Carmen is set in Seville, Spain, around 1820, and concerns the eponymous Carmen, a beautiful gypsy with a fiery temper. Free with her love, she woos the corporal Don José, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads to his rejection of his former love, mutiny against his superior, and joining a gang of smugglers. His jealousy when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo leads him to murder Carmen. Carmen reflects the mood of the nineteenth-century Europe where people shows strong interest to exotic scenes. Author of Carmen intends to describe the temptation and conflict caused by the meeting of different cultures. Since 1875, it has been made of more than 50 film adaptations.
《卡门》反映了19世纪欧洲人对外邦情调和异域风情的浓厚兴趣。故事发生在西班牙南部的安达卢西亚，为故事所体现的欧洲文化和吉普赛文化冲突提供了丰富多彩的背景。吉普赛民族在欧洲饱受歧视，却被大众文艺所浪漫化。梅里美在《卡门》中从不同层次探讨了不同文化相遇既会带来诱惑又会造成冲突这一主题。自1875年以来，已经有50余部基于本作品改编的电影上映，其中一些也改编自乔治·比才的歌剧。
