★ 7 / 10
I thought Richard Thorpe always managed to present
CinemaSerf
I thought Richard Thorpe always managed to present these semi-sumptuous dramas quite well, and here - despite the rather simpering presence of Ann Blyth, he…
I thought Richard Thorpe always managed to present these semi-sumptuous dramas quite well, and here - despite the rather simpering presence of Ann Blyth, he does manage to encapsulate effectively the rags to riches story of acclaimed tenor Enrico Caruso (Mario Lanza). Nobody cared much for the man's skills at home in Napoli - coming from a typically large family and expected to make a living with his hands rather than his voice. That all changed in his early twenties when he got a break singing in a small-time opera. This led to him gradually working his way up the bill until he was regularly entertaining the great and the good across Europe and the in the United States. Despite already having some children at home, he marries the well-heeled Dorothy (Blyth) and things look set fair for a successful and fulfilling family life. Except - well, history takes an hand in things and we know that happened in the end. Lanza delivers engagingly as the charismatic Caruso and there's an amiable collection of familiar faces in support as we do rather superficially cram in twenty five years of life into an hour and three quarters. Of course, that means that elements of the characterisations are skirted over and the presentation of the man and his ascendency is quite shallow, but what this does do is introduce the audience to an array of beautiful music. From Verdi to Puccini, it serves as an acceptable beginner's guide to some great stories with some equally memorable accompanying arias - all from Lanza himself. It's was always going to be an hard project to pull off, but with a bit of humour and a swathe of grandly costumed orchestrations then we are left with some idea of just how famous and popular this man and his work was.
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Magnificent Mario at his best!
BobLib
Let me just say this, and then feel free to comment: I truly don't think that the late, great Mario Lanza ever had a better cinematic vehicle for his talents…
Let me just say this, and then feel free to comment: I truly don't think that the late, great Mario Lanza ever had a better cinematic vehicle for his talents than "The Great Caruso." His larger than life personality and magnificent voice were never better served than here.Like Caruso before him, and long before the Three Tenors and Andrea Bocelli, Lanza became THE tenor superstar of his generation. If there is anyone who wants to know why, just listen to him sing some of the magnificent arias in this film. "Cielo e Mar," "E Lucevan le stelle," and especially his matchless "Vesti la Giubba," are evidence enough that Lanza could, indeed, have become bigger than Caruso, had not his excesses caught up with him at such a young age.I have just a couple of negative comments to insert here. First, the plot, while it makes for a good story, actually has very little to do with Caruso's life (Read Enrico Caruso Jr.'s "Caruso: My Father and My Family" for a good, readable biography. He even compliments Lanza and his performance!). For one thing, Caruso didn't die on stage, but several months after that last performance at the Metropolitan. Second, the "Italian" mannerisms in this movie are straight out of the Henry Armetta/"Life with Luigi" school, stereotyped to the hilt.But, given the overall scheme of things, these are relatively minor complaints. As to the rest, I say that, for those of you who've never heard Lanza and wonder why he was so great, this film will give you ample proof. For those of you who were there when Lanza was in his prime, here's a chance to live it all over again. A great film, and a matchless tribute to TWO of the legendary voices of our time.
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