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Download porgy and bess10/6/2023 ![]() Many of the vocals, particularly on the opening "Summertime" seemed unduly soft and were overwhelmed by the instrumental music. On smaller screens, we won't be able to make out the many details that are crucial to the way Preminger staged the film. 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. Also, even to my rather untrained ear, some brief portions of the score seem unduly popularized. 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. As seen last night, this is a sturdy but far from perfect work. 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. Even better are Sammy Davis as the amoral, cat-like Sportin' Life and Brock Peters as the villanious bully Crown. Sidney Poitier is said to be uncomfortable with the movie, but his performance is terrific, as is Pearl Bailey. Dorothy Dandridge brings a great deal of vulnerability, strength and subtle (at least by today's standards) eroticism to her part. The performances are strong and memorable. Cinematheque and it was a bit of a revelation. I turned it off Last night, an extremely rare, cobbled together print screened at the L.A. 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.
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