Carmen Jones
When Halle Berry became the first African-American female to win a Best Actress Oscar in 2002, she thanked previous nominee Dorothy Dandridge for her inspiration.
Dandridge is hardly a household name any more, but she was known as the first black American sex symbol -- and movies like "Carmen Jones" show why she had acting chops as well as uncommon beauty.
"Carmen Jones" is an African-American-cast take on the Georges Bizet opera, in which a flamenco dancer seduces and then crushes a matador. In the updated version, Carmen is a plant worker at an Army base and the woman all the soldiers want -- but who she really wants is Joe (Harry Belafonte), who is sent to chase her off base and instead falls in love with her. When Carmen moves on to boxer Husky Miller, the love triangle turns suddenly violent.
Dandridge didn't do any of her own singing for the role (typical Hollywood musical!) but her smoldering Carmen was a boundary-breaking role. It isn't for the whole family, but "Carmen Jones" presents an interesting picture of the era's battle of the sexes, as well as that stunning performance.
Written by: Ellen Wernecke
Reviewers Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 10.00
Reader's Votes: 1
Added: 1-Jun-2006
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