"Porgy and Bess" was originally an operetta by George Gershwin. However, when this was made into a film, the Gershwin family was NOT happy as much of the music had been changed--shortened or even omitted in a few cases. Additionally, the story's portrayal of black America is sure to raise the ire of some today.
The story is set in South Carolina and most of the characters are played by black actors. Oddly, however, the emphasis seemed to be on well-known celebrities, as a few of them couldn't sing or didn't have the style singing voices needed for such a film. So, in typical Hollywood fashion, the actors were often dubbed...something that seems kind of sad, though it was typical of the era (such as with "My Fair Lady").
The story is pretty simple. Crown (Brock Peters) kills a man in the course of shooting dice. His woman, Bess (Dorothy Dandridge, is then taken in by kindly Porgy (Poitier)...a disabled man who has a big heart. But, being an operetta, you know that by the end all sorts of sad things will occur! I've been to about 10 operas...and only one ended happily!
This film must have been awful for Sidney Poitier. Not only is he dubbed, but he spends the movie walking on around on his knees...and that had to hurt.
So is this any good? Yes, if you like opera singing, it's a decent film. But it also perpetuates a lot of negative stereotypes as well...and I really doubt if it will be seen on TV because of this and the legal difficulties with the Gershwin estate. Overall, an interesting film...though one with rather limited appeal.
The story is set in South Carolina and most of the characters are played by black actors. Oddly, however, the emphasis seemed to be on well-known celebrities, as a few of them couldn't sing or didn't have the style singing voices needed for such a film. So, in typical Hollywood fashion, the actors were often dubbed...something that seems kind of sad, though it was typical of the era (such as with "My Fair Lady").
The story is pretty simple. Crown (Brock Peters) kills a man in the course of shooting dice. His woman, Bess (Dorothy Dandridge, is then taken in by kindly Porgy (Poitier)...a disabled man who has a big heart. But, being an operetta, you know that by the end all sorts of sad things will occur! I've been to about 10 operas...and only one ended happily!
This film must have been awful for Sidney Poitier. Not only is he dubbed, but he spends the movie walking on around on his knees...and that had to hurt.
So is this any good? Yes, if you like opera singing, it's a decent film. But it also perpetuates a lot of negative stereotypes as well...and I really doubt if it will be seen on TV because of this and the legal difficulties with the Gershwin estate. Overall, an interesting film...though one with rather limited appeal.