Movie spotlight
Hot-blooded gypsy Carmen attempts to seduce Don Jose, a lawman sent to thwart a gang of illegal smugglers in Spain. Carmen's plan backfires when Don Jose's passion for the gypsy girl escalates into a jealous rage as she spurns him for her bullfighter beau, Escamillo, with tragic results.
In this silent film adaptation of the famous opera, the passionate and free-spirited gypsy Carmen captivates Don José, a naive corporal. Their illicit love affair leads to his downfall as he abandons his duty and betrays his fiancée for her. However, Carmen's fickle heart soon turns to the dashing bullfighter Escamillo, leaving Don José consumed by jealousy and rage.
As an early silent film adaptation of a beloved story, Cecil B. DeMille's "Carmen" was noted for its ambitious production and Geraldine Farrar's star power, though its narrative fidelity and dramatic impact were tempered by the limitations of the era's filmmaking.
Praised for Geraldine Farrar's operatic intensity and expressive performance.
Recognized as an early attempt to translate opera to the screen.
Noted for its impressive sets and costumes for the time.
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The film marked the transition of star operatic soprano Geraldine Farrar to a film career, a move that was closely watched by both the opera and burgeoning film industries.
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If anyone is ever looking for an introduction to opera - then they could do much, much worse than this abridged version of Bizet's "Carmen". Telling the story of the anonymous temptress (Geraldine Farrar) who helps her smuggling friends by ...