Carmen Jones (1954)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Oscar Hammerstein II (book)
Harry Kleiner (screenplay)
(more)

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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alvin Ailey	...	Dance Soloist (uncredited)
DeForest Covan	...	Trainer (uncredited)
Joseph E. Crawford	...	Dink Franklin (singing voice) (uncredited)
Carmen De Lavallade	...	Dance Soloist (uncredited)
Bernie Hamilton	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Margaret Lancaster	...	Singing Voice (uncredited)
Mauri Lynn	...	Sally (uncredited)
Sam McDaniel	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Bernice Peterson	...	Myrt (singing voice) (uncredited)
Max Roach	...	Max (uncredited)
Carmencita Romero	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Archie Savage	...	Dance Soloist (uncredited)
Madame Sul-Te-Wan	...	Hagar - Carmen's Grandmother (uncredited)
Rubin Wilson	...	Kid Pancho (uncredited)

Directed by
Otto Preminger

Writing credits
Oscar Hammerstein II		(book) (as Oscar Hammerstein 2nd)
Harry Kleiner		(screenplay)
Prosper Mérimée		novel (uncredited)

Produced by
Otto Preminger	....	producer

Cinematography by
Sam Leavitt

Film Editing by
Louis R. Loeffler

Art Direction by
Edward L. Ilou
John DeCuir		(co-art director) (uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Claude E. Carpenter

Costume Design by
Mary Ann Nyberg

Production Management
Herman E. Webber	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Silver	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Arthur von Kirbach	....	sound (as Arthur L. Kirbach)

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Myers	....	camera operator
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Lina Abarbanell	....	casting consultant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Leon Birnbaum	....	music editor
Georges Bizet	....	composer: opera "Carmen"
George Brand	....	music editor
Ted Dale	....	associate musical director
Herschel Burke Gilbert	....	musical director
Billy Rose	....	producer: Broadway musical play "Carmen Jones"
Murray Spivack	....	music recordist
Vinton Vernon	....	music recordist
Jester Hairston	....	choral director (uncredited)
Jester Hairston	....	vocal coach (uncredited)
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	co-musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Saul Bass	....	title designer
John Indrisano	....	fight stager
Otto Preminger	....	presenter
Max Slater	....	production assistant (as Maximilian Slater)
Herbert Ross	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Carlyle Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1954) (UK) (theatrical)
• Fox Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (1994) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (1995) (UK) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• BFI Video (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)

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:

This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1992.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Carmen blinks after being strangled.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

Soundtrack:

CARMEN JONES IS GOIN' TO JAIL

One of the classics of African-American cinema

This film shows just how much talent existed and was mostly unused because of the small number of pictures made with African-American casts during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

It's a remake of Bizet's "Carmen", and was originally performed on Broadway in the 1940's. Otto Preminger filmed the play during the 1950's. The songs all retain Bizet's original music, but the lyrics have been updated to English. If you've never seen the opera, and are intimidated by opera in general, this film would actually be a good introduction to the topic.

The plot is moved from a Spanish village during the late 1800's to the American South during WWII. The cigarette factory is now a parachute factory, and the bullfighter is now a prize fighter. Generally, I thought the update was done well, just as some Shakespearean updates work well. The only part which doesn't work for me is that some of the dialogue and lyrics are in what I think of as "Porgy and Bess Ebonics", e.g. "dees", "dem", "dat", etc.

Carmen is played by Dorothy Dandridge, who is known as the African-American Marilyn Monroe. The two women's lives sadly parallel each other, although Dandridge could find even fewer scripts to show off her acting talents. Harry Belafonte plays the seduced male lead. Both are stunning beautiful, and at their prime.

All of the singing voices are dubbed by first rank operatic voices; the songs for Carmen Jones are dubbed by Marilyn Horne, for example.

The tragedy is realizing how many great actors and actresses could have had brilliant careers except for their skin color. It was interesting and sad to watch the Movietone Newsreel coverage of the premiere, which came attached to the copy of the tape I had. It features all of the white movie stars attending the premiere, the white studio heads -- and just happens to have a second or two of Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge at the end.