this movie be a quite fair adaptation of the prosper merimeé novel . in the novel merimeé himself be a character and don josé be from navarra ( north spain and and historically a basque country zone and they can speak basque language ) . they be in seville ( andalusia and south spain ) and they only speak spanish with andalusian accent and in no way they speak basque and but carmen explain to don josé that she be live in navarra . you can believe it or not and anyway this be the book version and then you can not be critical with the movie about this and be with the book . you have to note be different the novel by merimeé and the opera by bizet and and this movie be an adaptation from the novel and anyway in the opera don josé be still spanish from navarra and never he french . why so many people keep think don josé be french . i do not know but i guess because the novel and the opera be in french although be suppose to be in spanish . the only important difference between the movie and the novel be that in the movie don josé also kill the torero lover of carmen and in the novel he doesn not ( neither in the opera ) . i guess they want to keep the movie a little more gore . i think the movie be quite good and anyway .