Porgy and Bess (1959)

A woman whose past is scorned by nearly everyone around her meets a man who'd love her regardlessly- if only everyone else would allow them to.

Directors:

Otto Preminger, Rouben Mamoulian (uncredited)

Writers:

Dorothy Heyward (play), DuBose Heyward (libretto)

Stars:

Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr.

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sidney Poitier	...	Porgy
Dorothy Dandridge	...	Bess
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Sportin' Life
Pearl Bailey	...	Maria
Brock Peters	...	Crown
Leslie Scott	...	Jake
Diahann Carroll	...	Clara
Ruth Attaway	...	Serena Robbins
Claude Akins	...	Detective
Clarence Muse	...	Peter
Everdinne Wilson	...	Annie
Joel Fluellen	...	Robbins
Earl Jackson	...	Mingo
Moses LaMarr	...	Nelson
Margaret Hairston	...	Lily

Storyline

In this legendary Gershwin opera set among the black residents of a fishing village in 1912 South Carolina, Bess - a woman with a disreputable history - tries to break free from her brutish lover Crown after he becomes wanted for murder. The only person willing to overlook her past and offer her shelter is the crippled Porgy. Their relationship is threatened by the disapproval of the townspeople, the presence of her old drug supplier Sportin' Life - and the threatened return of Crown.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | murder | south carolina | drugs | fishing village | 

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Taglines:

The Goldwyn Touch!...more dramatic than ever before!

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1959 (France)

Also Known As:

Porgy y Bess

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,500,000, 31 December 1959

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the film's screenplay, screenwriter N. Richard Nash simply converted much of the opera's sung recitative into spoken dialogue, although he did add several lines of his own. He even retained many of the same lines word-for-word. The recitative in "Porgy and Bess" is especially easy to turn into spoken dialogue because, unlike the main musical numbers, it closely follows the pattern of ordinary conversation, and does not rhyme.

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Quotes

Porgy: Thank god. Thank god.
Bess: I've been sick, ain't I?
Porgy: You've been very sick. Now, I've got you back.

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Connections

Version of American Playhouse: Porgy and Bess (1993)

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Soundtracks

Here Come de Honey Man
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by DuBose Heyward
Sung by Clarence Muse

User Reviews

I saw this movie when I was 6 years old. One of my lifetime favorites.

This was/is an incredible movie, with incredible cast, music, singing, story, etc. It is a tragedy that some arrogant families (the Gerswhins or Premingers) can keep it from being available to generation after generation. I have wanted to see it again all of my life. I just found this site and read why it has not been available. Shame on these families for their pettiness. My wife is from Germany and she has never seen the movie. Neither have my step-children or my grandchildren. It is very sad that a movie of this depth and quality is not available for them to see. Where do these families get off making such a conceited, self-important, egotistical, condescending decision to prohibit generations from enjoying this film, these stars, these performances, this music! Release the video and let them world judge and enjoy!