Ah, the years I've spent trying to find this rare movie musical of one of the most revived shows of the 1930's; the most if you count opera companies. I've read how purists hate it, how collectors hoard it, and how the Gershwin estate wouldn't mind seeing this disappear off the face of the earth. I've seen videotapings of opera company productions and have found them impossible to interest me. I saw the recent Broadway production, and in spite of what a legendary Broadway composer said, found it a perfect re- tooling. Now, the movie, one of the last treasures I've been seeking out for decades it seems.
I was introduced to the show through the movie soundtrack, so to see it and get the visuals is an automatic plus. Then, add in most of the cast as well as the director of "Carmen Jones", and it's another look at the tragic lives of black characters shown every disadvantage outside of being made slaves again. If at all possible, Dorothy Dandridge's Bess is even more messed up than her soul destroying Carmen. Bess is a drug addict and alcoholic, abused by the murderous Crown (Brock Peters) and protected by the crippled Porgy (Sidney Poitier) at the darkest hours of her life.
Looking in on this tragedy are the opportunistic Sportin' Life (Sammy Davis Jr.), the big hearted Maria (Pearl Bailey) and the hopeful new mother Clara (Diahann Carroll), with the two women becoming friendly with the now sober Bess, seemingly happy and reformed with Crown on the run and finding momentary happiness with Porgy. A lack of closeups on the major players doesn't do the movie any favors, but the singers chosen to dub Poitier and Dandridge give a proper operatic feel. Only Davis and Bailey have the Broadway sound.
Set direction is incredible, costumes appropriate for how even a poor black community would dress for a community picnic. Like Porgy sings, you make the best out of what little you have, as the best things, like the stars in the sky, are all free. I don't find thus perfect, but available prints are nearly half an hour short. Fortunately what remains is a good majority of the music. It's difficult to judge the direction of Otto Preminger as the print is choppy. What's documented in "Inside Dorothy Dandridge" indicates that this was not a happy experience for her as the romantic past with director Preminger left her like Hayworth with "Gilda", as she was thought of as Carmen but was far more fragile than her or Bess. The lack of closeups indicate that time had been tough, which adds a bit of needed pathetic vulnerability to her role here. It's a worthy try, not deserving of destruction, but oh so needing that missing footage.
I was introduced to the show through the movie soundtrack, so to see it and get the visuals is an automatic plus. Then, add in most of the cast as well as the director of "Carmen Jones", and it's another look at the tragic lives of black characters shown every disadvantage outside of being made slaves again. If at all possible, Dorothy Dandridge's Bess is even more messed up than her soul destroying Carmen. Bess is a drug addict and alcoholic, abused by the murderous Crown (Brock Peters) and protected by the crippled Porgy (Sidney Poitier) at the darkest hours of her life.
Looking in on this tragedy are the opportunistic Sportin' Life (Sammy Davis Jr.), the big hearted Maria (Pearl Bailey) and the hopeful new mother Clara (Diahann Carroll), with the two women becoming friendly with the now sober Bess, seemingly happy and reformed with Crown on the run and finding momentary happiness with Porgy. A lack of closeups on the major players doesn't do the movie any favors, but the singers chosen to dub Poitier and Dandridge give a proper operatic feel. Only Davis and Bailey have the Broadway sound.
Set direction is incredible, costumes appropriate for how even a poor black community would dress for a community picnic. Like Porgy sings, you make the best out of what little you have, as the best things, like the stars in the sky, are all free. I don't find thus perfect, but available prints are nearly half an hour short. Fortunately what remains is a good majority of the music. It's difficult to judge the direction of Otto Preminger as the print is choppy. What's documented in "Inside Dorothy Dandridge" indicates that this was not a happy experience for her as the romantic past with director Preminger left her like Hayworth with "Gilda", as she was thought of as Carmen but was far more fragile than her or Bess. The lack of closeups indicate that time had been tough, which adds a bit of needed pathetic vulnerability to her role here. It's a worthy try, not deserving of destruction, but oh so needing that missing footage.