Carmen Jones Movie Recap (1954)

 

In 1954, Carmen Jones was released to theaters. This was an adaptation of the Broadway play that came out eleven years earlier. This featured Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge. Surprisingly, this film was well received and for Dandridge she became the first African American woman to be nominated for Best Actress in a Leading role at the Oscars. What’s funny Halle Berry portrayed her in a film about her life and Halle would become the first (and so far only) African American Actress to win the award. Outside of that, Carmen Jones is deemed a significant film in history (in general). It would later be inducted in the Library of Congress and today for Black History Month, we are going to take a look at this important piece of Hollywood.

Carmen Jones Movie Recap

The film begins with Cindy Lou wanting to pay a visit to Corporal Joe at a parachute factory in WWII. Cindy Lou (Olga James) is trying to get in the base but is unable to. Let me just say, is it kind of odd that a group of kids just appear out of nowhere and singing so joyously. Luckily Joe (Harry Belafonte) is here to save the day and gets her in and is responsible for her. In the cafeteria, Carmen Jones makes her difference. She immediately catches the eye of Joe while she sings her version of Habanera. Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte were good and trained singers but this movie did not use their actual singing voices. Because they wanted this movie to have an operatic feel, they used trained opera singers to dub over. She flirts with Joe while Cindy Lou is present (talk about confidence). After this, Joe and Cindy Lou decides to get married while he’s on 24 hours leave.

Just then, Carmen get’s into a fight with one of her co-workers after she reported Carmen late yet again. Joe, who was off-duty, is order to take Carmen to Masonville to have her arrested for destruction of government property and again everyone is so joyus that she’s going to jail. Throughout this ride Carmen tries to flirt with Joe. Joe gets tired of Carmen’s wooing and tries to take a shortcut and all this leads him to ruin his Jeep when he tries to drive over an unstable bridge. Carmen suggests Joe to take her to a nearby town to get them something to eat and they’ll continue their journey the next day. All this is Carmen’s plan to seduce Joe and he folds like grandma on laundry day. The next morning, Joe is awaken with a letter that she fled as she could not stand being locked up in prison. The army guys get him and Joe is demoted from Corporal to Private.

During visitation, Cindy Lou visits him and during their visit, Joe get’s a package from Carmen. He finds out that she fled to New Orleans and took a job. Wonder what Carmen did to Joe because he can’t get Carmen out of his mind. At the nightclub, we meet her two friends Frankie (Pearl Bailey) and Myrt (Diahann Carroll). Frankie tells everyone to feel the rhythm of the drum and I believe she’s the only one that didn’t have a dub. They get interrupted by famous Chicago boxer Husky Miller. He tries to shoot his shot at Carmen but lost on decision. Husky and his manager offer her and her friends the lavish life and go to Chicago with him. It’s either this or manager will become his former manager. She still said no. Joe then shows up and updates Carmen that he got reinstated and must report to flying school (way to kill a mood). She offers him to go to Chicago but turns it down as he has to go to flying school. Sergeant Brown shows up and mocks Joe. Brown f’s around and finds out and Joe pieces him up. Joe realized that he struck a superior and now faces four years in the clink. Joe decides to take Carmen’s offer and goes AWOL to Chicago.

Because Joe went AWOL, he’s now a wanted man. He and Carmen are struggling to get it together at a rent house. Carmen visits Husky’s gym and ask for a loan. But she still refuses to accept Husky’s advances and he cuts everyone off until he get his prize in Carmen (can’t buy love dude). Frankie urges Carmen to take both. She gives Carmen a piece of jewelry to pawn and she uses it to buy groceries and a dress. When she shows up back to Joe, he questions her whereabouts and accuses her of cheating. She storms out and goes to Husky’s hotel. Frankie and the girls play cards and tells fortunes about them. It’s all fun and games until Carmen draws the 9 of spades. 9 of spades means impending doom for Carmen. Carmen decides to live life to the fullest and finally caves in to Husky’s courting.

Cindy Lou shows up to Chicago in search of Carmen, but mostly for Joe because she knows where he is. But she’s not the only one in search of Joe. The army guys are in search of him too. Luckily for Joe he escapes and is able to elude the army guys. Joe catches up with Husky and asks Carmen why he left him. He calls her a lady and that lead Husky to piece him up. Carmen helps Joe escape just before the army guys come to get him. Carmen then tells Cindy Lou to go home. Cindy realized that it was foolish of her to chase after a man who cheated and doesn’t even love her.

Husky is participating in a boxing match. He gets off to a slow start but eventually takes the win on second round KO. Upon celebrating, Joe traps Carmen in a utility closet. Joe wants one more shot a Carmen. But Carmen would rather be killed than to be with Joe. And that’s exactly what Joe does. Carmen dies from strangulation by Joe. A janitor was the lone witness to the crime and alert the army guys to get Joe. Joe is arrested by the army guys for murder and would likely die for his crime. And to quote the legendary Bugs Bunny…

This was another classic film to watch, but I do have my thoughts and even in the 50s people are messy. Start off with Husky. He was willing to do anything to get Carmen on his side. Offer her lavish things all this so she can be his. You can’t buy love dude. One hour changed Joe’s entire life forever. All he had to do was take Carmen to jail, return to base and marry Cindy Lou. Instead, he get’s hypnotized by the lust of Carmen Jones. I don’t know what spell Carmen put on Joe but he’d never wanted to lose her. He decided to go AWOL for her and for what, he lost the girl. Carmen is someone who doesn’t have any stability for herself (you can’t keep her cooped up in one place). And she played Joe like a fiddle because she doesn’t want to go to jail. I do have one criticism in this film and that’s the dubbing. I wished they would’ve let Dorothy & Harry sing as they are trained singers. They let Pearl sing why not the leads. Overall, this film is pretty good. I am fully aware of the 2001 remake and will be reviewing that next. But if you haven’t watched this film, please check it out even if it’s a little dated as this is an important piece of African American film