Hip Hopera: Carmen
Brief Synopsis
On a busy street in Philadelphia, police officer Sergeant Derrick Hill is patroling with his partner Porter. Answering a 911-radio call, Hill inadvertently runs into his superior, Lieutenant Frank Miller and Miller's part
Cast & Crew
Robert Townsend
Faune Chambers
Sam Sarpong
Beyoncé Knowles
Rah Digga
Fred Williamson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A contemporary hip-hop adaptation of Georges Bizet's classic opera "Carmen."
On a busy street in Philadelphia, police officer Sergeant Derrick Hill is patroling with his partner Porter. Answering a 911-radio call, Hill inadvertently runs into his superior, Lieutenant Frank Miller and Miller's partner Nathaniel. Miller is planting drugs on an innocent young suspect but the corrupt Lieutenant warns Hill not to say anything or he will ruin his career. That evening, at a local pub, Hill is dodging worrisome questions from his sweet but over-protective fiance, Caela, when the beautiful Carmen Brown walks in. She playfully dismisses a number of drooling men, including Miller, but can't help but notice that Hill is not paying her any attention. Carmen gets into a fight, and Miller makes Hill drive her to jail.
On their way to the station, Carmen convinces Hill to let her drop off some jewelry at her apartment. Once there, Hill succumbs to Carmen's seductive charms. The next morning, Hill wakes up in Carmen's bed to a surprise. Carmen is gone and Miller is waiting to arrest him for abetting her escape. While Hill pines away for Carmen in jail, he talks about his love for her with fellow inmates. Carmen is also discovering growing feelings of her own for the handsome cop. When Hill is released, their reunion is joyful and passionate, but is cut short when Carmen learns that he won't move to Los Angeles because of parole regulations.
Hill runs into Miller at the local pub. Miller makes insulting remarks about Carmen, and Hill punches him -- breaking his parole. Hill runs home, grabs Carmen, and escapes to LA with her. Expectations fall short and tensions begin to rise once they move into a filthy, cheap motel room. Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, a shakedown in the police department threatens to reveal Miller as a crook. He knows the only weak link in his defense is Hill and that he needs to silence him for good. Although she has been betrayed, Caela calls Hill and warns him that Miller is on his way to LA. Carmen, meanwhile, has taken up with rap star Blaze, who offers to help her with her acting career. When she gets home and finds Hill packing, she tells him that she is not going with him. Carmen leaves him to attend Blaze's concert that night.
Miller shows up at Hill's motel room, gun in hand. Hill narrowly escapes, but can't resist trying to see Carmen one last time. He leaves for Blaze's show, Miller following close behind. As Hill pleads with Carmen to come back to him, Miller shoots from a stage catwalk. He misses Hill, but hits and kills Carmen. Enraged, Hill chases after Miller and shoots him. In the end, both murders are pinned on Hill -- and are labeled a "crime of passion."
Cast
Faune Chambers
Sam Sarpong
Beyoncé Knowles
Rah Digga
Fred Williamson
Reagan Gomez-preston
Jermaine Dupri
Kelly Konno
Yuri Brown
Lena Bickle
Jane Yamamoto
Jenna Dewan
Michele Martinez
Yasiin Bey
Wyclef Jean
Patrice Fisher
Da Brat
Karen Lynn Scott
Erin Hernandez
Andray Johnson
Maurice Smith
Joy Bryant
Mekhi Phifer
Casey Lee
Troy Winbush
Erica Duff
David L Crowley
Crew
Matthew Ballard
Terrill Bazile
Larry Benjamin
Anthony Beverly
Jeff Biehr
Georges Bizet
David Boch
Helen Chough
Marcus Cole
Aisha Coley
Keiann Collins
Kip Collins
The Compadres
Ross Davis
Jenna Dewan
Desiree Diggs
Jeffrey Douglas
Gil Dulduloo
Mike Elliot
Mike Elliot
Dejon Ellis
Paula Fairfield
Damon Fecht
Jeff Forman
Hope Goodwin
Anthony Gotta
Celia Hamel
Barbara Harris
Jonathan Harris
Rick Hart
Shaun Hudson
Graig Hutchison
Graig Hutchison
Kevin Lamont Jackson
Peter Johnson
John A Johnston
Loretha Jones
Maria Kamel
Jasmine Kimble
Kimberly Kimble
Tina Knowles
Nicki La Rosa
Melissa Lacombe
Peter Lee
Lalette Littlejohn
Reginald Foster Loke
Group Looping
Paul Vik Marshall
Geary Mcleod
Prosper Merimee
Bennie Moore
Carla Murray
A. Dorian Reed
Robi Reed-humes
Don Reeverts
Monique Reymond
Keisha Robinson
Stephan Rogue
Gary Romirez
David Sackeroff
Xavier C Salinas
Jonathan P Shaw
Ann Shea
Kevin Shepard
Gregory Shummon
Jim Simone
Robair Sims
Red Sinclair
Tiffany Sipantzi
Kimberly Sizemore
Leland Smith
Tommy Smith
Walter Spencer
Scott Steele
Justin Taylor
Stephen James Taylor
Brian Tyler
Ric Urbauer
Dixie Webster
Tracey White
Gene Williams
Sekani Williams
Dennis Winters
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Aired in United States May 8, 2001
Previous title: "Carmen Brown."
Telecast as a presentation of "Hip-Hopera," a series of movies that rework classic operas in a hip-hop format.
Began shooting mid January 2001.
Completed shooting mid February 2001.
The 1954 film "Carmen Jones" starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte.
