For the First Time (1959) User Reviews

Making Up For The Year Of Silence

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 28 February 2008]

Released two months before his demise, For The First Time proved to be Mario Lanza's last film. While it's not the young Lanza in his prime, booming out Be My Love, it's still a good film to go out on. It's a Cinderella type fairy tale of a concert singer/Prince Charming who meets and falls for a deaf girl and spends his time looking to cure her affliction.

One thing For The First Time has going for it are those European locations, especially the fabulous Isle of Capri. Capri is one of those places in the world where you cannot film anything that won't be beautiful. Ranks right up there with the Grecian Isles and Hawaii in that regard. Paramount would also use Capri around the same time for the Clark Gable-Sophia Loren film, It Started In Naples also with gratifying results.

The deaf girl who Lanza falls for precisely because she can't hear him and isn't groupie material is played by German actress Johanna Von Koczian who's had a distinguished career in German cinema to this day. She's billed as 'introducing Johanna Von Koczian' but she's only being introduced here to American audiences. Walter Rilla as the hearing specialist who operates and cures her and Hans Bohnker as Von Koczian's uncle, are also from the German film industry. Most of the rest of the cast is Italian. Of course with the exceptions of Kurt Kaszner as Lanza's manager and Zsa Zsa Gabor as Zsa Zsa under any name.

Mario too is Mario under any name. He always was himself because the audiences came to hear him sing, they didn't expect Hamlet from him. For The First Time has a good mix of classical and popular songs. Highlights are Come Prima which Lanza introduced and which sold a few records for him on RCA Victor Red Seal label and O Sole Mio which he sings at Sandra Giglio's wedding.

Lanza was in training at the time of his death on October 7, 1959 to finally go into grand opera. A hint of what he could have done is in the arias he does from Otello and the triumphal march from Aida which is a great piece of DeMille like spectacle in opera. He's just fabulous in both.

Back in the days of The Odd Couple I remember an episode where Felix says to Oscar he wants the triumphal march from Aida played at his funeral as his casket is paraded seven times around the cemetery before the planting. As an opera lover, I'm sure Felix must have seen For The First Time and was influenced.

If he heard Mario Lanza sing it, it sounds like a plan.

Songfest

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 6 September 2006]

This MGM film showcases the great Mario Lanza, whose untimely death came right after this film was completed. It's a vehicle for the star, who had one of the most powerful tenor voices in the cinema. As such, "For the First Time" is an excuse to present its star in different European settings in a picture that is more of a travelogue than a musical.

Rudolph Mate directed with an eye for the backgrounds being shown. We are taken to that magical island of Capri, then to Salzburg, among other places that go by too quickly. The DVD we watched had a faded look, and one can only guess the original copy had glorious colors.

Mario Lanza plays an opera singer who goes to Capri to stay away from the scandal he caused at the Vienna Opera house for not showing for a performance, when in reality, he was outside entertaining the people that couldn't get inside. In Capri he meets sweet Christa, who happens to be deaf. They fall in love and she will not marry him unless she can hear him. Naturally, like in all fairy tales, everything comes true and everyone is happy at the end.

Mario Lanza has some good moments in the film. He sings arias from Pagliacci, Aida and Othelo, as well as the theme song, "Come prima", in his usual style. Johanna Von Koczian is seen as Christa, the sweet girl who conquers Tonio Costa's heart. Kurt Kasznar plays Tonio's agent.

This is a happy film without any pretensions. It's not Mr. Lanza's best film, but for all his fans it will be something to savor.

Mario's swan song is a pleasant diversion

[jjnxn-1 · 7/10 · 22 September 2013]

Lanza's last film is an enjoyable lightweight concoction with some lovely scenery and the star in glorious voice. The story is a bit hard to swallow but since his films were never the bedrock of reality this one is about par for the course. He performs many songs and as usual those are the strongest parts of the film since Mario was more of a personality than an actor but his part doesn't demand too much of him and he does fine with it. While Lanza sounds wonderful he's not looking his best, probably a result of his hard living ways which of course resulted in his passing shortly after the completion of this film. Someone who is a knockout is Zsa Zsa Gabor, her part is small but she perks up the picture every time she sweeps onto the screen beautifully dressed and oozing a sophistication that would be hard to find today.

Mario's Final Bow

[derekmcgovern · 5 February 2003]

Musically speaking, Lanza's best movies are undoubtedly The Great Caruso, Serenade and For The First Time. The Great Caruso is the most accessible of the three, and also has the best production values. Serenade is a much darker movie, and contains Lanza's most impressive dramatic singing. It does, however, suffer from an uneven script (see my review if you're interested).

Although a much lighter tale, For The First Time is similarly flawed. It contains the most perfectly balanced musical programme of any of the tenor's seven movies, but at the same time suffers from a poorly written script and some sloppy dubbing. As with The Seven Hills of Rome the preceding year, the original script was apparently a good one, but somewhere along the way a sugar coating was added to the story. The result was a highly sentimental tear-jerker with a good deal of banal dialogue.

It's to Lanza's credit, then, that For The First Time transcends its limitations and remains a watchable - and often moving - swansong from a musical giant. It helps that Lanza, just a year before his death, was in superb voice throughout - with one exception that I'll get to in a minute. Here his voice retains the baritonal depth of the Serenade period, but if anything his tenor is even rounder that it had been three years earlier. This is a voice of extraordinary depth and power. The high notes are faultless and retain the brilliance of old, but equally importantly his singing is more controlled and sensitive than in some of his boisterous earlier appearances. It must have helped that the operatic selections were recorded (and filmed) at the Rome Opera House, thus providing the tenor with a more artistic atmosphere than Hollywood could ever have afforded.

The Vesti La Giubba scene is extremely moving, both visually and vocally. Free of distracting histrionics, this is a very different rendition from his slightly hammy earlier performances of the aria. If you never thought Lanza could top his magnificent rendition from The Great Caruso, then be prepared for a big surprise. This is the perfect Canio voice - dark, rich and powerful - and the pathos in Lanza's voice as he sustains the climactic High A on the word "infranto" is all but overwhelming.

The other operatic selections are equally impressive - with the exception of the strained La Donna E Mobile that begins the movie. The Otello Finale, Grand March from Aida, and trio (E Voi Ridete) from Cosi Fan Tutte present an amazingly varied programme, and I can think of no other tenor capable of pulling off both the drama of Verdi and the lightness of Mozart with such effortless panache.

Among the lighter selections, Lanza also sings appealing versions of Come Prima (For The First Time), O Sole Mio, Schubert's Ave Maria, a Bavarian Drinking Song (Hofbrauhaus Song), and the pretty-though-brief O Mon Amour. There is also a tantalising snatch from Grieg's I Love Thee, with Lanza's gleaming tenor ringing out in all its glory.

Physically, he often appears tired, and the unhealthy bags under his eyes betray his failing health. Nevertheless, he looks terrific in certain scenes, and unusually for the tenor his relatively slim appearance remains more or less consistent throughout the movie.

Aside from the movie's vocal strengths, what really saves the film is the tender rapport between Lanza and his delightful co-star, Johanna Von Koczian. Their love for each other, quickly though it develops, seems convincing, and there are moments in which it is hard to believe that Lanza is only acting.

Corny moments aside (and there are plenty of them), For The First Time is a poignant farewell to Lanza, and a vocal feast at that.

For the last time

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 1 February 2015]

Mario Lanza sings and stars in his last film, "For the First Time," which has beautiful music sung against some of the most glorious scenery in the world on the Isle of Capri.

Lanza plays opera star Tonio Costa who is seemingly always in trouble -- on the night of a concert, he doesn't show up and is found standing on a taxi singing for the people who couldn't get into the theater. He seems to have developed a bad reputation along the way. So his manager (Kurt Kasznar) sends him away for a vacation and to straighten himself out. He goes to Capri, and while there, he meets a young deaf woman (Johanna von Koczian). They fall in love, but she refuses to marry him until she can hear him.

The story is sappy, but it's just an excuse for the music. Lanza's voice is much darker here, with the middle voice really opened up. As a singer myself, I will say this normally happens about 15 years after it happened to Lanza. With age, the vocal cords thicken. Many singers find new warmth and power in the middle, while the top notes become more difficult. I attribute these changes in Lanza to his drinking and hard lifestyle, which I suspect included smoking.

At any rate, here he sings "Come Prima," "La Donna e mobile," "Vesti la giubba", the final scene of "Othello", the beginning of the Rigoletto quartet, a partial duet from Cosi fan Tutte, the Triumphant March from Aida, and Neopolitan and Bavarian songs. And with all that, I could have used more.

As usual, the repertoire is strange - you don't give Cosi to a spinto tenore, and you don't give that role to one of Costa's supposed stature, nor should he have been singing Othello. Yes, singers can start out their careers with a lyric Mozart role, and as the voice develops, sing spinto roles - not a month later, but years later -- and possibly end their careers with an Othello, which is a dramatic tenor role, but again, not a month later.

Lanza is bloated in many closeups and wears a suit jacket or a robe the entire movie, apparently to cover weight gain which isn't really that evident.

How many young men did Mario Lanza inspire to take up operatic singing? How many people did he introduce to opera? One can only look at him here and say, what a waste. Since he was living in Rome, he was offered operatic stage roles. Imagine if he had lived to do them. One can only wonder why some gifted people are like fireworks, flaring up and then fading.

The young woman in the movie, Johanna von Koczian, is "introduced" here and a superficial knowledge of movies is enough to tell you she didn't make it in Hollywood. However, she had, and is still having, a wonderful, full career in Germany. Her daughter is an actress as well.

Highly recommended if you love opera and especially for Lanza fans.

lanza's final film

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 21 January 2022]

The sad irony of mario lanza, making a film called for the first time, and it was his very last film. He died the year after filming this. It's a love story between tonio (lanza) and christa ( johanna von koczian). He's a world renowned singer, but she's deaf, and can't hear his singing. They want to get married, but christa refuses to get married until her hearing is repaired. Zsa zsa is gloria, tony's friend. And we assume, sometimes lover. Her role kind of felt penciled in. The patron of the arts. The running gag is that gloria tells every man that he's the one she has been waiting for, all her life. Zsa zsa and her sisters had been in hollywood for about fifteen years at this point, and were known for being seen in high society. Lots of singing by tony. It's pretty good. Comes to a crashing halt when tony has a performance while christa is in the hospital. He finally gets to the hospital, and then sings some more. Jeez. Fans of the opera will probably appreciate it more. Directed by rudolph mate, who was nominated for five oscars, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944,1945. Interesting. They were all for cinematography. Story by andrew solt. According to wikipedia dot org, he owns the entire ed sullivan show library, and worked on several projects with jacques cousteau.

great for fans

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 9 December 2023]

Opera star Tonio Costa (Mario Lanza) is late to his own performance as he sings out in the rainy streets for his adoring fans. He tries to escape to the Italian seaside. Christa (Johanna von Koczian) is a sweet local deaf girl.

I imagine this is a great film for fans of Mario Lanza. He's not the greatest actor, but he is able to coast on his natural charms. I get how he falls for a deaf girl, but she should be less impressed with his singing. She should not be a fan. It's a missed opportunity for him to chase her romantically. The only recognizable face for me is Zsa Zsa Gabor. It's amazing that she's apparently been doing the same accent since then. This is perfectly harmless and the scenery is awesome and I'm sure his fans loved the singing.

An average film, even for Lanza

[richard-1787 · 5/10 · 15 January 2022]

Most of the 14 previous reviewers of this movie were evidently very devoted Lanza fans. Several said it is his best movie - far from it - and most heap lavish praise on it. It's not a bad movie, certainly, but it doesn't deserve all the 8s, 9s, and even 10s they showered on it.

First, it's worth remembering the context of this film. With the success of tv in the early 1950s and its affordability for more and more Americans, Hollywood was left scrambling for ways to draw viewers to movie theaters and away from Milton Berle et al on the small b&w tube. So, they focused on what tv could not then offer: sex (or at least the suggestion of sex: all those Doris Day double entendre movies); color; and wide vistas. (There were no multiplexes. Movie theaters had ONE screen, and it was a lot bigger than those small tv tubes, or many of the movie theater screens you find in multiplexes today.) Hollywood produced endless travelogues in Technicolor and Cinemascope with a plot in front of them. The most famous was Around the World in 80 Days, but there were lots of others. Many of Hollywood's major movies from the 1950s were set in Europe: Gigi, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, An American in Paris, Love in the Afternoon, etc.

For the First Time, in its own way, was one of them. We go from one colorful European locale to the next, always with colorful outdoor shots to set the scene. Lots of local color in places Americans could not yet afford to travel to (Capri). I suspect the Capri wedding scenes must have looked pretty out of date to the residents of Capri even in 1959. There's a lot of cultural stereotyping here. But to Americans who still knew Europe only from the movies - and the stories of all those returned GIs - this would have been yet another installment in what tv could not provide them that they wanted to see.

Lanza is not at his best here. Not because he's somewhat overweight. That bothered Hollywood studio heads years ago. Louis B. Mayer evidently got Judy Garland hooked on drugs in an effort to keep her weight down. Harry Cohn kept after Grace Moore to keep her weight down at Columbia. And so forth. Times have changed, though. While women still get tortured about their weight, Hollywood has finally come to realized that even heavier men can be seen as sexy by the public (James Gandolfini). And while Lanza is certainly stout here, he's an appealing stout who still makes a very convincing romantic lead. If Hollywood - and 1950s movie audiences - could accept much older men with young women (Cary Grant, Humphry Bogart, and Gary Cooper with a decades-younger Audrey Hepburn, for example), we shouldn't have any problems accepting a heavier Lanza with the svelte female lead.

The problem with Lanza for me in this movie is in the operatic scenes, especially the long Otello death scene. His singing is ok, though not at the level of, say, Mario del Monaco. But his "acting," if you can call it that, makes no sense whatsoever. He obviously knew what he was singing; his Italian diction was great. But what he does makes no sense.

Which gets me to another problem here: the way the opera scenes, especially the two longest, the Otello and the Aida, are inserted with no explanation whatsoever. There's no effort at all to integrate these scenes into the movie for the benefit of non-opera fans, who would have constituted the majority of the audience. There is no explanation of what is going on. Those scenes must have looked pretty foolish to them. I imagine that in 1959 even most non-opera goers knew what was going on in "Vesti la giubba", which Lanza does a fine job with, until the last phrase. But something should have been done to integrate the other scenes, to prepare the audiences for them.

And then, why do the male trio from Cosí when Costa is in Salzburg? Mozart has lots of good tenor parts in his operas, with arias that Lanza could have shown in.

The pop songs are forgettable. "Come prima" did nothing for me. Ditto for the German drinking song. (How did the female lead, who was deaf just a day or so before, learn the tune and the words so fast?) "Pineapple picker", clearly designed to give Lanza a chance to compete with Elvis Presley, could have been a lot of fun, but it isn't developed into anything. The Schubert Ave Maria could have been deeply moving, with the outside background chorus like the Miserere in Trovatore, but that isn't developed either.

As for the rest of the movie: there are holes in the plot, and things happen very fast at times. Zsa Zsa Gabor's surprise appearances make less and less sense as the movie goes on. (She does look beautiful, though. A shame she couldn't have been given at least one song.)

In short, I found myself looking to see how much time was left over and over. There just wasn't enough here to hold me.

Mario's Lanza's Greatest movie.

[cathytreks · 10/10 · 16 May 1999]

He was really coming into his own in this film, it was released just before he died in 1959 at the tragically young age of 38, murdered (some say) by the Italian mafia, but most likely a heart attack, But anyway in this movie he could even sing a "calypso/rock n roll" in it with the "pineapple pickers" number, as well as his outstanding operatic music too, He was so truly good and believable in this his last movie, helped by a wonderful supporting cast including Kurt Kasner and Zsa Zsa Gabor that helped him with his role tremendously as Tony Costa, Mario was so handsome, a sexy man Yes, indeed Mario shines through this movie.

His scene where he sings "Come Prima ("For the First Time") is a top moment indeed!, Aside from the movie's vocal strengths, what also helps save the film is the tender love story between Lanza and his delightful co-star, Johanna Von Koczian. Their flowering love for each other quickly though it develops, seems convincing and heartfelt, you believe they do love one another and without question...yes, Mario Lanza will live forever in this motion picture vehicle from the last year of the 1950's!

A Great Voice In A Mediocre Film

[atlasmb · 6/10 · 31 January 2017]

There is a similarity between the films of Elvis Presley and some by Mario Lanza. A young man travels around, singing for people along the way, sometimes surrounded by his adoring fans. There is usually a fistfight, and always a girl. "For the First Time" even includes a dust-up, like a Presley film.

The young lady in this film is a deaf girl Tonio (Maria Lanza) falls in love with. The fact that he is a singing superstar and she cannot hear his voice is a plot point. The fact that the title song is uninspiring is a weak point of the film.

Lanza's career capitalized on his crossover appeal to fans of opera and popular music alike. Here, the viewer gets some of both. But the plot is weak and fails to capitalize on Lanza's tremendous voice. As an actor, Lanza is adequate, but he lacks the ability to engage the audience in drama the way his voice can capture feelings with heart-rending effect.

Lanza's film career was plagued with concerns about his weight, so a brief bit involving a scale is a self-deprecating moment of levity. Not so funny is the fact that this was Lanza's last film and that his girth surely had something to do with it.

A Mario Lanza Must See!

[Jeff-114 · 10/10 · 10 August 1999]

From the beautiful backdrop of Capri, to the enormous, passionate ringing voice of Mario Lanza, this is a must see movie for one and all.

Mario is in wonderful voice, and looks every bit the part of an opera singer hiding incognito. The scene where he sings "Come Prima ("For the First Time") is a showstopper, and you can almost feel the warm sunlight in your face and the salt air in your lungs as you listen to the one true voice known as Mario Lanza, singing to the swooning girls and admiring men. Don't miss this one!

Poignant Swan Song

[ldeangelis-75708 · 7/10 · 9 December 2023]

This was a good story, but also a sad one, as it was Mario Lanza's last film, and hearing that wonderful voice, and knowing that soon it would be silenced (at least here on Earth) makes you want to cry, while smiling at the simple love story that's a backdrop for all the scenes and songs from famous operas.

Johanna von Koczian was sweet as the deaf young woman who falls for the opera star but won't marry him until she can hear him sing. Zsa Zsa Gabor plays the kind of role she's famous for, yet here she has a heart of gold behind all that glitter and glamour. The movie's filmed on Capri, with all its breathtaking scenery, and there are funny moments along with the poignant ones.

If for nothing else, it's worth watching to hear Mario sing (especially "Come Prima"!) So check it out!

Lanza Is Busting Out All Over

[LeonardKniffel · 7/10 · 11 June 2020]

Although burdened with an overly mushy script, this film still bursts with Mario Lanza's talent and joie de vivre. Fortunately he is allowed to sing some great opera arias as well as more popular songs such as "Pineapple Picker" and "The Bavarian Beer Song." Schubert's "Ave Maria" is the topper.

The Age of Mario Lanza

[glciii · 10/10 · 24 November 2006]

For the First Time is a very beautiful movie worthy of a Lanza. We saw it when we were beginning to see the difference between the birds and the bees.¨For the first time, for the first time, I'm in love...¨ After that, all of us pre-teeners were trying to do a Lanza. Ít is extremely hard to find this kind of movie nowadays. The hundreds of million dollars needed to make a movie like this exceeds all our expectations, and the results often leave us frustrated, disgusted and disappointed. Maybe I'm down with Norman Desmond Syndrome, but I prefer the movies of the yesteryear, like this one. It is said that before one kicks the bucket, even if one is sick, one looks good. Eeriely, this is so with Mario Lanza. He gives his all here, and unsurprisingly so. After the decade of the fifties, gone forever is the Golden age of Hollywood when art is done for art's sake. Then came the Beatniks and the Hippies and the GenXers. Suddenly we are left with performers who challenge the lucidity of Ms. Anita Bryant and the Rev. Jerry Falwell. Our so-called movie moguls nowadays sadly lack the will to tap the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras or Andreas Bocelli. O Sole Mio seems to belong to another dimension. Ubinam gentium sumus?

The final film of Mario Lanza is also one of his best

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 20 June 2015]

All of Mario Lanza's films are worth watching, even his weakest Seven Hills of Rome. For the First Time was his final film before his ultimely death shortly after, and is one of his best along with Serenade(my favourite) and The Great Caruso, The Student Prince is excellent too but because Lanza only provided the singing voice I'm not counting it.

The sometimes silly and rather thinly written story(which is one of the weak points of all Lanza's films except Serenade) is best forgotten, and the film sometimes felt too rushed, with Tony and Christa's relationship developed initially a touch too quickly. While the story is forgettable, the music and Lanza are most certainly not.

The music is a mix of operatic favourites and lightweight 'popular songs', with the highlights being Come Prima, the very moving Ave Maria and Vesti La Guibba(which along with the Otello monologue from Serenade contains Lanza's best film acting) being the standouts. Lanza's performance here is one of his best, along with Serenade and The Great Caruso(though he is a little better in those films). Sure he is not in the best physical shape due to ill health and La Donna e Mobile sounded strained, as a result of the drinking maybe and because of the voice darkening. But he plays with much more charm and assured ease than he did in his previous film Seven Hills of Rome, and he brings the same great emotional intensity that he brought in Serenade. He is in great voice, the tone here is unmistakable and beautiful with a richer darker quality than to his earlier films, his musicality and phrasing as solid as rocks and he there is some genuine pathos in his renditions of Ave Maria and Vesti La Guibba and charm in Come Prima.

Improvements over Lanza's previous films would be the script and the chemistry with his leading lady. Like the story, the script was a weak point in some of Lanza's films(Seven Hills of Rome was particularly bad in this case) but while it's not a strong point in For the First Time it does not bring it down. It's appealingly light-hearted and has some genuine pathos, without trying too hard, being manipulative, being too cloying and it doesn't veer into melodramatic soap-opera. Chemistry between Lanza and his leading ladies tended to not quite convince, often feeling cold(and this is including Kathryn Grayson in his first two films). The rapport between Lanza and the very touching Johanna Von Koczian in For the First Time though is very convincing and remarkably tender, which brings depth and poignancy to the story.

For the First Time is a very well-made film visually too, with lavish costumes and sets and vibrant Technicolor photography. Rudolph Maté's direction is assured and sympathetic, and of the strong supporting cast a big standout would have to be Zsa Zsa Gabor, who brings incandescent sophistication to a role that doesn't really have an awful lot to it.

In summary, For the First Time may be Lanza's swan-song, but it is also one of his best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Post-war medicine in Italy

[lleopldnll · 8/10 · 3 October 2009]

Spoiler

While watching this film I was struck by the fanciful idea that this is really about health care in Italy in the late 1950s. Here we see Mario Lanza raising money for a deaf girl's operation by performing in a stunning series of operas. I suppose a lucky patient would have to be an attractive, virginal girl like the one in this film. Then I recalled that Mario was often called upon in real life to raise money for charities in this way. I began to think this must have been how health care evolved in Italy. With Mario's untimely death- some claim by the Mafia because illness caused him to miss a concert he had promised to give-some other system had to replace him.

The film itself is an excellent opportunity to witness Mario's rapturous tenor in a variety of roles -Canio,Radames,Otelo among others. The locations are gloriously picturesque. The copy I saw was actually dubbed in German which made it more interesting.

For the 1st Time- One of Mario's Lasts ***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 9 September 2006]

The voice of Mario Lanza carries this nicely done film. The plot is a good one as a unreliable opera star finds love with a deaf mute girl.

Lanza was also a pretty good actor.

Zsa Zsa Gabor is in this one as a countess. She looks young but when she speaks, you think it's sister Eva talking from the "Green Acres" television show.

Lanza sings a variety of songs. His singing of the opera Othello is superb. I have to confess that I laughed when I saw a "dead" Desdemona besides him. The latter looked like a younger version of former Secretary of State Madeleine Allbright.

Our deaf mute gains her hearing only to lose it again with fiancée Mario blaming himself. The plot becomes silly when Mario begins a bar-room brawl and then the patrons of the bar try to exonerate him in court.

Sit back and listen to that beautiful golden voice of the late Lanza. What a talent was lost when he left us so unexpectedly.

Vocal and visual pleasure

[verna-a · 8/10 · 27 April 2020]

For a performer of such stellar talent, Mario Lanza has received quite a lot of criticism. While watching "For the First Time", his final film I am very ready to dismiss such criticism, as his performance both acting and singing in this film is excellent. You wouldn't say that in other respects this little love story is any more than a vehicle, but it hits the mark. It's like an Elvis movie, you know you are there to admire the star and enjoy his virtuosity, the rest is just window dressing. Much is made in discussions of Lanza of his weight problem and his being driven out of Hollywood, but here his appearance is perfectly acceptable and his charm effective. Lanza didn't appeal to me in my girlish days as he didn't have the appearance of the typical square-jawed leading man, but now I have to say I find his smile appealing and the flash of his dark eyes very attractive, and when he sings, well ..! In respect of his figure, he is a barrel-chested tenor, but he has broad shoulders to carry it off. As for his being overweight, his face is a little pudgy but any avoirdupois is nothing to the obesity you see these days. If he hit any bad notes, I certainly didn't detect it, the singing seemed outstanding to me. When you've finished talking about Lanza there is not much else to say about "For the First Time". The other presences in the film are agreeable and the scenery and sets lovely. Except for imperfect dubbing and a few skips, the visual and audio quality of the digital version of this film on a certain video channel is very good. The printed material which appears on screen is in German, so I want to thank the Germans for keeping this print safe! (it has been reunited with an English soundtrack). I enjoyed the film a good deal and am rating it on that basis. I hope you enjoy it too.

Enjoyable if not realistic

[eileencowin · 10/10 · 13 January 2022]

Never saw this before...watching while recovering from COvid. The deaf girl in the movie is not mute. She speaks quite well for a deaf girl, who would most likely have impaired speech and language (I'm a speech therapist and worked with students who were deaf and hard of hearing). Also, deafness cannot be cured. Nowadays, there are treatments that can provide some hearing, aids and cochlear implants, but no cures.

The singing, music and romance were wonderful so I put aside my realistic views for all of that!

Pagliacci with makeup can never be duplicated...it's a smash. Wonder if cochlear implants came from ear surgery promoted in this film.

[Tessa1111 · 10/10 · 28 April 2024]

One wonder if some future scientist saw the film and invented cochlear implants to bring the film's main plotline to reality.

Tony Costa tries to sing to a young girl, but she cannot hear him, only can lip read. He decides to search for a physician hunting for a cure. Risky but it seemed to work...but over exuberance almost caused the success to reverse.

This film had lustrous music, special scenes, (Ave Maria by Shubert as well) and Pagliacci in make-up...who could ask for much more. Mario Lanza's gave his heart to the music, ever word sung as if it was his last...which was prophetic. He passed thereafter.