Watching lost movies
I've heard that all copies of the 1959 Porgy and Bess filmatization were destroyed long ago, but considering I've just seen it I've got an inkling that's not entirely true (though it's true that it's not available for commercial release - but gee, isn't the internet a wonderful thing?)
And yeah, that is pretty much the most nonsensical attempt at filming an opera I've ever seen. Watching it and then reading about the production shows some pretty interesting thinking going on at MGM:
- "Hey, let's make an opera movie, and it'll starr Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr. What, only one of those can sing? Then we'll dub everybody else."
- "Hey, let's fire the director known for making good musicals and hire this other guy who's so paranoid anybody will hijack the editing he insists on filming the entire movie in extremely long takes and without a single close-up, essentially making it the most visually boring movie ever."
- "Hey, let's have Hermes Pan choreograph it. You know, the guy who was essentially the choreographing guru of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly? Oh yeah, and let's not have a single dance sequence in this movie."
I MEAN WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THIS MOVIE. The only thing that comes close to being memorable is Sammy Davis Jr.'s performance (which makes sense, according to what I've read Davis was the only starring actor who wasn't pressured to be in the movie against his will). You can tell he's just having a ball portraying Sportin' Life, and does some killer renditions of 'It ain't necessarily so' and 'There's a boat dat's leavin' soon'.
One good thing to come out of watching this thing was that it reminded me of my quest to one day see Stormy Weather from 1943. I mean, Cab Calloway (and The Cotton Club Orchestra), Fats Waller and The Nicholas Brothers in the same movie? It must be mindblowing.
And yeah, that is pretty much the most nonsensical attempt at filming an opera I've ever seen. Watching it and then reading about the production shows some pretty interesting thinking going on at MGM:
- "Hey, let's make an opera movie, and it'll starr Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr. What, only one of those can sing? Then we'll dub everybody else."
- "Hey, let's fire the director known for making good musicals and hire this other guy who's so paranoid anybody will hijack the editing he insists on filming the entire movie in extremely long takes and without a single close-up, essentially making it the most visually boring movie ever."
- "Hey, let's have Hermes Pan choreograph it. You know, the guy who was essentially the choreographing guru of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly? Oh yeah, and let's not have a single dance sequence in this movie."
I MEAN WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THIS MOVIE. The only thing that comes close to being memorable is Sammy Davis Jr.'s performance (which makes sense, according to what I've read Davis was the only starring actor who wasn't pressured to be in the movie against his will). You can tell he's just having a ball portraying Sportin' Life, and does some killer renditions of 'It ain't necessarily so' and 'There's a boat dat's leavin' soon'.
One good thing to come out of watching this thing was that it reminded me of my quest to one day see Stormy Weather from 1943. I mean, Cab Calloway (and The Cotton Club Orchestra), Fats Waller and The Nicholas Brothers in the same movie? It must be mindblowing.