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Porgy and Bess

  • 19591959
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 18m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
  • Drama
  • Musical
  • Romance
A woman whose past is scorned by nearly everyone around her meets a man who'd love her regardlessly- if only everyone else would allow them to.A woman whose past is scorned by nearly everyone around her meets a man who'd love her regardlessly- if only everyone else would allow them to.A woman whose past is scorned by nearly everyone around her meets a man who'd love her regardlessly- if only everyone else would allow them to.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Otto Preminger
    • Rouben Mamoulian(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Dorothy Heyward(play "Porgy")
    • DuBose Heyward(libretto)
    • N. Richard Nash(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Dorothy Dandridge
    • Sammy Davis Jr.
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Otto Preminger
    • Rouben Mamoulian(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Dorothy Heyward(play "Porgy")
    • DuBose Heyward(libretto)
    • N. Richard Nash(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Dorothy Dandridge
    • Sammy Davis Jr.
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 67User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 10 nominations total

    Photos18

    Sidney Poitier in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier, Ruth Attaway, Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll, and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier and Samuel Goldwyn in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Louis Armstrong in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., Dorothy Dandridge, and Otto Preminger in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sammy Davis Jr. and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Porgyas Porgy
    Dorothy Dandridge
    Dorothy Dandridge
    • Bessas Bess
    Sammy Davis Jr.
    Sammy Davis Jr.
    • Sportin' Lifeas Sportin' Life
    Pearl Bailey
    Pearl Bailey
    • Mariaas Maria
    Brock Peters
    Brock Peters
    • Crownas Crown
    Leslie Scott
    • Jakeas Jake
    Diahann Carroll
    Diahann Carroll
    • Claraas Clara
    Ruth Attaway
    Ruth Attaway
    • Serena Robbinsas Serena Robbins
    Claude Akins
    Claude Akins
    • Detectiveas Detective
    Clarence Muse
    Clarence Muse
    • Peteras Peter
    Everdinne Wilson
    • Annieas Annie
    Joel Fluellen
    • Robbinsas Robbins
    Earl Jackson
    • Mingoas Mingo
    Moses LaMarr
    • Nelsonas Nelson
    Margaret Hairston
    • Lilyas Lily
    Ivan Dixon
    Ivan Dixon
    • Jimas Jim
    Antoine Durousseau
    • Scipioas Scipio
    Helen Thigpen
    • Strawberry womanas Strawberry woman
    • Directors
      • Otto Preminger
      • Rouben Mamoulian(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Dorothy Heyward(play "Porgy")
      • DuBose Heyward(libretto) (play "Porgy")
      • N. Richard Nash(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In this legendary Gershwin opera set among the black residents of a fishing village in 1912 South Carolina, Bess - a woman with a disreputable history - tries to break free from her brutish lover Crown after he becomes wanted for murder. The only person willing to overlook her past and offer her shelter is the crippled Porgy. Their relationship is threatened by the disapproval of the townspeople, the presence of her old drug supplier Sportin' Life - and the threatened return of Crown. —scgary66
    • national film registry
    • f rated
    • character names as title
    • timeframe 1910s
    • murder
    • 39 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Goldwyn Touch!...more dramatic than ever before!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Musical
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sidney Poitier's singing voice was dubbed by opera singer Robert McFerrin (father of pop singer, classical conductor, and composer Bobby McFerrin).
    • Quotes

      Porgy: Thank god. Thank god.

      Bess: I've been sick, ain't I?

      Porgy: You've been very sick. Now, I've got you back.

    • Alternate versions
      Although this film has never been officially released on any home media format, numerous bootleg copies, running 115 minutes, are available on VHS and DVD-R. The full-length original version runs 138 minutes, not including overture and entr'acte music.
    • Connections
      Featured in Biography: Dorothy Dandridge: Little Girl Lost (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Summertime
      Music by George Gershwin

      Lyrics by DuBose Heyward

      Sung by Diahann Carroll (dubbed by Loulie Jean Norman) and Women's Chorus

    User reviews67

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Not Definitive -- But Important
    I first saw the opening of Otto Preminger's "Porgy and Bess" on TV, probably some time in the early 80s, and my younger self found it a bit slow, despite the timeless music. I turned it off

    Last night, an extremely rare, cobbled together print screened at the L.A. Cinematheque and it was a bit of a revelation. The performances are strong and memorable. Dorothy Dandridge brings a great deal of vulnerability, strength and subtle (at least by today's standards) eroticism to her part. Sidney Poitier is said to be uncomfortable with the movie, but his performance is terrific, as is Pearl Bailey. Even better are Sammy Davis as the amoral, cat-like Sportin' Life and Brock Peters as the villanious bully Crown.

    Still, I'm no fan of Preminger's earlier, leaden -- and far easier to see -- "Carmen Jones." Porgy and Bess" is far superior to that less controversial film -- though that may have to do with the fact that the source material is also far superior.

    As seen last night, this is a sturdy but far from perfect work. Not all of the moments quite come alive, and there is some awkwardness in the way the film mixes the overtly stylized Catfish Row set (beautifully done by Oliver Smith) with actual locations. Also, even to my rather untrained ear, some brief portions of the score seem unduly popularized.

    Moreover, while this doesn't detract from the achievement of the filmmakers -- Preminger's decision to film almost entirely in wide shots, with no close-ups and occasional medium shots, no doubt rendered it unwatchable on TV "panned and scanned" and may doom it even on widescreen DVDs if it gets the restoration it deserves. On smaller screens, we won't be able to make out the many details that are crucial to the way Preminger staged the film.

    Also, the mix heard last night was odd. Many of the vocals, particularly on the opening "Summertime" seemed unduly soft and were overwhelmed by the instrumental music. Perhaps this can be fixed in a restoration.

    There is the issue of the film's racial politics. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it, at least in a contemporary context. At the time when so few films depicted strong African-American characters, this may have seemed an unfortunate choice for a big-budget Hollywood film. And, while there may not be much "empowering" here, these are recognizable human beings that are not racial stereotypes. These are operatic characters who make poor choices because that's what tragic characters do. That alone made it a giant stride forward at the time.

    In a modern context where strong and heroic African-American characters are less rare (though still not common enough), these characters seem nothing more nor less than human. They truly could be poor and undereducated people of any ethnic background.

    Thorny politics aside, the original work is undoubtedly one of the truly great achievements of American music and (secondarily) theater. Poitier, Davis, Dandridge, Peters and, yes Pearl Bailey, were all amazing performers who we'll never see the likes of again. This less than perfect but still solid film clearly deserves to be seen and treasured.
    helpful•27
    4
    • bobwestal-2
    • Nov 30, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 14, 1959 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Porgy und Bess
    • Filming locations
      • Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Samuel Goldwyn Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 18 minutes

    Related news

    Sam Okun Options Remake, Sequel Rights To Oscar-Nominated Director Otto Preminger’s Films ‘Anatomy Of A Murder’ And ‘Advise & Consent’
    Sam Okun Options Remake, Sequel Rights To Oscar-Nominated Director Otto Preminger’s Films ‘Anatomy Of A Murder’ And ‘Advise & Consent’
    Mar 21Deadline Film + TV
    Photos: One Night Only: An Evening With Norm Lewis
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    Mar 6BroadwayWorld.com

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