Carmen Jones (1954)

72% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(4,808 ratings)

In 1943, Oscar Hammerstein Jr. took Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, rewrote the lyrics, changed the characters from 19th century Spaniards to World War II-era African-Americans, switched the locale to a Southern military base, and the result was Carmen Jones. Dorothy Dandridge stars as Carmen Jones,… More In 1943, Oscar Hammerstein Jr. took Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, rewrote the lyrics, changed the characters from 19th century Spaniards to World War II-era African-Americans, switched the locale to a Southern military base, and the result was Carmen Jones. Dorothy Dandridge stars as Carmen Jones, tempestuous employee of a parachute factory. Harry Belafonte plays Joe (originally José), a young military officer engaged to marry virginal Cindy Lou (Olga James). When Carmen gets into a fight with another girl, she is placed under arrest and put in Joe's charge. Succumbing to her attractiveness, Joe accompanies Carmen to her old neighborhood, where, after killing a sergeant sent to retrieve him, he deserts the army. Carmen tries to be faithful, but fortune-telling Frankie (Pearl Bailey) warns her that she and her soldier are doomed. Enter Joe Adams in the role of boxer Husky Miller (a play on Carmen's bullfighter Escamillo), who sweeps Carmen off her feet, ultimately with tragic consequences. Alhough both Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte were singers, their opera voices were dubbed in by LeVern Hutcherson and Marilyn Horne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Otto Preminger
Written By: Oscar Hammerstein II, Harry Kleiner
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1954 Wide
On DVD: Jan 22, 2002
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Otto Preminger has transferred it to the screen with taste and imagination in an opulent production.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Impeccably liberal in its time, the film has not aged gracefully, although Dorothy Dandridge's performance in the lead remains a testimony to a black cinema that might have been.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
A crazy mixed-up film.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Dorothy Dandridge became the very first black woman to receive Best Actress Oscar nomination for Otto Preimger's audacious (for the early 1950s) all-black musical of the famous opera.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
A film in which talented, attractive people sing ugly lyrics to beautiful music in other people's beautiful voices amid ugly shot framing and ill-timed cutting.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Electric performance by Dorothy Dandridge as the sultry whorish Carmen Jones.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Preminger's heavy-handed adaptation of a Broadway triumph combines gorgeous music with risible lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; the project is saved by a terrific cast.
Tom Dawson, BBC
The best reason to revisit Carmen Jones lies in Dorothy Dandridge's electrifying performance, which saw her become the first African-American to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]
Every frame, you feel, is freighted with the tension imposed by the never-appearing white folks. It was, however, laudable in its desire to showcase the talents of African-American performers who were denied opportunities in Hollywood.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
Woefully miscast in places and extremely dubious in its portrayal of African-Americans but does boast an on-form Dorothy Dandridge.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Slinking through director Preminger's CinemaScope widescreen in slit skirts and tight blouses, Dandridge is naturally carnal the way summer is naturally warm.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Fox Home Entertainment's DVD release brings a super anamorphic transfer (2.55:1) of Preminger's vast CinemaScope imagery, and it looks stunning. The print is nearly flawless, with excellent color and definition.
, Time Out
The somewhat heavy-handed direction and the ultimately two-dimensional characters leave you admiring the workmanship without plucking at the necessary emotional/romantic heart-strings.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
The results are certainly flawed, but rarely less than fascinating.
, Film4
A truly dreadful film. Preminger can't be faulted for ambition, but for once, his execution is sorely lacking.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
Worth seeing for Danridge's sultry, sweet performance.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Interesting Preminger experiment. Modernizing with an all-black cast highlighted by Dandridge and Belafonte is first-rate.
Catherine Cantieri, Apollo Guide
While the embarrassment of talent onscreen is a joy to watch, I can't help be overwhelmed and a little saddened thinking how much of that talent went ignored by Hollywood most of the time.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Spencer S

Two seminal musicals of the fifties were Porgy and Bess and Carmen Jones. Both had black casts which was subversive for the time period, and both were operas. The main actress is the sultry Dorothy Dandridge, who would go on to become the first black woman to be nominated for a Best… More
Two seminal musicals of the fifties were Porgy and Bess and Carmen Jones. Both had black casts which was subversive for the time period, and both were operas. The main actress is the sultry Dorothy Dandridge, who would go on to become the first black woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for this film. She co-stars with Harry Belafonte, who was most famous at the time for bringing Calypso music to prominence in the United States. Though both were singers, and famous for their presence on screen and off, they were both dubbed. One reason for this was the fact that the music was operatic and the two singers who dubbed were opera singers, one of which was the soon to be famous Marilyn Horne. Most of the cast was apparently dubbed for this large scale musical, the lyrics for which were written by Oscar Hammerstein the 2nd. The original music was actually from George Bizet's Carmen, a French opera about a gypsy who seduces a soldier and then double crosses him. The film pretty much follows the main plot of the opera, except that the time period has been changed to World War Two, and they made it an all black cast. Many historians have prompted that the choice to make the entire cast black and excluding any white participants "feels like a relic from the gruesome social straitjacket that was segregation." (Andrew Pulver) I do agree with this, especially when the story transfers to large cities and there's no diversification in the shots which just feels strange. I did like that like George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess this gives African American performers, without an outlet, to be given their just dues in an industry that was very white at the time. The music can be obnoxious at times, because it's from the original Carmen opera yet the lyrics' subjects are about dancing, fighting, and cards which at times feel conflicting. The cast is brilliant, including the swishy hipped Dorothy Dandridge as Carmen Jones herself. The best performance was Harry Belafonte, who at first seems so likable and prideful, but unravels under Carmen's gaze and eventually cracks. This film has since been added to the National Film Registry and has made a sure impression on popular culture. Really an enjoyable gem of a film.
jay n

Impressive updating of Bizet's Carmen benefits hugely from wonderfully expressive performances by the whole cast with Dorothy Dandridge being the standout. Preminger keeps the film moving and colorful avoiding his occasional tendency toward ponderousness. Pearlie Mae is fun as… More
Impressive updating of Bizet's Carmen benefits hugely from wonderfully expressive performances by the whole cast with Dorothy Dandridge being the standout. Preminger keeps the film moving and colorful avoiding his occasional tendency toward ponderousness. Pearlie Mae is fun as Frankie and lightens the heavy aspects of the film whenever she's on screen.