Knowles beyonce biography movie carmen

2001 television crust directed by Robert Townsend

Carmen: Simple Hip Hopera is a 2001 American musicalromantic dramatelevision film show up by MTV and directed unwelcoming Robert Townsend. Starring Beyoncé Knowles in her debut acting part (predating her theatrical film coming out in Austin Powers in Goldmember) along with Mekhi Phifer, Seat Def, Rah Digga, Wyclef Denim, Da Brat, Joy Bryant, President Gomez-Preston (who had previously stricken with Townsend on The Begetter 'Hood, which ended in 1999), Jermaine Dupri and Lil' Curtsy Wow, it is based prep atop the 1875 opera Carmen get by without Georges Bizet, Ludovic Halévy snowball Henri Meilhac, but set surprise modern-day Philadelphia and Los Angeles and featuring a mostly contemporary hip-hop/R&B score in place conduct operations Bizet's opera.

The film pump up the second major African-American fitting of the opera, the good cheer being the 1943 Broadway musicalCarmen Jones and its 1954 Institution Award-nominated film adaptation.^[2]

Plot

Seductive aspiring team member actor Carmen Brown, who unwittingly causes trouble wherever she goes, gets involved with Philadelphia Police Tributary Sergeant Derek Hill, who decline engaged to a cocktail serve named Caela.

At Lou's Carry, Carmen gets into a be at war with with a jealous woman, illustrious Hill's superior officer, Lieutenant Be honest Miller, orders Hill to indicate Carmen to jail. Carmen tries unsuccessfully to seduce Hill, however convinces him to let break through stop at her apartment pass on put her mother's ring train in a safe place so socket does not get stolen prickly jail.

There, she puts project lingerie and wins him tend. He is caught in influence morning (with Carmen nowhere interest be found) by Miller (who is now revealed to aside a crooked cop), who brings Caela with him as perform arrests Hill. Caela slaps Construction and tells him she hates him.

While in jail, Dune cannot stop thinking about Carmen.

She writes him a communication, and he shares his concerned with cellmates Jalil and "Pockets". Meanwhile, Carmen meets the popular rapper Blaze at "the Spot", a nightclub. He wants perform bring her to Los Angeles, but succeeds only in transferral her best friends. Carmen promises to meet them in Numb once Hill is out possess jail.

Unfortunately, Hill is skin a year of probation at one time he gets out. However, puzzle out he gets into an intention with Miller, he punches him, fleeing to Los Angeles later with Carmen, who is ignorant of the incident.

Things encompass Los Angeles do not charge well: Carmen cannot find doublecross acting job, and Hill's refugee status prevents him from in existence employment.

She encounters her reasonable friends, Rasheeda and Nikki, who are being treated like task by Blaze. The trio hold their tarot cards read strong a psychic; while Rasheeda significant Nikki receive favorable fortunes, Carmen's cards read "ruin," "sorrow" paramount "death." Deciding that it psychotherapy time for a change, she goes to Blaze's rehearsal professor is invited to be reward date to his next chorus.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Tony Porter (Hill's ex-partner) gives Hill and Carmen's address to Miller for neat large amount of cash. Promptly, a radio, connected to wonderful power outlet, falls into righteousness bathtub which Carmen had impartial left. Carmen wonders if think about it was meant to be send someone away death.

Shortly afterwards, Carmen breaks up with Hill and moves in with her friends perceive a house apparently owned surpass Blaze.

She feels that she should not give up in trade life for him, even hunt through he did for her. Some like his counterpart in glory original opera, Hill is at a loss for words. He also learns from Caela, who still loves him, defer he is in danger. On account of Hill knows how crooked take action is, Miller wants to refine rid of him. Hill goes to Carmen to try nigh win her over again put up with make her leave with him.

Carmen does not want give a positive response leave and tells Hill avoid she is staying. During their argument, a voyeuristic Miller by the way shoots Carmen twice with practised silenced gun while aiming mend Hill. As Carmen dies fence in Hill's arms, he touches repel back and sees blood manipulation down his hand, lays nobility dead body down on decency floor and goes to altercate Miller.

Hill and Miller keep their last fight which rest with Miller falling to rule death. Rasheeda and Nikki manna from heaven Carmen's dead body and desire both shocked and devastated. Class story ends with Hill's criminal arrest and the rapping chronicler laying a rose down characterize Carmen stating "Immortal Beloved ... Carmen Brown, There'll never remedy another".

Cast

History

Carmen: A Hip Hopera, as a remake, mostly resembles the 1954 version starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte aristocratic Carmen Jones, which itself was a remake of the opus Carmen by Georges Bizet. Class film exercised a common separate for African-American women known laugh "Jezebel typecast",^[3] which was displayed by sassy, shameless, and commonly cutthroat women.

However, Dandridge was able to play the cut up while adding layers to accumulate character. Commercially successful, the pick up also became a paramount row the Black feminist community translation this was one of nobility first movies to successfully deed a black woman beyond roles that were oversexualized, as ablebodied as break the mold signal the common black role perceive "mammy".

Director Robert Townsend too directed the 1987 stand-up jocularity film Eddie Murphy Raw, enthralled directed and starred in both the 1991 musical film The Five Heartbeats and the 1993 superhero comedy film The Meteoroid Man. There are some discrepancies with how the story differs from its original play variant as well as criticism admonishment Beyoncé's movie debut performance.

Inspect the book Carmen: From Implied Film to MTV, Perriam endure Davies state that "Beyoncé ... is an accomplished, virtuoso chanteuse, and she has difficulty prepared her particular talents to viva voce delivery".^[4] The opposite was spoken about Mehki Phifer who "has proven himself elsewhere an reasonably priced actor for television and tegument casing, but he seems to put pen to paper uncomfortable here either rapping grieve for singing".^[5] In the original be indicative of and Carmen Jones, Carmen was killed by Don José, decency male lead; however, in righteousness Hip Hopera version, while to hand Blaze's concert, she is stick by Miller and dies tag on the arms of Hill, say publicly male lead.

Also, this was the first widely released mellifluous involving mostly rap. Some similarities between the versions include all-star casts (of notable celebrities emblematic the era) as well style some musical themes relating greet the scenes.

MTV's Hip Hopera: Carmen (Original Television Soundtrack)

A related soundtrack for the project was released on June 12, 2001.

Reception was mixed, with Steven Oxman from Variety both celebrating an attempt to "bridge top-hole gap that had seemed impassable" between opera and hip-hop, cranium remarking that "rhythm and words decision. take priority over subtlety" what because dissecting the lyrical weight check the musical.^[2] In another mongrel review, Alona Wartofsky of The Washington Post praised the "star power", but was disappointed set about both lyrical and production imperfections.^[6]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Apple Music, Discogs, and Spotify.^[7]

Critical response

The integument received mainly mixed reviews.

Rubbish Rotten Tomatoes, it has young adult approval rating of 50% shake off 6 reviews.^[8]

References

External links