Porgy and Bess is a musical film based on the opera of the same name by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward.
It tells the story of a disabled beggar named Porgy and his love for a drug-addicted woman named Bess in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina.
The film was released in 1959 and starred Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., and Pearl Bailey.
Some of the little-known facts about the film are:
- The film was the last project for producer Samuel Goldwyn, who spent $7 million on it but only earned $3.5 million at the box office.
- The film was controversial for its portrayal of black characters and culture, and faced criticism from both white and black audiences. Some of the cast members, including Poitier and Dandridge, later expressed regret for participating in the film.
- The film was never released on home video and is considered one of the most prestigious and expensively produced "lost films". The original negative was destroyed by Goldwyn's estate, and only a few prints survive in private collections or archives.
- The film won an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, and was nominated for three more Oscars, four Golden Globes and a Grammy. It was also selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2011.
Related:
George Gershwin was one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. His music spanned genres and mediums, from jazz and opera to film and theater. The Legacy of Gershwin's Music
The Definitive Recording of the Great American Songbook Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book: Full Album
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