The Great Caruso (1951) User Reviews

Romanticized biography of great opera star

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 11 October 2007]

Mario Lanza, of course, is "The Great Caruso" in this 1951 film also starring Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Eduard Franz and Ludwig Donath. This is a highly fictionalized biography of the legendary, world-renowned tenor whose name is known even today.

The film is opulently produced, and the music is glorious and beautifully sung by Lanza, Kirsten, Judmila Novotna, Blanche Thebom, and other opera stars who appeared in the film. If you're a purist, seeing people on stage smiling during the Sextet from "Lucia" will strike you as odd - even if Caruso's wife Dorothy just had a baby girl. Also it's highly unlikely that Caruso ever sang Edgardo in Lucia; the role lay too high for him.

In taking dramatic license, the script leaves out some very dramatic parts of Caruso's life. What was so remarkable about him is that he actually created roles in operas that are today in the standard repertoire, yet this is never mentioned in the film. These roles include Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur and Dick Johnson in "Girl of the Golden West," There is a famous photo of him posing with a sheet wrapped around him like a toga. The reason for that photo? His only shirt was in the laundry. He was one of the pioneers of recorded music and had a long partnership with the Victor Talking-Machine Company (later RCA Victor). He was singing Jose in Carmen in San Francisco the night of the earthquake.

Instead, the MGM story basically has him dying on stage during a performance of Martha, which never happened. He had a hemorrhage during "L'Elisir d'amore" at the Met and could not finish the performance; he only sang three more times at the Met, his last role as Eleazar in La Juive. What killed him? The same thing that killed Valentino - peritonitis. His first role at the Met was not Radames in Aida, as indicated in the film, but the Duke in Rigoletto. So when it says on the screen "suggested by Dorothy Caruso's biography of her husband," that's what it was - suggested. What is true is that Dorothy's father disowned her after her marriage, and left her $1 of his massive estate. They also did have a daughter Gloria together (who died at the age of 79 on 10/7/2007). However, Caruso had four other children by a mistress before he married Dorothy.

Some people say that Lanza's voice is remarkably like Caruso's, but just listen to Caruso sing in the film "Match Point" -- Caruso's voice is remarkably unlike Lanza's. In fact, from his sound, had he wanted to, Caruso could have sung as a baritone. He is thought to have had some trouble with high notes, further evidence of baritone leanings; and the role he was preparing when he died was Othello, a dramatic tenor role, which Lanza definitely was not. Lanza's voice deserved not to be compared with another. He made a unique contribution to film history, popularizing operatic music. He sings the music in "The Great Caruso" with a robust energy; he is truly here at the peak of what would be a short career. His acting is natural and genuine. Ann Blyth is lovely as Dorothy and gets to sing a little herself.

Really a film for opera lovers and Lanza fans, which are probably one and the same.

Two great voices make beautiful music

[reve-2 · 7/10 · 16 August 2000]

This is a most handsome film. The color photography is beautiful as it shows the lavishness of the Metropolitan Opera House in brilliant color. Other indoor scenes at various mansions, etc are equally brilliant. As for the music, what more can be said other than that Lanza's voice was at its' peak as he sang so many of the worlds' best known and beloved arias. The marvelous Dorothy Kirsten is also a joy as her soprano voice blends with that of Lanza in delightful harmony. Of course, Hollywood took their customary liberties with the life story of Caruso. There is precious little in the story line that relates to actual events. For example, the facts relating to his death are totally fabricated and bear no relationship to the truth. There are some very good web sites that tell the true story of Caruso and contain several pictures of him. These web sites can be located by using any good search engine. There are also several books available concerning his life history. But, the fictional story line does nothing to mar this beautiful film. The voices of Lanza, Kirsten, and the chorus members are the real stars of this movie. Enjoy, I know that I sure did.

Not 100% perfect, but an absorbing and visually sumptuous biopic, with superb music and one singing great playing another

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 13 June 2010]

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

Magnificent Mario at his best!

[BobLib · 23 September 1999]

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.

The life of Caruso gets the full MGM treatment...both for good and for bad.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 24 March 2022]

"The Great Caruso" is a film that I am glad I hadn't watched until now. This is because only recently have I learned to appreciate opera and after attending several, I was ready to appreciate a movie about opera much more than I might have been a decade ago. Now this does not mean you must love opera to enjoy the film...but it is a tough sell if you aren't an opera fan.

Because the film was made by MGM in 1951, it isn't surprising that the film gets the full, glossy MGM treatment...with bright Technicolor, a very nice and capable cast and it looks great.

Now this is not to say the film is perfect. As a history teacher, I realized early on that the story on the screen was NOT exactly the real life of Caruso. Too often, films take great liberties in order to make the story more cinematic...and in this case the Caruso family even sued (successfully) because the details were often wrong in the movie. I did some reading and a HUGE problem with the film is that it ignores a long-lasting unmarried relationship which produced four children and is never mentioned in the movie!! The general gist is correct...and even Caruso's son (from this previous relationship) later admitted that he loved the film.

Mario Lanza is quite good in the lead and it's probably his best or one of his best films. He's also likable and it's a real shame he died so young, as he is excellent here.

Overall, well worth watching, particularly if you like opera, but not exactly Caruso's real life biography...more a glossy, MGM-style version of it.

Nothing but fake biopic

[jgcorrea · 6/10 · 25 November 2019]

The production, in Technicolor, is in vibrant MGM style. The songs -thankfully there are plenty of them - are classic, from "Celeste Aida" sung by Mario Lanza to Dorothy Kirsten's version of Victor Herbert's "Sweethearts." On the minus side, there's every single biopic-made commonplace silliness inserted into the script. Richard Thorpe directed all this in an analogous cliched anti-style. Caruso, according to this biography, was but a naive troubadour who lost his heart on the very first day he reached romantic New York. Shouldn't something more imaginative have been concocted instead?

My objections concern Dorothy KIrsten

[richard-1787 · 7/10 · 1 March 2024]

The previous 30 reviews focus on Lanza's singing - glorious to my ears - and the historical inaccuracy of the script - yes, it's pure hokum, full of clichés that were old even in 1951.

Yes, Lanza is sometimes sloppy in the operatic arias. But even there - especially there, actually - his diction is crystal clear, and he clearly knew what he was singing about. In the popular songs - Because, Mattinata, etc. - he's a unadulterated joy to listen to. A big, full voice, with warmth and life.

My major problem with this movie - and I've seen it several times now, over the years - is the casting of Dorothy Kirsten in what is, despite the billing, the real female lead. She was an ok, by-the-books singer, but her voice sounds so pale next to Lanza's. And her acting is certainly nothing to write home about.

I wish, instead, that MGM had found another singer for that role. She really flattens every scene she appears in.

I understand MGM would have wanted someone with clear English. She should also have had something of Lanza's life and fire, totally lacking in Kirsten. Ideal but unavailable would have been someone like Rosa Ponselle, who had retired 15 years before, or Grace Moore, who had been killed in a plane crash just a few years before. Roberta Peters, lively and vivacious, might have worked, though some of the numbers would have to have been changed for her. No Aida, for example. Or perhaps Patrice Munsel, with the same caveat. Perhaps even an older American soprano who took a motherly interest in Caruso, since there is not supposed to be any romantic connection. Then perhaps Ponselle could have been coaxed out of retirement. She was only 54 in 1951.

But someone other than Kirsten.

The Centerpiece of Mario Lanza's Career

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 5 June 2006]

Since musicals have both gone out of fashion and are incredibly expensive to make without all the talent needed to make one under contract to a studio, I doubt we will ever get a real life story of Enrico Caruso.

But if everything else was in place it was no accident that no Hollywood studio attempted the task until Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had Mario Lanza under contract. No one else could have done it, I doubt whether it will ever be tried again.

And why should it. I think Enrico Caruso himself would have been satisfied as to how his singing was portrayed on screen. For his tenor voice was his life, his reason for being on the earth.

To say that liberties were taken with his life is to be modest. Caruso, like the man who portrayed him, was a man of large appetites although with a lot more self discipline. He had numerous relationships with several women and fathered two out of wedlock sons who are not in this film.

His contribution to the recording industry is treated as almost an afterthought. He's shown in a recording studio once late in his life. Actually he started recording right around the turn of the last century and together with Irish tenor John McCormack for RCA Victor made the recording industry what it became.

When Caruso and McCormack were at their heights you had to practically inherit a ticket to see either of them perform live. But a lot of immigrant Italian and Irish families had a phonograph and a record or three of either of these men. It's why both became the legends that they are.

What the film does have is some beautifully staged operatic arias done by Mario Lanza, a taste of what he might have become had he the discipline of a Caruso to stick to opera. The Great Caruso won an Oscar for sound recording and received nominations for costume and set design.

Mario himself helped popularize the film with an RCA Red Seal album of songs from The Great Caruso. Unfortunately due to contractual obligations we couldn't get an actual cast album with Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, and Jarmila Novotna also.

Though Blyth sang it in the film, Lanza had a big hit recording of The Loveliest Night of the Year further helping to popularize The Great Caruso.

If you're looking for a life of Enrico Caruso, this ain't it. If you are looking for a great artist singing at the height of his career, than you should not miss The Great Caruso.

A Highly Fictionalized Biography of Enrico Caruso

[belcanto26 · 5/10 · 31 August 2006]

To begin with, this film, whatever its weaknesses, was largely responsible for many young people buying operatic recordings in the early 1950's. Lanza, of course, had a great, though uncultivated operatic voice, and his lack of lengthy formal training is obvious who anyone who knows what real operatic singing is supposed to sound like. Yes, he certainly had the range, power, and volume to sing every opera represented in this film, but his singing is far from polished or "finished". But no matter. He hit with a tremendous impact, and MGM made the most of it. The film itself really does not at all stick to the facts about Enrico Caruso. Caruso, certainly the greatest tenor of his time, died in Naples in 1920 after a somewhat lingering illness. The film opts for a more Hollywood-type ending. Lanza, moreover, was only a minimally competent actor, and, needless to say, his greatest moments are when he's singing Puccini, Donizetti, etc. Ann Blyth makes a positive account of herself as his wife Dorothy, and the celebrated Metropolitan Opera soprano Dorothy Kirsten actually comes off convincingly as a celebrated soprano who sang with Caruso (Lanza) in most of his Met performances. The operatic scenes are reasonably well done (by Hollywood standards), but as a biographical document of Caruso ----- it's neither accurate nor minimally plausible. I am sure that this film was lauded with great acclaim upon the time of it's release, but today, is just ends up being a nice two hours of entertainment ----- though it stands as a good testimony to the potential that Lanza had as a great tenor ------ a potential that was never realized. This was a great voice that could have been an operatic talent of the century had Hollywood not intervened and ruined it.

Lanza's Masterpiece - A Perfect Biography of Caruso

[vitaleralphlouis · 9/10 · 7 October 2005]

THE GREAT CARUSO was the biggest hit in the world in 1951 and broke all box office records at Radio City Music Hall in a year when most "movergoers" were stay-at-homes watching their new 7" Motorola televisions. Almost all recent box office figures are false --- because they fail to adjust inflation. Obviously today's $10 movies will dominate. In 1951 it cost 90c to $1.60 at Radio City; 44c to 75c first run at Loew's Palace in Washington DC, or 35c to 50c in neighborhood runs. What counts is the number of people responding to the picture, not unadjusted box office "media spin." The genius of THE GREAT CARUSO was that the filmmakers took most of the actual life of Enrico Caruso (really not a great story anyway) and threw it in the trash. Instead, 90% of the movie's focus was on the music. Thus MGM gave us the best living opera singer MARIO LANZA doing the music of the best-ever historic opera singer ENRICO CARUSO. The result was a wonderful movie. Too bad LANZA would throw his life and career away on overeating. Too fat to play THE STUDENT PRINCE, Edmund Purdom took his place --- with Lanza's voice dubbed in, and with the formerly handsome and not-fat Lanza pictured in the advertising. If you want to see THE GREAT CARUSO, it's almost always on eBay for $2.00 or less. Don't be put off by the low price, as it reflects only the easy availability of copies, not the quality of the movie.

A tenor for your thoughts

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 10 July 2017]

If you did not know much about the Great Caruso before you watched this film, you will be none the wiser after this film.

It really is a bread and butter straightforward romanticised and fictionalised film starring Mario Lanza, filmed in the Hollywood backlot. The film has little to do with Caruso's life.

If you want operatic singing and hear Lanza's voice then this is the film for you. I was underwhelmed.

Extraordinary experience

[paul-reichberg · 28 July 2004]

I was 12 living in the coastal industry city of Luleå. I had never heard of Opera. My father was a movie projectionist. One evening i happened to see The Great Caruso. It was a breathtaking experience deep into my body. I was caught for ever by opera and I remember the deep sadness I felt in 1959 when my idol Mario Lanza died (similar to my sons feelings some 30 years later when John Lennon was killed). I have the Video and I have seen it many times on TCM Cabel TV - The Great Caruso will stay forever as the film that opened my eyes and emotions for music in general and opera in particular. Thank You MGM, Caruso but in particular thank You Mario Lanza.

Be My Love

[willrams · 9/10 · 26 December 2002]

Yes, Be My Love was Mario Lanza's skyrocket to fame and still is popular today. His voice was strong and steady, so powerful in fact that MGM decided to use him in The Great Caruso. Lanza himself thought he was the reincarnation of Caruso. Having read the book by Kostelanitz who wrote a biography of Lanza, he explains that the constant practise and vocal lessons became the visionary Caruso to Lanza. There is no doubt that Lanza did a superb job in the story, but the story is not entirely true; blame it on Hollywood! I used to practise singing his songs years ago, and became pretty good myself until I lost my voice because of emphysema/asthma ten years ago. Reaching the high note of Be My Love is not easy; but beautiful!

Most abrupt movie ending ever

[evening1 · 5/10 · 1 March 2024]

I liked this inaccurate biopic best for its earliest scenes of Enrico Caruso, showing off his stirring tenor and high C's.

As wonderful as the many snippets of arias are, the plot here is monotonous, as we follow Caruso (Mario Lanza) around the globe, hopscotching across top opera-house stages.

Lanza's voice is impressive, but I tired of his persona, and things got worse when he coupled with his one-note, simpering inamorata, Dorothy (Ann Blyth). They lack chemistry!

Basically, what we have here is a playlist for the talents of Lanza. I particularly enjoyed his solitaire-playing "la donne e mobile" from Carmen.

The "ether" angle is interesting, but scarcely explored.

I was raised on opera, and helped to like it from an early age. I'm not sorry I saw this, but I expected more.

Still moving after 60 years!

[kealy-234-679694 · 9/10 · 7 January 2012]

I was 8 years old when "The Great Caruso" came out in 1951. I saw it again yesterday and was amazed at how vividly I remember much of it. I was already listening to opera at that age, passively at least, as my mother always listened to the Metropolitan Opera Saturday broadcasts, but this was the first time I *saw* what opera was all about. It began my lifelong love of opera. I loved Mario Lanza when I was a kid and I still do.

I don't really have anything to add to the other good reviews here. I do have a correction to one, though. "Blanche-2" in a review of October 7, 2007, says: "Also it's highly unlikely that Caruso ever sang Edgardo in Lucia; the role lay too high for him." He did, though. A check of the Metropolitan Opera Archives (http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm -- search "Caruso, Enrico") reveals that Caruso sang 17 performances of "Lucia" between 1904 and 1906. He sang 863 performances at the Met between 1903 and 1920, consisting mostly of the roles one would expect for his type of voice. However, from 1903 to 1906 he sang several bel canto roles, usually assigned to a more lyric tenor voice: Elisir d'amore, Favorita, Lucia (Donizetti) and even two performances of La Sonnambula (Bellini), and even Bizet's "Pearlfishers" (1916), a very high-lying role. The only one of these he kept in his repertoire was Elisir, of which he sang only the first act on Dec. 11, 1920. He suffered a hemorrhage and the rest of the performance was canceled. His last Met performance was in "La Juive" on Dec. 24, 1920.

When I read the Met archives, what surprised me was how often he sang during the Met seasons, often every three or four days, and not just in one or two operas. And this was just the Met. I intend to do some more research into where else he sang and how often. What an amazing career! He seems not to have rested much.

In closing, Wikipedia characterizes his voice as follows: "Caruso's voice extended up to high C in its prime and grew in power and weight as he grew older. He sang a broad spectrum of roles, ranging from lyric, to spinto, to dramatic parts, in the Italian and French repertoires. In the German repertoire, Caruso sang only two roles, Assad (in Karl Goldmark's The Queen of Sheba) and Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, both of which he performed in Italian in Buenos Aires in 1899 and 1901 respectively."

Biopic of Enrico Caruso

[HotToastyRag · 4/10 · 19 May 2019]

It might have been an inside joke, but when Ann Blyth's character in The Great Caruso says she can't sing, I couldn't help but cringe. When she finally does sing, one song close to the end, she beams and announces she's been practicing. Even if her real-life counterpart couldn't sing her way out of a paper bag, the movie was a fictionalized account, so couldn't they let her show off her beautiful voice?

If you're looking to hear Ann's singing voice, check out Kismet. If you love Mario Lanza, this movie is for you. He gets to portray Enrico Caruso, his idol, in a biopic that traces his humble beginnings in Italy to a world-famous opera singer. Filled with nearly wall-to-wall singing, you'll be in heaven if he's your favorite singer. "La Donna e Mobile", "Celeste Aida", and "Che Celida Manina" are among the selections he gets to perform, in a varied setting, from rehearsals to performances to recording studios. Once you're finished with this one, check out The Toast of New Orleans!

The Perfect Introduction to Opera

[derekmcgovern · 5 February 2003]

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!

The Great Lanza

[verna-a · 9/10 · 4 June 2020]

Opera star Caruso's life story is the part that Mario Lanza says he was born to play, and there is no doubt he brought a great deal to the part. Having acknowledged that there is a real person behind this biopic, it does not raise a great deal of interest in Caruso and there is the barest nod to some of the facts of his life. The movie gives the opportunity for Lanza to sing, and sing superlatively. Not only that, but he was never more handsome, vivacious and charming. This film garnered him a huge following, especially in Europe and as far as Russia where there is not such a degree of reverse snobbery about serious singing as there is in the US and some other western countries (eg my own country, Australia). Getting back to the movie, it is light and entertaining. Ann Blyth is pretty and gentle as the love interest, Dorothy Kirsten contributes to the singing, and nobody else is of much importance. There is life, success and happiness, with some pathos towards the end although Caruso's illness and death are fortunately not too realistic. The secret to enjoying this film to the full is to watch it a couple of times, so your interest in the story decreases and you can focus on the singing. And what singing. Fantastic vocal utterance goes without question, but it repays to watch Lanza closely. Not only his renowned hand expression, but his face! Some words are accompanied by as many as four distinctly different facial expressions. There are eye flashes and slides, brow lifts and frowns, mouth mobility and momentary slight smiles at the joy of what he is doing. Once you start appreciating this, you'll never regard Lanza in the same way again. What a performer, in every respect! Here we all are, playing our Lanza CDs without thinking about how much more the filmed performances have to offer. If only the slings and arrows of Hollywood moguls and the attacks of the American press had not truncated his film career, how much more we would have to treasure. I'll never stop watching "The Great Caruso".

Lanza at his best

[mila-11 · 10/10 · 3 October 1999]

The Great Caruso displays the unique talents of Mario Lanza. He shows great acting capacity and is in top form as a lyrical singer, paired with Dorothy Kirsten, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera. Indeed, I dare to say that he performs some songs better than Caruso (check A'Vuchella from Tosti and La Danza from Rossini). The MGM art and music departments also did a good job. This movie could be perfect, were it not for the awkward presence of Ann Blyth; we see that she is trying her best, dressed in the fifties style in scenes just before 1920 - unforgivable. Lanza deserved a better leading lady, and Blyth should stick to less demanding productions. Also notice that Ms. Kirsten sings most of the opera duets of the film with Lanza, giving the wrong notion that Caruso had a kind of permanent leading soprano.

engaging opera biography

[didi-5 · 21 May 2004]

By far the best thing about 'The Great Caruso' is not its stodgy script or its slightly silly plot (not very likely that much of this equates to the true story of Enrico Caruso, the first opera star to have his voice immortalised for all time), but the first rate singing throughout. Mario Lanza of course was a great asset to MGM through the late 1940s and early 1950s, with a fabulous voice and an attractive personality on the screen. This film also gives us the opportunity to see the lovely Dorothy Kirsten, who seems to have made very few films, and a sweet performance from Ann Blyth as the main love interest for Caruso.

We watch the young Enrico (played with charm by Peter Edward Price) grow into an enterprising young man who realises his voice is potentially his fortune. As the young talent flourishes and develops we follow his rise to fame through to his eventual inevitable ending. I didn't get much sense that the character we were seeing in this film was 'Caruso'; having heard his recordings he projected a very different personality than that we see in Lanza; still, this production is entertaining enough.

Mario Lanza' Best

[LeonardKniffel · 8/10 · 13 April 2020]

Another musical from MGM, this one is probably Mario Lanza's best film and one of the most interesting film biographies ever. Watch this film knowing that Mario Lanza contributed greatly to making opera more popular in America. Here he portrays the great opera star Enrico Caruso. This film is so Italian, so Catholic, it will amaze you that it got made in the 1950s, and how can you not marvel at that voice? Bonus: There are echoes of this film more than 40 years later in "Evita," especially the beginning where Caruso's mother dies. Mario Lanza was a phenomenal success for a short time, but he left a film legacy worth learning about. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

the finest

[jonlebo · 10/10 · 21 March 2005]

I have to agree with MR. Caruso Jr Lanza,s was the finest voice god had to offer if only he could have found the courage to go for broke leave Hollywood and head for the opera he could have been the American Caruso everyone says he could have been but in any case he is a fantastic introduction to the art form no bones about it and if thats the way its gonna be so be it. see the film you'll see why Mr Lanza still come up in discussion even in my house. Someone says Pavarotti i say MARIO LANZA.As for the film itself when will it be on DVD they must have it restored and VHS isn't good enough but this should also be the only Lanza film put on DVD the others are down right bad and boring .

Lanza's greatest role...highly fictionalized biography...

[Doylenf · 17 May 2001]

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.

The Great Mario Laza playing Caruso

[rnhealer · 8/10 · 25 December 2021]

Mario Lanza is said to have outsung Enrico Caruso, who billed as the greatest ltenor of all time. He was, until Lanza came along. He sang with more passion than Caruso and instead of an opera career got caught up by the glamour of Hollywood, which destoryed his life. This film is dedicated to the great Mario Lanza. It may not have been a shining success, but it was h shining moment.

"A man thinks he owns a voice, but the voice owns him. Whenever he wants to be somewhere, the voice requires him to be somewhere else."

[TxMike · 16 August 2001]

"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.