Carmen Jones

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Acting Without a doubt
Review: The first time I saw Carmen Jones I could not believe what I was seeing. I was seeing a beautiful black woman play her heart out on screen. This film is remarkable and I recommend it to anyone who loves classics. I wish she were still alive so I could tell her how much I love her.

Rating:
Summary: I loved Carmen's love 'em and leave 'em attitude.
Review: The music numbers were awsome especially the opening number. I was really impressed at the young Pearl Bailey and Dianne Carroll. If you are a lover of old movies this is a Sunday afternoon MUST!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Dandridge will blow you away!
Review: The year was 1955...
all the Oscar buzz for the previous year was about Judy Garland in "A Star is Born" and the buzz continued when Grace Kelly won for her tedious, overwrought and over acted performance in "A Country Girl"...The Oscar should have gone to Dorothy Dandridge! Now, don't get me wrong! I love Garland and she was super in "Star" but the Goddess Dandridge mesmerized me in this film! Her vocals are dubbed, which I found rather unnerving at first, considering that Dandridge had a beautiful voice but thankfully she is dubbed by the magnificent Marilyn Horne! Miss Dandridge was truly one of the greatest talents of all time and she should have been the first African American actress to win the Best Actress Oscar...the 2nd being, Miss Tyson for "Sounder", 3rd, Miss Bassett for "What's Love Got To Do With It" and this year Miss Berry in "Monster's Ball" but again, I'm sure the Academy will go with their Safe Zone and give it to Spacek.. AH HA!!! finally the Academy got it right!!! Miss Berry WON for, quite simply, THE BEST performance of the year!

Rating:
Summary: THE ULTIMATE "CARMEN".....
Review: This film treatment by Otto Preminger of Bizet's "Carmen" is stunningly done with an all-black cast. The mesmerizing Dorothy Dandridge is Carmen, the femme fatale who bewitches a GI (Harry Belafonte) leading to tragedy. The film is set in the present and retains the operatic score in English but unnecessarily performed with black dialect. This idiosyncrasy may have its' defenders but I found it rather stereotypical. At any rate, it's beautifully done and dubbed perfectly with the cast. Carmen is portrayed as the ultimate material girl---at once heartless yet vulnerable. She renounces her relationship with the lovesick GI to pursue her pot of gold with an up-and-coming boxer. Film depicts the sexuality of Carmen with earthy frankness surprising for the time. It has a European feel to it. Dandridge should have gotten an Oscar for this but racial prejudices being what they were at the time shut her out---a damnable outrage but this was the 50's and white audiences evidently weren't ready to see such a frank modern performance by a black actress. Halle Berry did a cable bio of Dandridge and would later thank her posthumously when she herself became the first black actress to win a Best Actress award for "Monster's Ball". "Carmen Jones" is a historical milestone and an American classic that is available on DVD and must be seen to be appreciated.

Rating:
Summary: Great songs, but .....
Review: This film version of CARMEN JONES is a textbook example of why a first-rate stage musical usually does not make a first-rate movie. The cast is mostly excellent (especially Dorothy Dandridge), Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics are among his best, and the basic idea of adapting Bizet's music into a World War 2 setting with an all-Black cast, while retaining the same overall storyline, remains ingenious. But the film lacks the impact which the stage version (according to many first-hand accounts) had. One example of a mistake made in the film version is that the thrilling climax in which Carmen is murdered takes place in a broom closet.

Rating:
Summary: Take it from Tawana in Texas - This movie is the best ever!!
Review: This movie holds your attention from beginning to end. Carmen Jones is so sassy and so sexy - poor fly-boy Joe just doesn't have a fighting chance. She catches his heart, and steps on it. The ending is dramatic. The energy in this movie is explosive!!!! A must see!!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE
Review: This movie is awesome. I love the singing, dancing, and acting. Another great Carmen is Carmen:A Hip Hopera. That is as great and lovely as this one but only updated. JUST PLEASE,PLEASE, PLEASE BUY THIS DVD IT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CLASSIC MOVIES YOU WILL SEE.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Carmen.
Review: This movie is phenomenal. Personally, there
are not many movies which I care to see
more than once. My interest span is not that great.
However, I could watch "Carmen Jones" everyday.

Apart from all its political and social notoriety,
"Carmen Jones" is a great film on any level. Yes,
we've all heard about Dandridge's groundbreaking
success and the racial progress that she incurred
with this film. However, even if you were not aware
of this, the movie still stands as a remarkable product
of Otto Preminger's mastery.

Yes, it's slow in some places, and you
find yourself going through withdrawal,
just waiting for the next glimpse of the
stunning Dandridge. However, this movie delivers
with a flavorful punch. Without a doubt, it lives up to
it's hype and beyond. Good story line, beautiful
leading actors (Belafonte/Dandridge, a match made
in movie heaven), fun music, and an entertaining
interpretation of the original opera.

This is a great movie for everyone.

PS: just a little information here.
People often wonder why two professional singers (Belafonte/Dandridge) would have their voices dubbed in the movie. Well, first of all, Dandridge was a pop/night club performer and it is highly unlikely that she had the vocal range nor the appropriate voice ability to tackle the classic mezzo-soprano role. Likewise, with Belafonte, who was also a pop singer. However, I do suspect that he could have vocally pulled off the tenor role. Perhaps, it was a question of taste by the producers. Diahann Caroll is also dubbed. Pearl Baily, however, is not dubbed.(????????)What's that all about?

Rating:
Summary: Dorthy Dandridge is a legend
Review: When i first saw Carmen Jones , I wanted to know who was this strikingly gorgeous woman with such skill. I came to find out that,that woman was Dorthy Dandridge a film legend.Her pure essence on screen captivates the viewer to want to see this movie again and again. The sad story is she didn't live long enough to make more great films like this one, she would have exploded the box office. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves classics and even if you don't love them, I assure you that you'll fall in love with one of Dorthy Dandridge's biggest acting debuts "carmen Jones".

Rating:
Summary: Talk about your works of art!!!
Review: When one thinks of the great screen couples, one of the two was slightly more appealing physically than the other. Nelson Eddy with his chiseled looks flattered the screen better than his frequent co-star Jeannette McDonald. Robert Taylor, Tony Curtis, and Paul Newman outshone their respective real-life and film spouses Barbara Stanwyck, Janet Leigh, and Joanne Woodward. His female co-star always overshadowed Humphrey Bogart, especially when that co-star was wife Lauren Bacall. Elizabeth Taylor was definitely more appealing to the eye than husband and seven-time co-star Richard Burton.

And it seems that the actress had to have something special to be in front of the camera with Cary Grant. It might not be just a coincidence that beauties such as Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn shared screen time with Mr. Grant.

Even the late-lamented movie duo of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had the camera favoring the "top gun".

Only did Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn match each other in the "serviceable" looks department.

The point of the aforementioned is that "Carmen Jones" has the distinction of featuring two performers that not only matched each other in the acting arena but also were as aesthetically compatible as any great work of art. Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte are just too pretty to behold in this Technicolor marvel. The camera just seems to capture every flawless angle of their picturesque features.

Opera "purists" may scoff at the liberties taken in Bizet's composition, but film buffs realize that "Jones" was a landmark film, featuring an awesome (and at that time, unprecedented) array of African-American talent. From the major performers (including Pearl Bailey, Olga James, and Diahann Carroll) to the familiar character actors handling minor but significant parts (Roy Glenn, Brock Peters, and Nick Stewart), the film is worthy of time capsule placement as an icon in American cinema.

"Carmen Jones" may not be among AFI's TOP 100 list, but it is among one of THIS reviewer's movie gems.