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Porgy and Bess

  • 1959
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 18m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
DramaMusicalRomance

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.

  • Directors
    • Otto Preminger
    • Rouben Mamoulian
  • Writers
    • Dorothy Heyward
    • DuBose Heyward
    • N. Richard Nash
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Dorothy Dandridge
    • Sammy Davis Jr.
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Otto Preminger
      • Rouben Mamoulian
    • Writers
      • Dorothy Heyward
      • DuBose Heyward
      • N. Richard Nash
    • Stars
      • Sidney Poitier
      • Dorothy Dandridge
      • Sammy Davis Jr.
    • 68User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 10 nominations total

    Photos25

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    Top cast31

    Edit
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Porgy
    Dorothy Dandridge
    Dorothy Dandridge
    • Bess
    Sammy Davis Jr.
    Sammy Davis Jr.
    • Sportin' Life
    Pearl Bailey
    Pearl Bailey
    • Maria
    Brock Peters
    Brock Peters
    • Crown
    Leslie Scott
    • Jake
    Diahann Carroll
    Diahann Carroll
    • Clara
    Ruth Attaway
    Ruth Attaway
    • Serena Robbins
    Claude Akins
    Claude Akins
    • Detective
    Clarence Muse
    Clarence Muse
    • Peter
    Everdinne Wilson
    • Annie
    Joel Fluellen
    Joel Fluellen
    • Robbins
    Earl Jackson
    • Mingo
    Moses LaMarr
    • Nelson
    Margaret Hairston
    • Lily
    Ivan Dixon
    Ivan Dixon
    • Jim
    Antoine Durousseau
    • Scipio
    Helen Thigpen
    • Strawberry woman
    • Directors
      • Otto Preminger
      • Rouben Mamoulian
    • Writers
      • Dorothy Heyward
      • DuBose Heyward
      • N. Richard Nash
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews68

    6.92K
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    Featured reviews

    7marcslope

    It Ain't Necessarily So Bad

    I had the privilege recently of viewing what is said to be the last 35mm, Technicolor, stereo print and found it much livelier and more touching than remembered. Also closer to the original material -- basically, all screenwriter N. Richard Nash did was trim, change much recitative to spoken dialog, and insert a transitional scene or two (including a very amusing one for Pearl Bailey). Oliver Smith's production design is stagy in the "Li'l Abner"-"Guys and Dolls" '50s adaptation mode, but it works well for this work's folkloric, unrealistic quality. Stereotyping and racism are present, but not to a wince-inducing degree. Further, for a movie of its time, it's pretty frank -- the adultery, violent behavior, drug use, and self-destructive habits of the denizens of Catfish Row are not at all minimized in the telling. But there are debits, beginning with all that variation from the stage text. The loss of so much compromises Gershwin's brilliance -- no wonder the family doesn't like it. The reorchestration, especially of Sammy Davis Jr.'s material, is disconcertingly trendy and vulgar. George knew what he was doing, folks; you didn't have to mess with it so much. And while Poitier and Dandridge act well and their singing doubles sing well, there's a huge chasm between the characters' singing and speaking voices -- you're constantly aware of the artifice. What really counts here, of course, is the music, among the greatest ever written for the theater, anywhere. Despite all the tinkering, it survives,and you'd have to be made of stone not to be moved by it. If the treatment isn't entirely to the estate's liking (and it shouldn't be), there's still no reason not to spend some bucks to restore this ambitious filming of Gershwin's masterpiece and make new generations more aware of his genius.
    10rchambers7777

    Should be available to the public.

    I saw this movie when I was a kid and have been looking for it ever since.It rates up there with Cabin in The Sky, Stormy Weather and Carmen Jones as a must see in movies that showcased the awesome talent of African Americans.In the 60s the local Los Angeles TV stations would have a movie of the week and some stations would show the same movie for 5 days.Porgy and Bess was one of them and my whole family would be there all 5 nights in front of the TV and only moved on the commercials.South Pacific,Oklahoma and The Sound of Music are all musical classics that you can pick up at any video store. It would be a shame to let this collection of some of the best talent America had to offer be forgotten or locked in a vault.Please make the film available to the public.
    10olddiscs

    Why is this film not on video??

    I was @ 13 yrs of age when I saw this greatly underappreciated film at The ADAMS theatre in Newark, NJ, I purchased the Program, and later bought the soundtrack... still have both.... I am now 55 + yrs.. and have not seen it since (possibly once on network TV, in 1960's???) One of the greatest casts ever assembled, great score and production , please let another generation see this great film... It was my introduction to opera, and aided with my understanding of Tolerance.. Please family of Gerswhins or Premingers, release this classic soon !!
    7bobwestal-2

    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.
    10waterhickory

    I saw this movie when I was 6 years old. One of my lifetime favorites.

    This was/is an incredible movie, with incredible cast, music, singing, story, etc. It is a tragedy that some arrogant families (the Gerswhins or Premingers) can keep it from being available to generation after generation. I have wanted to see it again all of my life. I just found this site and read why it has not been available. Shame on these families for their pettiness. My wife is from Germany and she has never seen the movie. Neither have my step-children or my grandchildren. It is very sad that a movie of this depth and quality is not available for them to see. Where do these families get off making such a conceited, self-important, egotistical, condescending decision to prohibit generations from enjoying this film, these stars, these performances, this music! Release the video and let them world judge and enjoy!

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
    Musical
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    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 Loulie Jean Norman and Women's Chorus

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 14, 1959 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Porgy und Bess
    • Filming locations
      • Stockton, California, USA(Venice Island - picnic sequence)
    • Production company
      • Samuel Goldwyn Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 2h 18m(138 min)

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