Le grand Caruso

I remember seeing The Great Caruso at a Cinema in Melbourne when I was 9 & I've never forgotten it!!!! Unfortunately they don't make movies like that anymore. Ironically that same theatre was where they had the Melbourne Premier of Mario's last film For The First Time on October 7th 1959 the day that Mario Lanza died. I beleive that I speak for most Mario fans around the world, when I say that Mario Lanza was the greatest tenor of them all!!!! I say that with all due respects to Pavartti Carrears & Domingo & many others. I'll never forget you Mario!!!!!

"The Great Caruso" is truly a magnificent movie. Mario Lanza does the role flawlessly, and his singing is in top form. Throughout he is depicted as a thoughtful person who went out of his way to be kind and helpful to others. Like playing Santa Claus the first night on his return to NY after a world tour. Or giving jobs to friends who had fallen on hard times. My favorite scene is where he proposes to Doro, his expressions as he pleads with her to say something, then her saying "I loved you from the first moment you sang." Ann Blyth was beautiful as his love interest. All the operatic production numbers are first-rate. I can easily see why Mario Lanza was so popular.

I suppose it would be too much to expect a studio like MGM to produce a realistic biography of the legendary tenor in 1951--a year when the studio's reputation for glossy technicolor musicals was at an all-time high. They overproduced many a musical with strong star drawing power to fill the Radio City Music Hall with their products--and were certainly aiming to target the widest possible audience for this Caruso story with their new discovery--Mario Lanza.

Lanza's rich lyrical tenor is given a showcase in which to perform both Neapolitan songs and operatic arias and he doesn't disappoint. Casting him as Caruso was a shrewd and clever decision--but the letdown comes in the fictionalized story that bears little resemblance to the true background of the singer. Artificial touches abound--including Ann Blythe as his wife. Nevertheless, since enjoyment of the film depends entirely on whether or not you enjoy the singing talent of Mario Lanza (and his limited acting abilities), you should find this biography a lightweight treatment of Caruso's life--although highly incomplete and sometimes even inaccurate. Perhaps some day there will be a true biography of the singer.

If nothing else, should compel some viewers to explore Caruso's life for the real story. Incidentally, there is a new song, "The Loveliest Night of the Year", which rates utmost respect. The soundtrack is great to listen to--Lanza was in the best of voice at the time of recordings.

I have to admit I didn't find The Great Caruso note-perfect. People have already said as a biopic it is highly fictionalised, and those who say that are right- the story here is not consistent with what really happened. Also the screenplay is somewhat ramshackle and the pacing is a little slow in places.

Flaws aside, The Great Caruso is still a very good film. For starters it is gorgeous to watch. The costumes, sets and cinematography are absolutely amazing and just a feast to the eyes. Even better is the music, the music is like a treasure trove of some of the greatest tenor arias ever written. We have La Donna E Mobile from Rigoletto, Celeste Aida from Aida and Vesti La Giubba from Pagliacci, not to mention the charming The Loveliest Night of the Year beautifully sung by Ann Blyth.

I have little to complain about the performances either. Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten(an underrated singer), Alan Napier, Paul Javor and Jarmila Novotna are all wonderful. I have yet to talk about the best performance, it is easy enough to say that Mario Lanza gave the best performance but vocally and acting-wise. How do you like that? A singing legend portraying another? Lanza is absolutely brilliant, he is in fine voice and wholly believable here, it is such a shame his career was cut so short. You may argue that Caruso and Lanza sound familiar in voice, personally I don't think they do. Whereas Lanza had a rich lyrical voice, Caruso's was somewhat darker and perhaps more dramatic. There is nothing wrong with that, both had naturally beautiful voices that sing all those arias with effortless ease.

Overall, flawed, but well worth seeing for the music and Mario Lanza. You may be disappointed if you are looking for a true historical music lesson, but if you want a biopic with gorgeous visuals and music I think you have met your match in The Great Caruso. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This movie can truly be called life-changing. It certainly changed my life; I was totally ignorant of opera before a chance re-run of this movie introduced me to a whole new musical world. As it turned out, I was in illustrious company. There is not a single contemporary tenor of note who was not inspired by this movie.

Let's be honest from the outset: the movie bears little resemblance to the real Caruso's life, and, yes, it is corny in the grand tradition of Hollywood musicals. But who cares? Lanza's singing is perfection itself, and his vibrant personality overflows in practically every scene. The rest of the cast is good, with top-notch operatic singers Blanche Thebom, Giuseppe Valdengo, et al providing Lanza with some worthy (and rare) vocal support.

Highlights include a superb Vesti la Giubba, a moving Ave Maria and a rapturous Because. In all the movie contains 27 vocal items, with not a dull moment to be found amongst them.

See this movie and revel in a unique vocal talent. In the words of one admirer, Mario Lanza could "outsing the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir", and the movie is a stark reminder of how bland today's singing idols really are. Enrico Caruso, Jr, was one observer who concurred with this view.While the movie overlooked his existence in favor of his half-sister Gloria, Caruso's son had nothing but praise for the man who portrayed his father:

"Mario Lanza was born with one of the dozen or so great tenor voices of the century, with a natural gift for placement, an unmistakable and very pleasing timbre, and a nearly infallible musical instinct conspicuously absent in the overwhelming majority of so-called 'great' singers. His diction was flawless, matched only by the superb Giuseppe di Stefano. His delivery was impassioned, his phrasing manly, and his tempi instinctively right -- qualities that few singers are born with and others can never attain.

"I can think of no other tenor, before or since Mario Lanza, who could have risen with comparable success to the challenge of playing Caruso in a screen biography."

Well said, Enrico Jnr, and viva il grande Lanza!