Carmen Jones (1954)

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 | African American | Desire | Parachute

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

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 Ray (2004/I)

Soundtrack:

THERE'S A MAN I'M CRAZY FOR

Cant believe it took me so long

to see this amazing film. I thought Halle Berry did a great job in the Dandridge biopic, but after seeing Carmen Jones I don't know if she could do Dorothy justice. This woman was amazing in this film. she RADIATED sex appeal and I could see why her performance was groundbreaking. Otto Preminger directed and shot a beautiful film, and contemporary actors, especially black actors, should set the performances in this movie as highwater marks to shoot for. Pearl Bailey was amazing in addition to the two leads, Belafonte and Dandridge. Joe Adams as the boxer and the woman who played Cindy Lou also gave great performance.

Again to see black actors in this time period given a chance to perform a full range of characters was really amazing. In a lot of ways this film is more progressive than the drivel of black genre films coming out of Hollywood today