Can anyone imagine the immortal Georges Bizet opera "Carmen" relocated to another continent? Well, that is exactly what the creators of this film decided to do. They moved the location from Seville to a South African township near Cape Town to set the action. The result is an interesting movie in which most of the opera sung in Xhosa.
This is not a typical adaptation of this work because it asks the viewer to make allowances for the way one conceived the classical work. By bringing it to a different geographical location, the characters take new meaning in the action. Carmen, the sultry cigarette factory worker is the object of desire from the good cop, Jongi, who reads the bible. Carmen lures him to work with an expatriate, who is the son of a slain anti apartheid legend.
This work was staged in South Africa and then made into this film. Mark Dornford-May who wrote and directed, probably wanted to present the work with a different point of view but keeping the core of the story and original songs. Pauline Malefane, who plays Carmen, worked in the translation from French into Xhosa with excellent results.
The South African cast does an excellent job in what Mr. Dornford-May set out to accomplish. The characters feel real in the context where they are situated, giving the film a great feeling for what unfolds on screen.
