Carmen Jones (1954)
(Otto Preminger, US 1954, 106 min., 35mm)
Based on, and using the music of, Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera of Carmen, this Cinemascope marvel is the perfect showcase for its all-Black cast, including Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Brock Peters, and Diahann Carroll. Oscar Hammerstein wrote the book and lyrics for the original Broadway production in 1943 and further fine-tuned the script and songs for this film. Carmen Jones (Dandridge), a parachute factory worker during World War II, seduces soldier Joe (Belafonte) as he transports her to prison after she gets into a fight. Leading him further down the path of temptation, Carmen and Joe wind up on the run toward a typically operatic finale. Director Otto Preminger had just finished work on River of No Return with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum, where he fell in love with the Cinemascope frame, which he uses to perfection here.