Movies Like Porgy and Bess (1959)

Porgy and Bess is a 1959 drama, music, romance film from Otto Preminger with a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Naughty Marietta and The Devil's Brother.

Drama Music Romance

Naughty Marietta

1935

In order to avoid a prearranged marriage, a rebellious French princess sheds her identity and escapes to colonial New Orleans, where she finds an unlikely true love.

5.4

MagicScore

The Devil's Brother

1933

Two wannabe bandits join the service of a dashing nobleman, who secretly masquerades as Fra Diavolo, a notorious outlaw.

6.7

MagicScore

Emilia Pérez

2024

Rita, an underrated lawyer working for a large law firm more interested in getting criminals out of jail than bringing them to justice, is hired by the leader of a criminal organization.

6.5

MagicScore

The Magic Flute

2022

A seventeen year old travels from London to the Austrian Alps to attend the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a centuries-old forgotten passageway into the fantastic world of Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

6.4

MagicScore

The Pirate Movie

1982

Left behind by her friends on a boat trip, contemporary teen Mabel takes pursuit but is knocked unconscious on an island, where she has a dream involving pirates, sisters, a modern major-general, romance, and adventure.

5.1

MagicScore

Newsies

2017

A week in the life of the exploited, child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York. When their publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, tries to squeeze a little more profit out of their labours, they organize a strike, only to be confronted with the Pulitzer's hard-ball tactics.

8.0

MagicScore

Moulin Rouge!

2001

A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.

7.5

MagicScore

Love Never Dies

2012

Set ten years after the events at the Paris Opera House, the Phantom has fled to New York, where he lives amongst the joyrides and freak shows of Coney Island. He has finally found a place for his music to soar, all that is missing is his love Christine Daaé. In a bid to win back her love, the Phantom lures Christine, her husband Raoul, and their young son Gustave from Manhattan, to the glittering and glorious world of Coney Island... they have no idea what lies in store for them...

7.0

MagicScore

Fiddler on the Roof

1971

In a pre-revolutionary Russia, a poor Jewish milkman struggles with the challenges of a changing world as his daughters fall in love and antisemitism grows.

7.7

MagicScore

#10

Yankee Doodle Dandy

1942

A film of the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

Meet Me in St. Louis

1944

Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

7.0

MagicScore

#12

Oklahoma!

1955

In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with a violent ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

On Moonlight Bay

1951

The Winfield family moves into a new house in a small town in Indiana. Tomboy Marjorie Winfield begins a romance with William Sherman who lives across the street. Marjorie has to learn how to dance and act like a proper young lady. Unfortunately William Sherman has unconventional ideas for the time. His ideas include not believing in marriage or money, which causes friction with Marjorie's father, who is the local bank vice president

6.3

MagicScore

#14

The Gypsy Camp Vanishes Into the Blue

1976

This colourful, music-filled and sensual melodrama based on early stories by Maxim Gorky tells the fatal love story between the beautiful and rebellious girl Rada and the handsome horse thief Zobar. The story is set in early 20th century Bessarabia, now part of Moldova, then belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

The Color Purple

2023

A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

The Unsinkable Molly Brown

1964

The buoyant Molly Brown has survived the first crisis of her life—a flood. Sixteen years later she sets out to make her way in the world. She assures the Leadville saloon keeper that she can sing and play the piano, and learns quickly. Soon she marries Johnny Brown, who in a few years will be able to replace the original cigar wrapper wedding ring with a replica in gold and gemstones. The Browns head for Europe and bring a few crowned heads back to Denver for a party that turns into a ballroom brawl. Molly goes to Europe alone, returning on the Titanic. She didn't survive a flood as a baby for the story to end here.

5.5

MagicScore

#17

Carmen

1983

While rehearsing a flamenco ballet adaptation of Bizet's opera “Carmen”, Antonio, the choreographer, falls in love with the main dancer, Carmen, a fiercely independent woman. Antonio is slowly consumed by jealousy and possessiveness towards Carmen, just like Don José in the original opera, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

Carmen: A Hip Hopera

2001

An engaged Philadelphia policeman falls in love with a beautiful woman while dealing with a corrupt superior.

6.2

MagicScore

#19

Charleston Parade

1927

Shot in three days, this surreal, erotic silent short shows a native white girl teaching a futuristic African airman the Charleston dance.

5.8

MagicScore

#20

The Pirates of Penzance

1983

As a young child, Frederic had been apprenticed to a pirate by mistake when he should have been apprenticed to a pilot. Now, having reached his 21st year, Frederic's indentures are at last over and he happily leaves the service of the pirates. When Frederic meets the beautiful Mabel, one of the many daughters (or wards in Chancery) of Major-General Stanley, they fall in love and decide to marry. However, complications arise when the pirates decide to marry the rest of the Major-General's daughters, themselves - and Frederic's birthdate turns out to be not all it seems.

6.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Porgy and Bess?

The top films similar to Porgy and Bess by MovieMagicScore are Naughty Marietta (5.4), The Devil's Brother (6.7), Emilia Pérez (6.5). Each shares drama/music/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Porgy and Bess worth watching?

Porgy and Bess holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10 from 24 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Porgy and Bess?

Porgy and Bess (1959) is a drama, music, romance film directed by Otto Preminger, starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr..

Where can I find more recommendations like Porgy and Bess?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Naughty Marietta Movies like The Devil's Brother Movies like Emilia Pérez Movies like The Magic Flute Movies like The Pirate Movie Movies like Newsies

About movies like Porgy and Bess

This ranked list pairs Porgy and Bess (1959), a drama and music and romance film from Otto Preminger, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Sidney Poitier take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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