{"id":81782,"date":"2022-02-27T10:04:52","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T17:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81782"},"modified":"2022-02-27T10:04:52","modified_gmt":"2022-02-27T17:04:52","slug":"carmen-jones-1954","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81782","title":{"rendered":"Carmen Jones (1954)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;ve gotta be free, or I don&#8217;t stay at all.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster-194x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-81783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster-194x300.png 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster-662x1024.png 662w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster-175x270.png 175w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Poster.png 721w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn alluring factory worker (Dorothy Dandridge) seduces a flight school candidate (Harry Belafonte) away from his sweet fiancee (Olga James), and soon he follows Carmen (Dandridge) to Chicago, where she&#8217;s being wooed by a prizefighter (Joe Adams).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>African-Americans<\/li>\n<li>Dorothy Dandridge Films<\/li>\n<li>Femmes Fatales<\/li>\n<li>Harry Belafonte Films<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Otto Preminger Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Star-Crossed Lovers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nTwentieth Century Fox&#8217;s second CinemaScope offering after <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=39563\"><em>The Robe<\/em> (1953)<\/a> was this all-Black musical produced and directed by Otto Preminger, based on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carmen_Jones\">Oscar Hammerstein II&#8217;s stage musical of the same name<\/a>, which was itself based on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carmen\">Georges Bizet&#8217;s 1875 opera <em>Carmen<\/em><\/a>. Dandridge had to convince Preminger that she was sultry enough to play the seductive Carmen, and she succeeded, with some truly sizzling scenes emerging on-screen: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-1024x393.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"246\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-1024x393.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-300x115.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-128x49.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-768x294.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-1536x589.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes-604x232.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Toes.png 1651w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, I found it hard to have much sympathy for Carmen, whose very first song has her gloating openly: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If you&#8217;re hard to get<br \/>\nI go for you.<br \/>\nAnd if I do,<br \/>\nThen you are through, boy &#8212;<br \/>\nmy baby, that&#8217;s the end of you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-1024x402.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-1024x402.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-1536x603.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man-604x237.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Dandridge-Dat-Man.png 1643w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>She does everything she can to lure Belafonte away from poor James, who&#8217;s done nothing wrong and is simply waiting to marry the man she loves. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-1024x396.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"248\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-1024x396.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-768x297.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-1536x595.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3-604x234.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-James3.png 1661w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If one can get past this initial insult, however, it&#8217;s easy enough to get caught up in the travails of star-crossed Dandridge and Belafonte &#8212; and along the way, we&#8217;re treated to some rousing songs, including &#8220;Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum&#8221; by Pearl Bailey as Frankie, an acquaintance who wants to take Carmen with her to Chicago: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-1024x391.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"244\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-1024x391.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-128x49.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-768x293.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-1536x586.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey-604x230.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Bailey.png 1665w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and &#8220;Whizzin&#8217; Away Along de Track&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-1024x396.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"248\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-1024x396.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-768x297.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-1536x595.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track-604x234.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Whizzin-Away-Along-the-Track.png 1661w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; among others. <em>Carmen Jones<\/em> remains worthy viewing both for Dandridge&#8217;s Oscar-nominated performance (her too-short life and career were  truly tragic), and for the film&#8217;s historical relevance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dorothy Dandridge as Carmen<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-1024x396.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"248\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-1024x396.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-768x297.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-1536x594.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge-604x234.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Belafonte-Dandridge.png 1651w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Beautiful gowns by Mary Ann Nyberg<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-1024x393.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"246\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-1024x393.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-300x115.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-128x49.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-768x295.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-1536x589.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns-604x232.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Carmen-Jones-Gowns.png 1661w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A fine musical score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical significance and Dandridge&#8217;s performance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. Selected in 1992 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being &#8220;culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1458\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0046828\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/70323\/carmen-jones#articles-reviews?articleId=114175\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1954\/10\/29\/archives\/updated-translation-of-bizet-work-bows.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=11096&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve gotta be free, or I don&#8217;t stay at all.&#8221; Synopsis: An alluring factory worker (Dorothy Dandridge) seduces a flight school candidate (Harry Belafonte) away from his sweet fiancee (Olga James), and soon he follows Carmen (Dandridge) to Chicago, where she&#8217;s being wooed by a prizefighter (Joe Adams). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: African-Americans Dorothy Dandridge Films Femmes Fatales Harry Belafonte Films Love Triangle Musicals Otto Preminger Films Play Adaptations Star-Crossed Lovers Review: Twentieth Century Fox&#8217;s second CinemaScope offering after&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81782\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81782"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81797,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81782\/revisions\/81797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}