CARMEN JONES
US, 1955, 103 minutes, Colour.
Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Olga James, Joe Adams, Nick Stewart, Roy Glenn, Diahann Carroll, Brock Peters. (Voices of La Vern Hutchison, Marilyn Horne, Marvin Hayes.)
Directed by Otto Preminger.
Carmen Jones was an interesting experiment that paid off quite well. There is a risk of taking the music of a popular opera, Carmen by Bizet, changing some of the tempos and updating the story from a Spanish bull-fighting setting to World War II, America and boxing. The other part of the experiment was changing it to an all negro setting. This naturally gives the film more possible racial overtones. The music is generally lively enough to withstand changeover, although many audiences would find that some of the arias hold up the action too much. 'Dat's Love' and 'Stand up and Fight' are memorable as is the negro mood celebration, 'Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum'.
Dorothy Dandridge is a vital Carmen, conveying her character by every movement of her body. Harry Belafonte seems too good a Joe to be goaded to such jealousy and murder.
It would be best to see the film in colour and wide-screen to get its original impact. Those who do not like slow arias and who would take conventions of the singing too literally, should not see it. Otherwise, it is something different and worth reflection.
1. How successful was the style of the film? Did you like the idea of keeping the Bizet music and re-writing the score and story? Did it cheapen the opera at all? Was black America a good choice of locale for the plot?
2. Were the songs successfully blended into the action of the film?
3. How did the songs concentrate the mood of the film and make some of the action and the motivation significant?
4. What kind of a woman was Carmen Jones? Was she capable of real love or was she an individualist of intense but passing emotion?
5. Why did she 'go for' Joe (the significance of the song, "Dat's Love", the words of which predict what is going to happen)? Did she ever love him? were you surprised when she left him? (She had flirted originally and used him to escape prison, yet she waited for him to get out of prison and gave her money for him). Why did she go for Husky miller (the clues in the song about going to Chicago)? Did she love him?
6. What kind of a man was Joe - ambitious in the army, love for Cindy Lou, friendly, marriage? Why was he infatuated by Carmen? (His song when out working). Was he too possessive and quick tempered (punching the sergeant)? Was he trapped by his actions? Could he have escaped? How did hiding from the MPs affect him? Why was he so jealous? Why didn't he go away with Cindy Lou? How did Carmen's appearance and cheering at the fight madden him? Was it credible that he should murder her? Why did he want to be hanged and be with his Carmen?
7. What role did Husky Miller play in the film? Was he to blame for what happened to Joe? How did his song 'Stand Up and Fight" reveal him? Why did he attract Carmen?
8. What was the purpose of "Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum" in the film?
9. The cast was all black. The America presented as all black America? What contribution to race relationship would this film make?
