SYNOPSICS
Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) is a English movie. Robert Townsend has directed this movie. Mekhi Phifer,Beyoncé,Yasiin Bey,Rah Digga are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2001. Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) is considered one of the best Drama,Musical movie in India and around the world.
Based on Bizet's classic opera and its all African American musical counterpart Carmen Jones, Carmen a Hiphopera is a modern retelling of the story of the tragic gypsy Carmen. The setting has been taken from the hots streets of Barcelona and is now in scorching urban Philadelphia. This time Carmen Brown is an aspiring actress who in her own words 'leaves the whole town speechless.' Her sultry looks and carefree confidence attract the attention of everyone from crooked cop Luietenant Miller to famous rapper Blaze. However Carmen has eyes on the one man she can't have- Seargeant Derrick Hill who is engaged. Yet nothing stops Carmen Brown getting what she wants- except perhaps a trip to LA and an ominous tarot cards prophecy.
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Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) Reviews
My Review of Carmen: A Hip Hopera
"Carmen: A Hip Hopera" , ranks with some of the "worst" movies ever made!!! Inadequate acting, and the waste of a talented director such as Mr. Robert Townsend. Bizet's "Carmen", and Preminger's "Carmen Jones" were excellent!!! The "third time is a charm", is not the case with "Carmen: A Hip Hopera!!!!! V.King
B to the A to the N-A-L.
WARNING: The following review contains a spoiler. In 1990, several recording artists took part in the AIDS charity album "Red, Hot and Blue," made up of covers of Cole Porter songs; Neneh Cherry's rendition of "I've Got You Under My Skin" took a few liberties with the few, if you can call "dropping all of the music and completely changing the lyrics apart from the title" a few liberties. This MTV Original TV Movie update of "Carmen" - ludicrously (Ludacrisly?) dubbed a "Hip Hopera" - is the closest visual equivalent yet. Transferred to present-day Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the almost total absence of Georges Bizet in favour of some people called Kip Collins and Sekani Williams is the first problem; the movie is heavy on rappers (starting with the bookends from Da Brat, who should know all about featuring in weak music movies after "Glitter") but light on people who can actually act, with all due respect to Fred Williamson. Meanwhile, the story of a basically decent policeman (Mekhi Phifer) who finds himself drawn away from his girlfriend by the spirited Carmen and falling in love with her, going to prison for her, running away etc., is surprisingly short on passion in its telling; in fact, it's really quite dull, and messily told with it (some more time to give it depth might have helped). Having an opera in rap is a better idea in concept than in execution; music is just as important to the form as words, but umpteen phrases tumbling out without any real melody behind them is ultimately fairly tedious (though in fairness I must admit to not being much into rap anyway); they may as well be in a fast-talking contest for all the good it does. Robert Townsend insists on over-directing the movie with soft-focus, rapid repeating of shots, slow-motion etc., but all it does is make the movie seem even more like a bad music video than it already does (in fact, one scene where Carmen's two friends extol the good life waiting for them with big-time rapper Blaze IS a bad music video). It's no coincidence that the last fifteen minutes, which rely less on rapping and more on story, are comparatively the most effective in the film ***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT*** but even with the downbeat ending (at the rap concert climax Carmen is shot and killed by the villain, and our cop hero is arrested after avenging her death), the movie just doesn't have any real emotional punch to it, as opposed to "William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet" (another update that ultimately works a lot better). ***END OF SPOILER ALERT***END OF SPOILER ALERT***END OF SPOILER ALERT*** In her first real acting role (if you don't count the time she appeared as herself in an episode of "Smart Guy"), Beyonce Knowles doesn't really convince as Carmen - unquestionably bootylicious, but as an actress she's a fine singer. Most of the rest of the cast won't be practising any acceptance speeches either, mind, but Beyonce isn't really up to the role (not that she really gets much help from the shoddy script). In one of the outtakes that accompany the end credits ("Stylist for Miss Knowles: Tina Knowles." Her mother, that is), two of the cast members are ticked off for studying Beyonce's bottom when she walks by; since Beyonce's beauty will probably provide the sole entertainment for some viewers, you really can't blame them. "Austin Powers in Goldmember" must surely be better than this...
Side Splitting Hilarity
This movie made me howl with laughter because it was so bad. Bad acting, especially by 'Bouncy' Knowles, bad editing and horrible looking blue screen work. None of the songs were memorable and the 'film' looked like a overlong music video. Robert Townsend did great with Hollywood Shuffle and has gone downhill ever since....give up Robert!
Fresh and inventive
I really liked this one. I thought they did a great job of updating the story to the present day in a clever, believable way. I'm not a particular fan of hip-hop, either. There were some really clever lyrics (my favorite was the argument scene), yet the original score does underlie the whole thing. I liked it much better than "Carmen Jones," the 50s version of "Carmen" which degenerates into Broadway schlock at times. The man who played the evil cop did a really terrific job, and I hear he's usually a singer, not an actor. The supporting roles were really well interpreted and the people who played them well-chosen. I very much enjoyed the fortune teller, who seemed really ominous with his voodoo/Jamaican aura. The leads shined. My main gripe with the whole thing was the camera work, which was rather distracting at times. For example, there is a meta-commentary at the beginning and end of the movie, a rap done by a woman, and the camera constantly changes angles and splits into multiple images of the artist. I'd have much preferred a straight shot so that I could pay attention to what she's saying and her body language, which were good. Overall, I loved it and will see it again.
Disappointing letdown to hip hop fans
Poorly acted, unconvincing "modern" adaption of Bizet's classic opera. Saddled with a two-dollar production look and a cast of (with the exception of Phifer) unprofessional actors. One fairly interesting bit is a few parts which actually set Bizet's music to raps, which only works intermittently. Inferior to both the original and Oscar Hammerstein's similarly overblown 1950s adaption (filmed, if I remember right, memorably by Otto Preminger). All fans of musicals should avoid it, even though it holds out the promise of being a new type of musical. All fans of hip hop should avoid it, because it forces a cast that is incredibly talented in musical areas to act with hokey dialogue and no direction. It should especially be taken on for taking Mos Def, a genius of lyrics, and making him rap to mediocre lines written by some bozo the clown. Townsend should really be taken to the cleaners over this, and in the future he should probably be advised to look the other way when offered TV productions with a look like my mama's basement (and she hasn't got one, folks).�