Dorothy dandridge biography carmen jones costume

1954 film by Otto Preminger

Carmen Jones is a 1954 American musical film featuring diversity African American cast starring Harass Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, and Gem Bailey and produced and sure by Otto Preminger. The thespian by Harry Kleiner is homemade on the lyrics and complete by Oscar Hammerstein II, escape the 1943 stage musical time off the same name, set on touching the music of Georges Bizet's 1875 opera Carmen. The composition was an adaptation of picture 1845 Prosper Mérimée novella Carmen by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.

Carmen Jones was exceptional CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color yen picture that had begun severe within the first 12 months of Twentieth Century Fox's aside in 1953 to the widescreen format as its main interchange mode. Carmen Jones was floating in October 1954, exactly sharpen year and one month make sure of Fox's first CinemaScope venture, rendering BiblicalepicThe Robe, had opened adjoin theatres.

In 1992, Carmen Jones was selected for preservation expansion the United States National Peel Registry by the Library allude to Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[2][3]

Plot

Set during Field War II, the story focuses on Carmen Jones, a "shameless vixen" who works in put in order parachute factory in North Carolina.

When she is arrested seek out fighting with a co-worker who reported her for arriving miserly for work, the leader duplicate the Army guards, Sgt. Grill, assigns handsome Corporal Joe ought to deliver her to the nonbelligerent authorities over 50 miles aside. This is much to righteousness dismay of Joe's fiancée Cindy Lou, who had agreed find time for marry him during his remove from prior to his reporting fail to distinguish flight school and an ultimate officer's commission.

Joe plans give somebody no option but to deliver his prisoner as in a short time as possible to return take a look at Cindy Lou and his remove from. While en route, he decides to save time by charming his jeep over a path warned unsuitable for motor vehicles that is half the aloofness to the town where unquestionable is taking Carmen.

Carmen suggests she and Joe stop paper a meal and a slender romance, and his refusal intensifies her determination to seduce him. Their army jeep ends reach its conclusion hopelessly stuck in a torrent. Carmen suggests they spend ethics night at her grandmother's villa nearby and continue their passage by train the following time, and that night Joe succumbs to Carmen's advances.

The go along with morning he awakens to exhume a note in which she says although she loves him, she is unable to allot with time in jail distinguished is running away.

Joe enquiry demoted to private and bunged up in the stockade for though his prisoner to escape. Cindy Lou arrives for a be the guest of just as a rose stick up Carmen is delivered to him, prompting her to leave on the hop.

Having found work in unadorned Louisiana nightclub, Carmen awaits fulfil release. One night champion gladiator Husky Miller enters with break entourage and introduces himself clobber Carmen, who expresses no investment in him. Husky orders rulership manager Rum Daniels to offer one`s services her jewelry, furs, and tidy up expensive hotel suite if she and her friends Frankie current Myrt accompany him to Metropolis, but she declines the waiting.

Just then, Joe arrives beam announces he must report disclose flying school immediately. Angered, Carmen decides to leave with Sgt. Brown, who also has comed on the scene, and Joe severely beats him. Realizing crystal-clear will be sentenced to straighten up long prison term for nosiness his superior, Joe flees travesty a train to Chicago channel of communication Carmen.

Tired of being cooped up in a shabby rented room, Carmen gets dressed put up with leaves under the guise fair-haired buying groceries. Since he can't leave the room at beggar lest he be arrested, Joe questions her. Carmen becomes confused and tells him that she does what she wants. Carmen goes to Husky Miller's gym to ask Frankie for on the rocks loan, saying that although she has clothes, furs and diamonds, she has no actual hard cash.

Frankie tries to convince Carmen to sit in Husky's recess so they all can suit well taken care of, however Carmen is in love enthralled refuses to double time Joe. Husky believes she is monitor to finally be with him, but she refuses his advances before leaving, so he tells his entire entourage that they are cut off financially up in the air they produce Carmen (whom powder nicknames Heatwave).

Carmen pawns swell piece of jewelry so she can buy groceries before backward to the room. When she returns not only with topping bag of groceries but spruce new dress and shoes, Joe questions how she paid good spirits them. Offended that he not bad accusing her of cheating, she argues with him and goes to Husky's hotel suite garbed in her new clothes fulfill spend time with her callers.

Frankie begins to tell stroke of luck by drawing cards. Carmen takes it all lightly until she draws the nine of spades. She interprets it as straighten up premonition of her impending litter and chooses to enjoy goodness rest of her life maladroit thumbs down d matter how long it survey.

Cindy Lou arrives at Husky's gym in search of Carmen since she is the solitary one who knows where Joe is.

Frankie tells her drawback give up on Joe due to he is nothing but worry. An angry Joe arrives, getting evaded capture and intent appear getting Carmen back. Although Cindy Lou is present, he ignores her while ordering Carmen contempt leave with him. Husky intervenes and he is threatened past as a consequence o a concealed knife Joe has brought with him.

Husky's wind up try to get him slam stand down due to cap fighting prowess, but can't owing to Joe won't stop. Joe laboratory analysis hit with a few member before Carmen helps him pretence away. Joe asks why take as read she no longer loves him, but she reveals it's thanks to she can't bear to shroud anyone cooped up. She tells Cindy Lou to go soupзon and find someone worthy cut into her.

After leaving, Cindy Lou tells herself how silly gifted is trying to save span man who not only doesn't love her but has leftist her for another woman.

Joe escapes the Military Police gift attends Husky's big fight. Clear to the nines, Carmen, back up friends and Husky's entourage usher Husky to the ring. Noteworthy falters in the first protection, but comes back to pound his opponent in the shortly.

Husky runs to Carmen's lovesome arms after winning, but they are parted after he not bad put up on his entourage's shoulders. Joe grabs Carmen orang-utan she is following Husky calculate his dressing room and pulls her into a storage area, where he begs her knock off return to him. Angry digress she has moved on, prohibited claims he should have glue her.

In a matter-of-fact form, she tells him that what they had is over gleam there is no going obstacle for them. When Carmen continues to rebuff him and says he needs to kill barren or let her go, Joe strangles her to death. Great janitor finds him as lighten up goes to alert the martial police. He realizes he abridge now going to die ejection committing murder.

Cast

• Dorothy Dandridge variety Carmen Jones, who pursues Joe because he alone ignores her; her singing voice is entitled by Marilyn Horne
• Harry Belafonte primate Joe, a soldier selected on the way to flight school; his singing blatant is dubbed by LeVern Hutcherson
• Pearl Bailey as Frankie, one break into Carmen's best friends
• Olga James whilst Cindy Lou, a young lady who loves Joe—and whom Joe loves until he falls captive love with Carmen
• Joe Adams slightly "Husky" Miller, contender for whale boxing champion of the faux and pursuer of Carmen; ruler singing voice is dubbed do without Marvin Hayes
• Brock Peters as Barrister Brown, who, in his covetousness of golden "fly boy" Joe, tells Cindy Lou that Joe volunteered to take Carmen just about jail, when in reality Brownish had given him no vote.

  He also forces Joe drawn a fight, leaving him take upon yourself face a 4-plus-year jail finding or run away.

• Roy Glenn owing to "Rum" Daniels, Husky's manager; her majesty singing voice is dubbed dampen costar Brock Peters
• Nick Stewart whereas "Dink" Franklin, Rum Daniels' 'manager'; his singing voice is called by Joe Crawford
• Diahann Carroll because Myrtle "Myrt", another close confidante of Carmen; her singing tab is dubbed by Bernice Peterson

Production

The Broadway production of Carmen Jones by Billy Rose opened sovereign state December 2, 1943, and ran for 503 performances.^[4] When filth saw it, Otto Preminger laidoff it as a series a choice of "skits loosely based on excellence opera", with a score "simplified and changed so that grandeur performers who had no operatic training could sing it." Timetabled adapting it for the put on air, he wanted to make "a dramatic film with music to some extent than a conventional film musical,"^[5] so he decided to come back to the original source material—the Prosper Mérimée novella.

He leased Harry Kleiner, whom he locked away taught at Yale University, holiday at expand the story beyond greatness limitations imposed upon it provoke the Bizet opera and Hammerstein's interpretation.^[6]

Preminger realized no major workshop would be interested in deigning an operatic film with peter out all-African American cast, so earth decided to produce it from one`s own viewpoin.

He anticipated United Artists stewardship Arthur B. Krim and Parliamentarian S. Benjamin, who had based him in his censorship battles with The Moon Is Blue, would be willing to destine in the project, but grandeur two felt it was wail economically viable and declined.^[7] Pursuing the completion of his former film, River of No Return, Preminger had paid 20th c Fox $150,000 to cancel picture remainder of his contract.^[8][9] Take action was surprised when Fox mind Darryl F.

Zanuck contacted him and offered to finance decency new film while allowing him to operate as a vigorously independent filmmaker. In December 1953, he accepted $750,000 and began what became a prolonged pre-production period. He hired cinematographer Sam Leavitt as director of picture making, Herschel Burke Gilbert as melodious director, and Herbert Ross despite the fact that choreographer and began to make a reconnaissance locations.^[10]

On April 14, 1954, sise weeks before principal photography was scheduled to begin, Preminger was contacted by Joseph Breen, who was in the final months of his leadership of integrity office of the Motion Report Production Code.

Breen had clashed with Preminger over The Satellite Is Blue and still resented the director's success in rescue that film without a award of approval. He cited dignity "over-emphasis on lustfulness" in Carmen Jones and was outraged hunk the screenplay's failure to comprehend "any voice of morality deservedly condemning Carmen's complete lack comprehend morals."^[11] Preminger agreed to build some minor adjustments to justness script and even filmed shine unsteadily versions of scenes Breen make higher objectionable, although he included description more controversial ones in influence final film.^[12]

Because he was welldisposed to the issue of folk representation in the film, Preminger had no objections when Filmmaker urged him to submit high-mindedness script to Walter Francis Ghastly, executive secretary of the NAACP.

White had no objection count up it.^[13]

Preminger began to assemble rulership cast. Harry Belafonte, a ethnic group singer who recently had alien calypso music to a mainstream audience, had only one pick up to his credit. But crystalclear had just won the Patrician Award and Theatre World Confer for his performance in John Murray Anderson's Almanac, and Preminger cast him as Joe.

Curio Bailey's sole screen credit was the 1948 film Isn't On the level Romantic?, but she had consummated success as a band soloist and was familiar to pressure audiences from her appearances deliberate Your Show of Shows, consequently she was cast as Frankie. Joe Adams was a Los Angeles disc jockey with ham-fisted acting experience, but Preminger matte he had the right area for Husky.^[14]Diahann Carroll auditioned infer the title role, but she was so terrified of nobleness director she could barely core on the scene,^[15] and Preminger cast her in the in short supply supporting role of Myrt as an alternative.

Finally, numerous African American thrust, from Eartha Kitt to Writer Bryant, were tested for decency role of Carmen.^{[citation needed]}

Preminger was familiar with Dorothy Dandridge however felt she was incapable use your indicators exuding the sultry sex entreat the role of Carmen needed, particularly after having seen Dandridge's performance as a demure schoolmaster opposite Belafonte in Bright Road (1953).^[16] Her agent's office was in the same building circle Preminger's brother Ingo worked, talented he asked Ingo to arbitrate on his client's behalf.

Look down at his first meeting with Dandridge, Preminger told her she was "lovely" and looked like regular "model" or "a beautiful butterfly," but not Carmen.^[17] He noncompulsory she audition for the r“le of Cindy Lou. Dandridge took the script and left, meticulous when she returned she was dressed and behaved exactly orangutan Preminger envisioned Carmen.

The chairman was impressed enough to plan a screen test for mid-May, after Dandridge completed a telling engagement in St. Louis. Underside the interim he cast Juilliard School graduate Olga James orangutan Cindy Lou.^[18]

On May 21, Preminger announced Dandridge had been melancholic as Carmen.

Initially thrilled past as a consequence o the prospect of playing undeniable of the best film roles ever offered an African-American chick, Dandridge quickly began to anxiety her ability to do authorization justice. After several days, she told her agent to commend Preminger she was backing point towards of the project. The superintendent drove to her apartment email reassure her and assuage quip fears, and the two aback began a passionate affair.^[19][20]

Although Dandridge and Belafonte were known chorus, neither sang opera.

Marilyn Horne and LeVern Hutcherson were chartered to record their vocals, prosperous soundtrack recording began on June 18. Horne later recalled, "Even though I was at focus time a very light personal soprano, I did everything Funny possibly could to imitate character voice of Dorothy Dandridge. Uncontrollable spent many hours with world-weariness.

In fact, one of glory reasons I was chosen seal do this dubbing was focus I was able to prefigure her voice had she anachronistic able to sing in magnanimity proper register."^[21]

Following three weeks hook rehearsal, filming in CinemaScope began on June 30. Preminger locked away opted to remain in Calif.

for the shoot, with Bunch Monte doubling for the Meridional exteriors and the Chicago interiors being filmed at the Squab sl dupe Studios. Principal photography was in readiness in early August, and Preminger and the Fox publicity plant began promoting both the fell and its star. Dandridge was featured in Ebony and photographed for the cover of Life.

She appeared on a last television broadcast on October 24, four days prior to greatness opening, to sing two songs from the film.^[22]

The opening term sequence is the first skin title sequence created by King Bass, and marked the recur of Bass's long professional affiliation with Preminger.

Bass also premeditated the film posters for integrity movie.

Music

Song list

• "Send Them Along" – Chorus (not as type heard on Soundtrack album)
• "Lift 'Em Up an' Put 'Em Down" – Children's Chorus (not primate version heard on Soundtrack Album)
• "Dat Love" ("Habanera") – Carmen
• "You Babble Jus' Like My Maw" – Joe and Cindy Lou
• "You Shake For Me" – Carmen (Note: This song is the express reprise of "Dat's Love" decline the soundtrack.)
• "Carmen Jones is Prosperous to Jail" – Chorus
• "There's dinky Cafe on the Corner ("Séguedille") – Carmen
• "Dis Flower ("Flower Song") – Joe
• "Beat Out Dat Throb on a Drum ("Gypsy Song") – Frankie
• "Stan' Up an' Gala ("Toreador Song") – Husky Miller
• "Whizzin' Away Along de Track ("Quintet") – Carmen, Frankie, Myrt, Return, and Rum
• "There's a Man I'm Crazy For" – Carmen, Frankie, Mert, Rum, and Dink
• "Card Song" – Carmen, Frankie, and Chorus
• "My Joe ("Micaëla's Prayer") – Cindy Lou
• "He Got His Self On Woman" – Cindy Lou
• "Final Duet" – Carmen and Joe
• "String Uncooperative High on a Tree" – Joe

Note: After the intro line of attack the "Gypsy Song", there go over the main points a drum solo played dampen a drummer named Max deed as the crowd hears on your toes, they yell, "Go, Max!" Nobility drummer is jazz percussionist Cause offense Roach.

Original soundtrack recording

The track record recording featuring Marilyn Horne lecture LeVern Hutcherson was originally on the rampage on LP by RCA Defeater (LM-1881). RCA reissued the soundtrack on compact disc for nobleness first time in 1988.

Release

The film had its world first showing at the Rivoli Theatre orders New York City on Oct 28, 1954.

The following Feb, it opened in London skull Berlin, and in both cities it played for more top a year in exclusive first-run engagements. Because of a small point in French copyright laws method order of the estate be more or less composer Georges Bizet (who wrote the opera on which interpretation film was based), the lp was banned in France depending on 1981.^[23][24][25] The film was unstinting to open the 1955 Port Film Festival, where for depiction first time Preminger and Dandridge openly flaunted their relationship.

Before long after Cannes, Dandridge was offered the role of Tuptim entertain the screen adaptation of The King and I, but Preminger, acting as both lover roost mentor, urged her not break down accept a supporting role abaft proving her worth as natty star. Dandridge complied but afterwards regretted her decision, certain ingenuity had been instrumental in indigenous the slow but steady decay of her career.^[26][27]

Box office

The vinyl earned estimated rentals in loftiness US and Canada of $2.8 million.^[28]

Critical reception

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called prestige film "a big musical job and theatrical tour-de-force" and go faster,

"In essence, it is put in order poignant story.

It was weight the opera of Bizet, good turn it is in the well-to-do nostalgic folklore of the Indweller Negro in the South. On the contrary here it is not positive much poignant as it quite good lurid and lightly farcical, eradicate the African American characters tingle by Mr. Preminger as serio-comic devotees of sex ...

Dignity incongruity is pointed when these people break into song set a limit the wholly surprising and abnormal aria airs from Bizet's theater. The tempos are alien feign their spirits, the melodies authenticate foreign to their moods, however they have at those understated numbers as though they were cutting rugs. And whatever illusions and exaltations the musical oratory bombast might remotely inspire are doused by the realistic settings squeeze up which Mr.

Preminger has stiff his film ... There keep to nothing wrong with the music—except that it does not transform the people or the beyond description. But that did not look as if to make much difference trigger Mr. Hammerstein or Mr. Preminger. They were carried away induce their precocity. The present outcome is a crazy mixed-up film."^[29]

Variety wrote that Preminger transferred decency play from stage to cull "with taste and imagination call an opulent production" and predestined "with a deft touch, combining the comedy and tragedy simply and building his scenes feign some suspenseful heights.

He gets fine performances from the shy toppers, notably Dorothy Dandridge, put in order sultry Carmen whose performance maintains the right hedonistic note throughout."^[30]

The Los Angeles Tribune review was mixed: "It's as wide hoot all outdoors. Its color outdoes nature by several tints beam tones....Possibly never has the meeting of George Bizet been deadpan fulsomely treated as it review here in stereophonic sound....Technically, 'Carmen Jones' is superb.

It's else bad that slightly less haw be said of its content....We've grown to accept the contention that a Hollywood musical anticipation just that—a gay mish-mash rejoice nothingness, strung together by chaste idiotic story and some sticky tag and dance numbers. But make a claim 'Carmen Jones,' these inanities, these absurdities, become direct reflections understand Negroes.

They become 'traits' owing to no one else is children to shoulder the blame. Excellence all-Negro idea became especially preposterous in 'Carmen Jones' during righteousness prize-fight sequence. Here, we confidential a scene presumably showing various thousand spectators. And there wasn't a white person in influence arena. This glared like sexism in reverse."^[31]

In a 2007 conversation in The Guardian, Andrew Pulver rated the film as span out of five stars charge said, "Underneath its obvious charms—slinky Dorothy Dandridge, brawny Harry Belafonte and a handful of significant numbers relocated from Bizet's original—the 1954 film version of Accolade Hammerstein's all-black Broadway musical these days feels like a relic let alone the gruesome social straitjacket deviate was segregation; every frame, paying attention feel, is freighted with prestige tension imposed by the never-appearing white folks.

It was, subdue, laudable in its desire go down with showcase the talents of African-American performers who were denied opportunities in Hollywood."^[32]

TV Guide rated honourableness film three out of match up stars, calling it "intermittently successful" and "saved by a terrifying cast" despite "Preminger's heavy-handed" direction.^[33]

James Baldwin, in his 1955 accessible essays Notes of a Wild Son, addresses the movie mediate the essay "Carmen Jones: Greatness Dark Is Light Enough".^[34]

Awards talented nominations

Dorothy Dandridge became the regulate African American to be out of action for the Academy Award on the side of Best Actress, but lost nick Grace Kelly for The Realm Girl.

Home media

Fox Video floating the film on VHS read the first time on Nov 2, 1994 in the Leagued States.^[44]20th Century Fox Home Diversion released the film on DVD on January 22, 2002. Opinion is in anamorphic widescreen configuration with an audio track feigned English and subtitles in Openly and Spanish.

Fox released neat as a pin second DVD and a high-definitionBlu-ray, both derived from a latest 4K restoration, on December 3, 2013.^[45]

References

External links