This film is an adaptation of the original story that the opera Carmen was based on. It has a great look ( very Goya in it's landscapes ) and it has an actress, Paz Vega, who is quite believeable as a woman who could make most fellows stray off the straight and narrow!!!
Well worth a look!

Paz Vega creates the steamiest Carmen ever in this gorgeous period drama. She brings the character to life. This isn't Bizet's Carmen, though. This one takes impulsiveness and fiery temper to extremes, and combines that volatile mix with a personality that seems to interact with others only to manipulate them. Then, with raw sensuality as her lure and reward, she brings out the same in men, not just poor Jose.

The settings come to life almost as much as the characters - that cavernous cigar factory at the start, the cities of nineteenth century Spain (but much older), and the rocky, raw wilds ruled by bandits. Award-winning costumes help too, including gaudy soldier's uniforms, and elaborate recreations of women's clothes, down to humble details like drawers.

Don't expect to like these characters. Jose's military honor implodes, leaving a shell of murderous jealousy. Carmen herself - kissing a viper seems safer. Not even the lush promise of her body makes that look like such a good deal. Nice people don't make good drama, and these are very dramatic. Recommended, but not for the skin-shy.

-- wiredweird

Even for the non-opera loving public the name CARMEN is immediately recognized as an opera by Bizet about a gypsy girl whose capricious loves destroy men. But as much as the opera is now considered a staple in every opera house repertoire, the real story of the wild gypsy lass as created by Prosper Merimee in 1845 has never been told as well as in this cinematic version by the abundantly gifted Spanish director Vicente Aranda ('Juana la Loca AKA Mad Love','Amantes', 'If they tell you I fell', etc.). Incorporating the author of the novel as a main character seeking the story of Carmen from one of her lovers - Jose - provides just the right vantage for the story of this famous gypsy wild lady to be told.

Carmen (the amazingly beautiful and talented Paz Vega) works in a cigar factory in Seville, a factory adjoining the military station where the very proper Jose (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is stationed. Carmen is tempestuous and in a fight instigated by a fellow factory worker bringing attention to the fact that Carmen is a gypsy, Carmen murders the co-worker and is arrested. Jose is physically attracted to the voluptuous Carmen and when Carmen flirts with him he consents to allow her to escape - his payback is the promise for a night of passion with Carmen. Carmen keeps her pact, providing Jose with his first sexual encounter, and Jose is doomed. His lack of military discipline results in his losing his rank and being imprisoned for a while, but at his release Jose encounters Carmen again, kills a fellow officer, and in fear runs off to the hills to live with the smugglers and gypsies that are Carmen's people. Many incidents occur to try the passionate bond between the lovers, but when Carmen's real husband is released from prison, destructive behaviors take over, behavior's that include Carmen's infatuation and affair with a bullfighter and the passion of Carmen and Jose comes to a tragic end.

One factor that makes the story (as adapted for the screen by director Aranda and Joaquim Jorda move so well is the role that Prosper Merimee (Jay Benedict) plays: his questioning of Jose completes the story that Bizet's opera only outlines. The acting is superb, the cinematography by Paco Femenia and the excellent musical score by Jose Nieto contribute enormously to the success of this very fine film. This is a must for lovers of the opera Carmen, and a splendid action drama for those viewers who admire historical pieces. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, September 08

This film is an almost line-by-line retelling of Prosper Merimee's short story Carmen, which, decades later, became the source of Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy's libretto for Bizet's opera. The American DVD edition cover dutifully dumbs this down for our consumption: "based on Bizet's wildly popular opera".

So much for ignorant marketing! At least, we get an anamorphic transfer -the Spanish edition is woefully letterboxed!

Superb photography, beautiful actual locations, and Ms Vega, who is not at all shy about performing head-to-toe, full frontally and rearly **clothed** in more than one scene!

What an eyeful!

Los puntos a favor de esta pelicula son varios:
- Paz Vega es hermosa, y muestra bastante piel. Ademas, actua lo suficientemente bien para que las escenas eroticas no parezcan gratuitas, incluso cuando algunas lo son.
- Leo Sbaraglia por fin se relajo y abandono sus pateticos esfuerzos por sonar castizo. Ahora simplemete habla en una especie de murmullo grave y de acento neutro, pero que al menos no distrae al oyente, y permite disfrutar de su considerable talento actoral.
- El vestuario de epoca es lindo y detallado, especialmente los trajes tipicos de los contrabandistas sevillanos.
- La fotografia es excelente, como en casi todas las peliculas espanolas.
- Joan Crosas, aunque actua en un papel relativamente pequeno, lo hace con gran oficio.

Pero, lamentablemente, estos puntos no bastan para redimir a esta pelicula. Adolesce de las falencias que parecen aquejar a muchas de las producciones multinacionales europeas, en particular, la insercion de actores y situaciones que no agregan mucho al desarrollo de la trama.

En efecto, la historia de Carmen se cuenta mediante el recurso del "relato enmarcado", empezando por el final, y por boca de una especie de arqueologo-humanista franco-ingles (Prospero, interpretado por el correcto Jay Benedict). Este recurso arruina cualquier suspenso que la la pelicula pudiera haber tenido para aquellos no familiarizados con la opera, y nos fuerza a esperar a casi la mitad de la pelicula para que la accion comience a tener sentido.

La accion es en general tan lenta, que la pelicula recurre, de manera un tanto barata, a los desnudos de la hermosa Paz Vega (o su doble de cuerpo) para mantener el interes.

El vestuario, aunque vistoso y bien investigado, demasiado a menudo tiene ese aspecto de "demasiado nuevo, brilante y almidonadito" que le resta credibilidad.

Las escenas de lucha y tiroteos, en general son anticlimaticas y estan pobremente coreografiadas. En particular, una muy importante lucha con navajas es tan mala que da risa mas que provocar suspenso.

Finalmente, como es una constante en casi todas las peliculas espanolas, el sonido es malo. Se usa un registro de volumen muy amplio, que va desde actores apenas susurrando en baja intensidad, a partes musicales de volumen mucho mas alto que saturan. Por que este detalle tecnico continua arruinando las peliculas espanolas? No hay buenos tecnicos de sonido en Espana?

En suma, con los recuros y el talento invertidos en esta pelicula, podria haberse logrado un producto final mucho mas atractivo. Una lastima.