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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

    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.
    10safado

    A lost treasure

    I have always been a fan of this largely unseen filming of the Gershwin opera, since I last saw it in 1959. As many of you know, it has been unavailable on video or DVD; in fact, the Gershwin family sought to destroy all existing prints.

    Yet, for some reason--hopefully signaling an end to its opposition, the Gershwin family recently approved the showing of a collector's print at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. .

    Well, the wide-screen, Technicolor print was excellent! (Not perfect, but excellent.) The sound was outstanding, in road-show quality stereo. The folks who saw this in its original release wouldn't have seen a much better copy. (The program notes include the original Variety review, which cautions that people might balk at the steep limited-release ticket price of $3.50!)

    And, as much as I loved it originally, PORGY AND BESS was better than I remembered it. It's just wonderful. Sidney Poitier as Porgy was at the point where his career was just beginning to catch fire, and his charisma shines through. Dorothy Dandridge as Bess is spectacularly beautiful. Brock Peters as Crown is aggressively masculine. Pearl Bailey as Maria provides a few comic moments, although her role is small. And Sammy Davis, Jr., as Sporting Life, steals every scene he's in; he's especially riveting in his two big numbers: "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "There's a Boat that's Leavin' Soon for New York." (That last one won applause in the screening I saw.)

    PORGY AND BESS is set-bound, but it really doesn't matter when the set is as gorgeous as this one. The costumes are also outstanding.

    Sidney and Dorothy's singing voices are dubbed in, but they are dubbed in extremely well. The exquisite "Summertime" is sung by Clara, played by a young Diahann Carroll; her singing also is dubbed. (Actually, only Pearl and Sammy do their own vocalizing.)

    The music is sublime, of course, but what really struck me this time was how much emotion Preminger got out of the story. People were actually sniffling in the audience a number of times--once when Bess sings that beautiful "I Loves You Porgy." And I got a kick out of the audience actually laughing out loud at the lines in "It Ain't Necessarily So." Could it be they had never heard this song before-- or never really listened to it? I believe that much of the emotional impact of this film is due to Poiter and Dandridge's performances--you root for their love to win out.

    A minor quibble with the 136 minute running time--one or two slow spot, and a stereotypical, Amos-n-Andy kind of scene about Bess seeing a shyster lawyer to get a divorce from Crown, even though she's not even married to him. (I would have cut that.) And the beginning is a little confusing--both title characters are introduced awkwardly--they're part of the movie before you realize who they are.

    And I don't think Preminger used a single close-up in the entire movie. It all seems to be shot in 3/4, which I'm guessing was his way of working with the wide screen.

    PORGY AND BESS has always been a cult film for those of us who saw it, for those of us who loved the soundtrack, and for some of us who have only heard about it. Let's hope they find a way to re-release this, and put it out on DVD. It deserves the widest audience possible.
    7jjnxn-1

    See it for the music but it should have been better

    Middling adaptation of the Gershwin opera is hampered by Preminger's decision to shoot entirely in long shot and forego close-ups. It keeps the audience from becoming deeply involved in the story.

    Poitier does a good enough job as Porgy but the obvious dubbing of someone with a far deeper voice than he for the songs diminishes his impact. Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey and Sammy Davis Jr. all have more success with their characterizations but again the camera's distance and the obvious sets are no help to them.

    The amazing music makes it worth watching once but the film is a disappointment.
    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 !!
    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

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

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 18m(138 min)

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