Paul Loosley's Broadway on Film: Porgy and Bess

(Otto Preminger, 1959) In this legendary opera revolving around the African-American residents of a fishing village in South Carolina, Bess, a woman with a notorious history tries to break free from her lover Crown after he is wanted for murder. She then meets Porgy, a crippled man who offers her help and shelter. The first real American opera, 'Porgy and Bess' is said to also be the first musical to portray African-Americans realistically.