Actors: Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., Brock Peters
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Porgy and Bess
The story is set in 1912 South Carolina in amsall town Catfish Row. This musical movie tells a tale of a beautiful yet emotionally unstable woman named Bess. Her muscular short tempered boyfriend Crown recently killed a man in a fist fight and is now on the run to avoid gettting prosecuted. Afterwards Bess meet Porgy, a beggar with a gentle heart. Porgy falls in love with Bess while Crown is away. But when her incriminating lover returns, Porgy murders Crown, and finds himself too running away from the law. Confused Bess then set her eyes on Sportin Life' a drug dealer who is also in love with Bess. The two set off to seek a much better life in the big city.
--Alicia M., Resident Scholar
Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!
Analysis of Porgy and Bess
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- love triangle/polygon
Lover is...
- criminal/bad doer
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 20's-30's
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- (man) muscular
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Deep South
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- thoughtful
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of singing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a
- play
