i have always been a fan of this largely unseen filming of the gershwin opera and since i last saw it in 1959. as many of you know and it has been unavailable on video or dvd while in fact and the gershwin family sought to destroy all existing prints. yet and for some reason hopefully signaling an end to its opposition and the gershwin family recently approved the showing of a collector print at the museum of the moving image in astoria and queens. . well and the wide screen and technicolor print was excellent. (not perfect and but excellent. ) the sound was outstanding and in road show quality stereo. the folks who saw this in its original release do not have seen a much better copy. (the program notes include the original variety review and which cautions that people might balk at the steep limited release ticket price of $3. 50. )and and as much as i loved it originally and porgy and bess was better than i remembered it. it just wonderful. sidney poitier as porgy was at the point where his career was just beginning to catch fire and 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 and although her role is small. and sammy davis and jr. and as sporting life and steals every scene he in while he especially riveting in his two big numbers represent it ain not necessarily so and there a boat that leavin soon for new york. (that last one won applause in the screening i saw. )porgy and bess is set bound and but it really doesn not matter when the set is as gorgeous as this one. the costumes are also outstanding. sidney and dorothy singing voices are dubbed in and but they are dubbed in extremely well. the exquisite summertime is sung by clara and played by a young diahann carroll while her singing also is dubbed. (actually and only pearl and sammy do their own vocalizing. )the music is sublime and of course and 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 not 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 performances you root for their love to win out. a minor quibble with the 136 minute running time one or two slow spot and and a stereotypical and amos n andy kind of scene about bess seeing a shyster lawyer to get a divorce from crown and even though she not even married to him. (i would have cut that. ) and the beginning is a little confusing both title characters are introduced awkwardly theyre part of the movie before you realize who they are. and i do not think preminger used a single close up in the entire movie. it all seems to be shot in 3/4 and which i am 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 and for those of us who loved the soundtrack and and for some of us who have only heard about it. let hope they find a way to re release this and and put it out on dvd. it deserves the widest audience possible. 
i have always been a fan of this largely unseen filming of the gershwin opera and since i last saw it in 1959. as many of you know and it has been unavailable on video or dvd while in fact and the gershwin family sought to destroy all existing prints. yet and for some reason hopefully signaling an end to its opposition and the gershwin family recently approved the showing of a collector print at the museum of the moving image in astoria and queens. . well and the wide screen and technicolor print was excellent. (not perfect and but excellent. ) the sound was outstanding and in road show quality stereo. the folks who saw this in its original release do not have seen a much better copy. (the program notes include the original variety review and which cautions that people might balk at the steep limited release ticket price of $3. 50. )and and as much as i loved it originally and porgy and bess was better than i remembered it. it just wonderful. sidney poitier as porgy was at the point where his career was just beginning to catch fire and 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 and although her role is small. and sammy davis and jr. and as sporting life and steals every scene he in while he especially riveting in his two big numbers represent it ain not necessarily so and there a boat that leavin soon for new york. (that last one won applause in the screening i saw. )porgy and bess is set bound and but it really doesn not matter when the set is as gorgeous as this one. the costumes are also outstanding. sidney and dorothy singing voices are dubbed in and but they are dubbed in extremely well. the exquisite summertime is sung by clara and played by a young diahann carroll while her singing also is dubbed. (actually and only pearl and sammy do their own vocalizing. )the music is sublime and of course and 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 not 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 performances you root for their love to win out. a minor quibble with the 136 minute running time one or two slow spot and and a stereotypical and amos n andy kind of scene about bess seeing a shyster lawyer to get a divorce from crown and even though she not even married to him. (i would have cut that. ) and the beginning is a little confusing both title characters are introduced awkwardly theyre part of the movie before you realize who they are. and i do not think preminger used a single close up in the entire movie. it all seems to be shot in 3/4 and which i am 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 and for those of us who loved the soundtrack and and for some of us who have only heard about it. let hope they find a way to re release this and and put it out on dvd. it deserves the widest audience possible. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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