1h 45min | Drama, Musical, Romance | 5 October 1954 | Color, WS
Director: Otto Preminger
Stars: Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Olga James, Joe Adams, Brock Peters, Roy Glenn, Nick Stewart, Diahann Carroll.
LeVern Hutcherson ... Joe (voice)
Marilyn Horne ... Carmen Jones (voice)
Marvin Hayes ... Husky Miller (voice)
Herbert Ross ... choreographer (uncredited)
Alvin Ailey ... Dance Soloist (uncredited) (where?)
2nd of 10 film credits for PB.
Bizet's music with Oscar Hammerstein II's lyrics. First Best Actress Oscar nom for a black woman, DD. Looks like only Pearl Bailey and Olga James did their own singing. Brock Peters (acting in the cast) also dubbed another cast member.
Songs performed (30 chapters with menu):
- ch2. SEND THEM ALONG, Sung by chorus
- ch2. LIFT 'EM UP AN' PUT 'EM DOWN, Sung by child chorus
- ch3. DAT'S LOVE (Habanera), Performed by Dorothy Dandridge (partially dubbed by Marilyn Horne)
- ch4. YOU TALK JUS' LIKE MY MAW, Performed by Harry Belafonte (dubbed by LeVern Hutcherson), Olga James
- ch5. YOU GO FOR ME, Performed by Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne)
- ch5. CARMEN JONES IS GOIN' TO JAIL, Sung by chorus
- ch6. DERE'S A CAFE ON DE CORNER (Based on "Séguedille"), Performed by Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne)
- ch12. DIS FLOWER (Based on "Flower Song"), Performed by Harry Belafonte (dubbed by LeVern Hutcherson)
- ch13. BEAT OUT DAT RHYTHM ON A DRUM (Based on "Gypsy Song"), Sung by Pearl Bailey
- ch14. STAN' UP AN' FIGHT (Based on "Toreador Song"), Performed by Joe Adams (dubbed by Marvin Hayes); reprised by chorus in fight scene
- ch16. WHIZZIN' AWAY ALONG DE TRACK (Based on "Quintet"), Performed by Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne), Nick Stewart (dubbed by Joseph E. Crawford), Diahann Carroll (dubbed by Bernice Peterson), Roy Glenn (dubbed by Brock Peters), Pearl Bailey
- ch17. THERE'S A MAN I'M CRAZY FOR, Performed by Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne)
- ch24. CARD SONG (Based on "Card Song" from Act 3 of the opera), Performed by Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne), Pearl Bailey, chorus
- ch25. MY JOE (Based on aria "Micaëla's Air" from Act 3 of the opera), Sung by Olga James
- ch27. HE GOT HIS SELF ANOTHER WOMAN, Sung by Olga James
- ch29. FINAL DUET (Based on "Duet and Final Chorus"), Performed by Harry Belafonte (dubbed by LeVern Hutcherson) and Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne)
- ch30. STRING ME HIGH ON A TREE (Based on "Duet and Final Chorus"), Performed by Harry Belafonte (dubbed by LeVern Hutcherson) and Dorothy Dandridge (dubbed by Marilyn Horne)
I love Bizet's music, but don't like the story very much, and it comes from the opera. Too much fate, fatalism and fatality.
I do like the fact that you could cast this with all white actors in a rural setting.
My prior rating is 7, and I'll stick with it.
Otto Preminger Films, distr. Fox, dir. Preminger; 7+
