History YMMV / Carmen

* BrokenBase: The revised ending of the 2018 production[[note]]For the unaware, [[spoiler:Carmen does not die here; rather, she gets a gun and shoots Don Jose]][[/note]] introduces. Seeing that the opera hasn't had any major changes for centuries, it certainly drew a lot of buzz. Some praised the concept of it, given the campaign to protest violence against women was a large part in the revision. However, others felt like it just makes Carmen a huge KarmaHoudini; despite the tragedy of the ending, Carmen was still largely a manipulative and toxic person for Don Jose to be around, and to see her [[spoiler:not only shoot Don Jose herself, but walk away from the story largely unscathed]] seems to ignore the consequences of her actions.

* RonTheDeathEater: The controversial 2018 Florence production seems to judge Don José on the basis of the opera's grim finale alone, depicting him as a domestic abuser from the beginning. Never mind that Don José was actually a NiceGuy at the start of the opera, ''and'' that Carmen herself [[LoveMakesYouEvil was responsible for his]] FaceHeelTurn.

** To be fair, you can understand the intentions behind this production, which was staged in Florence. But this can be seen as an example of PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad. Already, people are [[https://slippedisc.com/2018/01/now-for-a-carmen-with-a-feminist-ending/ jokingly coming up with their own "PC" endings of many other operas]].

* EsotericHappyEnding: The ending of the 2018 Florence production where Carmen kills Don Jose instead of the other way around. See BrokenBase above.

* EsotericHappyEnding: The ending of the 2018 Florence production. See BrokenBase above.

* BrokenBase: The revised ending the 2018 production[[note]]For the unaware, [[spoiler:Carmen does not die here; rather, she gets a gun and shoots Don Jose]][[/note]] introduces. Seeing that the opera hasn't had any major changes for centuries, it certainly drew a lot of buzz. Some praised the concept of it, given the campaign to protest violence against women was a large part in the revision. However, others felt like it just makes Carmen a huge KarmaHoudini; despite the tragedy of the ending, Carmen was still largely a manipulative and toxic person for Don Jose to be around, and to see her [[spoiler:not only shoot Don Jose herself, but walk away from the story largely unscathed]] seems to ignore the consequences of her actions.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Everyone knows the opera but few have read the novella by Prosper Mérimée the opera was based upon. The novella itself is quite different from the opera, narrated in flashback, and generally having weak characterization. While the author was quite well regarded in his age, the Carmen novella was seen as one of his minor works while Bizet and the librettists made the characters more complex, more developed and added in key supporting characters like Escamillo and Micaela who aren't in the story. So perhaps a JustifiedTrope.

* BrokenBase: The revised ending the 2018 production[[note]]For the unaware, [[spoiler:Carmen does not die here; rather, she gets a gun and shoots Don Jose]][[/note]] introduces. Seeing that the opera hasn't had any major changes for centuries, it certainly drew a lot of buzz. Some praised the concept of it, given the campaign to protest violence against women was a large part in the revision. However, others felt like it just makes Carmen a huge KarmaHousini; despite the tragedy of the ending, Carmen was still largely a manipulative and toxic person for Don Jose to be around, and to see her [[spoiler:not only shoot Don Jose herself, but walk away from the story largely unscathed]] seems to ignore the consequences of her actions.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Everyone knows the opera but few have read the novella by Prosper Mérimée the opera was based upon.

* SleeperHit: Nowadays it's recognised as one of the all-time great operas, but ''Carmen'' famously opened to great indifference in 1875, with the promoter struggling even to ''give away'' tickets. Bizet died without seeing the success it would become.
* VindicatedByHistory: It was critically and publicly reviled upon its premiere, because of the questionable moral choices made by the main characters. Bizet died thinking it was a failure. It is now one of the most famous and most beloved operas of all time.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretations: Carmen can be either seen as a strong, independent and willed woman or a mindless hedonistic bimbo led by her hormones, depending on viewer.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretations: Carmen can be either seen as a strong, independent and willed woman or a mindless hedonistic bimbo led by her hormones, depending on viewer.

* TheCastShowoff: Whoever plays Carmen must be a great singer ''and'' a good dancer.
** Any guy who plays Escamillo must be a prize show-off: let [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nzsh60MQto Sam Ramey]] show you how it is done.

* AwesomeMusic: "Toreador Song" and "Habanera". They are two of the most overused, parodied opera songs in popular consciousness for a reason.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Everyone knows the opera but few have read the novella by Prosper Mérimée the opera was based upon.

* SleeperHit: Nowadays it's recognised as one of the all-time great operas, but''Carmen'' famously opened to great indifference in 1875, with the promoter struggling even to ''give away'' tickets. Bizet died without seeing the success it would become.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretations: Values Dissonance: Carmen can be either seen as a strong, independent and willed woman or a mindless hedonistic bimbo led by her hormones, depending on viewer.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretations: Values Dissonance: Carmen can be either seen as a strong, independent and willed woman - or a hedonistic mindless bimbo led by her hormones, depending on viewer.

* VindicatedByHistory: It was critically and publicly reviled upon its premiere, because of the questionable moral choices made by the main characters. Bizet died thinking it was a failure. It is now one of the most famous and most beloved operas of all time.

* AdaptationDisplacement: everyone knows the opera but few have read the novella by Prosper Mérimée the opera was based upon.

* VindicatedByHistory: It was critically and publicly reviled upon its premiere, because of the questionable moral choices made by the main characters. Bizet died thinking it (and he) was a failure. It is now one of the most famous and most beloved operas of all time.

* AdaptationDisplacement: everyone knows the opera but few have read the novella by Prosper Mérimée the opera was based upon.