The legendarily beautiful and troubled African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge (pictured at right), like so many sex symbols, was a martyr to her beauty in life, while in death she lies buried beneath her own mythology.
Carmen Jones is the substance behind the hype, a potent explanation of her appeal and hold on the imagination so long after her death.
Carmen, a worker in a parachute factory, begins a torrid but ill-fated affair with a handsome GI.
Based on Bizet’s opera Carmen, the film is the story of a hungry, ambitious young woman whose narcissism and greed lead to the destruction of Joe (Harry Belafonte), a good man who loves her dearly.
Filled with classic songs (the music and book are by the legendary Oscar Hammerstein) and a first-rate supporting cast that includes Pearl Bailey and a young Diahann Carroll, the all-black film is packed with sensational musical numbers – mostly shot in single takes by director Otto Preminger – that are integral to the film.
But as impeccable as craft, crew and supporting cast are, this is Dandridge’s vehicle all the way.
Her Carmen is one of the fieriest, most viscerally devastating sex goddesses ever caught on film – her cool, feline strut, curvaceous body, blazing eyes, and mixture of lust and contempt for the men caught in her snare add up to a creature that’s otherworldly.
It’s a powerhouse performance that elevates an excellent film into the realm of classic.
TRIVIA
Look closely into the store window during Whizzin’ Awayalong the Track and you’ll see the whole film crew captured in reflection for posterity.
Carmen Dorothy Dandridge
Joe Harry Belafonte
Cindy Lou Olga James
Frankie Pearl Bailey
Myrt Diahann Carroll Rum Roy Glenn
Dink Nick Stewart
Husky Joe Adams
Sergeant Brown Brock Peters
T-Bone Sandy Lewis
