THE PLOT THUS FAR
Dorothy Dandridge delivers a star-making performance in the title role, as a femme fatale who seduces a handsome soldier (Harry Belafonte), setting in motion a classic tale of betrayal and jealousy. With the music of Georges Bizet and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, this musical feast sets the screen on fire with passion.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
The adaptation of the opera sets the film in the South. We are taken to a military base during the war. The local people work in the factory, attached to the base, making parachutes and other war related equipment. Carmen Jones, is the sultry young woman who sticks out from the rest of her co-workers, not only by her beauty, which was obvious, but by the way she can reduce men to servitude, which is what happens to Joe, the man who is being promoted until fate intervenes and Carmen renders him useless.
Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge give great acting performances though it’s kind of strange to hear other voices coming from the mouths of two good singers. Their voices weren’t operatic though, yet the singers dubbing them matched well with the personalities of both the leads. And Dandridge had Marilyn Horne, you can’t do much better than that. The whole thing originates from the French novelist’s Prosper Merimee’s story of the ill effects of passionate love.
The Blu-Ray comes with a trailer. The A/V Quality sports a very strong and restored 1080p transfer. The DTS-HD 4.0 master audio track shows FOX’s commitment to cleaning up the original audio channels and presenting them in the best manner possible. It’s enough to make me hunt down Preminger’s other movies on Blu-Ray. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!