There is nothing quite like Gershwin, especially when it comes to his 1935 opera 'Porgy and Bess'. The adapted 1959 musical film directed by Otto Preminger is quite incredible, and stars the great Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. This scene focuses on one of the most famous cues, 'summertime', which is one of our favorites. The cue is simply gorgeous - in fact, there is nothing quite like it.

The film itself is somewhat of a mystery. Prints of the film are beyond rare, and it is not known whether a complete, quality print exists. In terms of the music, André Previn and Ken Darby won the Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, and the soundtrack album won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album.

Because this film has been deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the United States Library of Congress, it was selected in 2011 for preservation in the National Film Registry.

"Summertime
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton, the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy, he's rich
And your ma', she's good lookin'
So hush, little baby
Don't you cry
One of these mornings
You're gonna rise up singing
You gonna spread your wings
And take, and take to the sky
Until that morning
Ain't nothing can harm you
With daddy and mommy standing by (oh, standing by)
Standing by
Standing by, little baby
Standing by"

Where to watch: https://letterboxd.com/film/porgy-and-bess/
Listen to the score: https://music.apple.com/us/album/porgy-and-bess-otto-premingers-original-motion/935341717
--
Every Monday and Wednesday, SCORE CUE SNAPSHOTS brings you iconic scenes married to the corresponding score cue without dialogue and SFX, thus allowing anyone to appreciate how the score works with what you see unfold on-screen.