201 of 1001 Movies: Carmen Jones (1954)

Suspense? Court room drama? How about a musical? Otto Preminger shows he can direct anything and make it good. While Carmen Jones might not be as strong as Angel Eyes or Anatomy of a Murder (for sure), it does still have some progressive and unique features that make it a stand out for 1954. Would this have worked as well now? No. Dorothy Dandridge is a name that rings familiar as well, but I had never seen her in anything. She is by far what makes this movie great. She received the first nomination for an African American actress at the Oscars for this role. She owns the role.

Summary: This take on the Bizet Opera, Carmen, uses an all African American cast, and sets itself in an army camp. Carmen is a civilian parachute maker, and the one who all the men have their eyes on, and she knows it. The man she has her eyes on though already has a fiancee, but she will stop at nothing to win over Joe. He doesn't want to mess up the perfect life he seems to have which includes his engagement to Cindy Lou, and his future in pilot training for the Korean War. Carmen Jones must be bad luck for Joe though, because she causes him to land in the stockade with further chaos following.