Porgy and Bess (1959)
Directed by Otto Preminger · 138 min · Music, Drama, Romance
44.4 TOPICAL score · #2,332 of 6,776 films
Vote for it on the board →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.
Porgy and Bess (1959, directed by Otto Preminger) has a TOPICAL score of 44.4 - ranked 2,332 of the 6,776 films TOPICAL scores. It scores highest on historical impact and awards, and lowest on lasting engagement. It won 1 award from 4 nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score. Critics: 71% on Rotten Tomatoes · 8/10 critics' average. Audiences: TMDB 6.3/10 (27 ratings). Wikipedia covers it in 25 languages, and the Library of Congress chose it for the National Film Registry.
Why this score
Each bar: better than this % of the 6,776 films we score. How the score works.
- Critics71% on Rotten Tomatoes · 8/10 critics' average
- AudienceTMDB 6.3/10 (27 ratings)
- Awards1 win, 4 nominations - incl. Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score
- ImpactWikipedia articles in 25 languages · National Film Registry
- Still read8,028 Wikipedia readers in the last 60 days
Starring: Sidney Poitier (actor #36), Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr. (actor #1,233), Pearl Bailey