Carmen Jones Reviews

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but since it was included in the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' list, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, even though it was a decent watch, I actually had a hard time to really care about the damned thing. I don't know, maybe it was due to the fact that I saw it on the BBC without subtitles or maybe it was due to the fact that I have never been a huge fan of musicals. Furthermore, I couldn't shake the idea that the whole thing was trying to be too clever for its own good. I mean, they took a classic opera and they turned it into a modern musical with an African-American cast but did these changes really add something to this tale? Not really in my opinion. Still, the cast was pretty good and Harry Belafonte was fine, even if his character was rather thankless. Above all, Dorothy Dandridge was just so charismatic and really spellbinding to behold. Of course, I had heard about her but it was the first time I saw her in a movie and she was just downright amazing. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn't really blow me away, it was still a decent musical and it is still definitely worth a look, especially to see Dorothy Dandridge shining on the screen.