, a company that made sound-alike recordings of hit records with identical arrangements (in those days arrangements could not be copyrighted) and "stand-ins" who could mimic the artists who made the hit record. Jackie Horne, later to become a major 20th-century opera star, was funding her college expenses, in part, by recording Kay Starr's hits. Starr was famous for belting out her songs with a certain razzmatazz style, and Horne's rendition was a dead-ringer. The Tops Records offices, it should be noted, were within walking distance from the USC campus. more

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Carmen blinks after being strangled. more

Quotes:

Joe: Thanks, but I don't drink.
Carmen Jones: Boy, if the army was made up of nothin' but soldiers like you, war wouldn't do nobody no good.
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Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ray (2004/I) more

Soundtrack:

DERE'S A CAFE ON DE CORNER more