Carmen may be one of the sexiest films Cecil B. DeMille ever directed. Geraldine Farrar shines as the eponymous Romani temptress who lures a respectable soldier into a life of crime, passion, and murder. Equal parts unabashed and unapologetic, she brings a Devil-May-Care quality to the scenes where she rejects the soldier in favor of the toreador. I honestly have a hard time believing that this film was made and released before The Cheat, quite possibly DeMille's first true triumph as a director. He already demonstrates a superb eye for frame compositions and cinematic language. I found this more compelling than D.W. Griffith's Judith of Bethulia (1914), his first true attempt at a large-scale historical production. Carmen manages to be both sexy and emotionally effective.
8/10
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