YMMV / Carmen

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• Adaptation Displacement: 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 has 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.
• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Carmen can be either seen as a strong, independent and willed woman or a mindless hedonistic bimbo led by her hormones, depending on viewer. There's also the circumstances regarding the story: is Carmen really in love with Don José or Escamillo? Does her leaving Don José provoke his jealousy, or does his jealousy provoke her leaving him?
  • Don Jose is viewed as either a helpless victim of Love Makes You Evil or a violent individual who engages in Domestic Abuse in the first place.
• Awesome Music: Pretty much the entire score by Geroges Bizet. Of particular note are the Prelude to Act 1, "Toreador", and "Habanera".
• Broken Base: The Cristiano Chiarot's production at Florence's Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino changes the ending so Carmen does not die; rather, she gets a gun and shoots Don Jose. 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 (particularly women being killed by jealous ex-lovers, a major problem in Italy) was a large part in the revision. However, others pointed out that it ignores major plot points, such as the fact that Carmen, upon reading the tarot cards, sees death for herself and her lover, in that order. Screw Destiny or Ass Pull?
• It Was His Sled: Carmen is murdered by her ex-boyfriend.
• Moment of Awesome: The final-act duet between Carmen and Don José, during which Carmen stands up to Don José — even after she knows that he will most likely kill her if she doesn't leave Escamillo for him. In other words, she leaves him for Escamillo and refuses to let Don José take her back simply Because Destiny Says So.
• Signature Song: "Habanera" and "Toreador Song".
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Due to the fact that she Really Gets Around, Carmen is meant to be viewed as a typical Roguish Romani. Nowadays, however, Carmen gains more sympathy points thanks to Values Dissonance, sympathy for women who suffer Domestic Abuse.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Don José. He is tragic, yes, but he's still responsible for his own actions due to his own jealousy and possessiveness. Yet, many productions of the opera seem to expect viewers to blame Carmen for everything he does and treats him like a hapless victim rather than his own person. Cristiano Chariot, who oversaw the 2018 Florence production, was concerned that Don José's killing of Carmen would lead to real-life Crazy Jealous Guys to commit similar crimes, which influenced his own take on it.
• Values Dissonance: Carmen's portrayal as a Hot Gypsy Woman, Femme Fatale, and criminal draws on a lot of old racist stereotypes of Romani women, and at least a few modern productions try to make Carmen more sympathetic and less stereotypical. But at the time it was written, even depicting Roma in the opera was controversial.
• Vindicated by History: 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 beloved operas of all time.

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