Porgy and Bess
Seen it?1959 | 138 min | Music, Drama, Romance
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It won an Oscar, though it had a box office loss. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics. If you loved Dirty Dancing, start here.
- The mood
- Warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 18 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1959: an older pace and style.
In the early 1900s, the fictional Catfish Row section of Charleston, South Carolina serves as home to a black fishing community. Crippled beggar Porgy, who travels about in a goat-drawn cart, loves the drug-addicted Bess, who lives with stevedore Crown, the local bully.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
71% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Oscar: Academy Awards: Best Music, Scoring of a Motion Picture. Won 1 Golden Globe: Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical. Also nominated for 3 more Oscars, 2 more Golden Globes and 1 WGA Award. Plus 1 other award.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$4 million worldwide on a $7 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 52K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Otto Preminger
- Sidney PoitierPorgy
- Dorothy DandridgeBess
- Sammy Davis Jr.Sportin' Life
- Pearl BaileyMaria
- Brock PetersCrowne
- Diahann CarrollClara
- Leslie ScottJake
- Ruth AttawaySerena Robbins
- Claude AkinsDetective
- Clarence MusePeter