The Great Caruso VHS

I absolutely loved this movie - looking and listening to this great performer was fabulous.

This movie can truly be called life-changing. It certainly changed my life; I was quite ignorant of opera before a chance viewing of the film on television introduced me to this greatest of all musical genres. As it turned out, I was in illustrious company! For the number of singers inspired by this movie includes many of the biggest operatic stars of the last 30 years: Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti, Nucci, Hvorostovsky, and Alagna - to name but a few.It's easy to pinpoint the reason for The Great Caruso's lasting impact: Lanza. His vibrant personality overflows in practically every scene, and his singing is for the most part perfection itself. He *is* the film. This is, after all, a movie that is neither distinguished directorially nor in terms of its screenplay. Its scenario, in fact, bears little resemblance to the real Caruso's life, and the film is unashamedly corny in the grand tradition of Hollywood musicals. And yet none of this gets in the way of what Caruso's own son, Enrico Jr, called "vocally and musically [...] a thrilling motion picture." The success of the film, Enrico Jr, went on to declare, was due entirely to Lanza.Essentially the film provides Mario with a solid framework against which to sing some of the greatest arias, duets and ensembles that have ever graced a single movie. He's assisted by an extraordinary who's who of operatic talent: mezzo-soprano Blanche Thebom, baritone Giuseppe Valdengo, bass Nicola Moscona, tenor Gilbert Russell, and sopranos Dorothy Kirsten, Marina Koshetz, Lucine Amara, and Olive May Beach. (Oddly, MGM failed to credit some of these singers, and at the same time deleted a fascinating rehearsal scene from Rigoletto with soprano Jarmila Novotna.)Vocally and stylistically, Lanza is in brilliant form, producing easily the most ravishing singing of his three films to date. Solo highlights include a fine La Danza, a superb Vesti la Giubba, exciting snippets of Cielo e Mar and the second half of Che Gelida Manina, a moving Ave Maria, and the most rapturous of his four known renditions of Because. Among the duet and ensemble work the Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor, extracts from the Santuzza/Turiddu duet from Cavalleria Rusticana, the Quartet from Rigoletto, and the Finale from Marta (meltingly phrased by Lanza) stand out. "The singingest movie ever made," enthused one movie historianThe distinguished Austrian character actor Ludwig Donath provides excellent acting support as Mario's manager, while Dorothy Kirsten and Ann Blyth are the nominal leading ladies. In her only film appearance, Miss Kirsten is wooden as an actress, but acquits herself well in the singing department. Ann Blyth is an endearing Dorothy Caruso. As an actor, Lanza does what he can with the vignette-like nature of the script, capturing - as Newsweek would later opine - the "personal mannerisms of the immortal Caruso". While some commentators have complained that Mario's Italian accent in the film seems to come and go; in fact, his sporadic adoption of a "foreign" accent makes sense, since he only employs it when he is speaking in English. At other times, when his character is supposedly speaking in Italian to his fellow countrymen, he drops the accent. Logical!The Great Caruso loses none of its magic on repeat viewings. Pavarotti has said that he watches it "every year" - true testament indeed to the enduring genius of Lanza. As Enrico Caruso, Jr wrote some 20 years ago, "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!

Warm-hearted story. Beautiful operas!

Wonderful DVD. Amust for opera/ Lanza fans. Picture Quality more like old VHS.

A Kid From Philadelphia,: Mario Lanza: The Voice of the Poets Mario Lanza was the most versatile tenor who ever walked on a stage. He could sing opera like the greatest tenors of all time. He was a master at "crossing over" from lyric opera to popular singing. As a result, he was a top recording artist and concert performer. In the "Great Caruso" he also showed he could be a global movie sensation. The movie about the amazing Neapolitan tenor actually was about Mario Lanza. It turned the Great Caruso into the Great Lanza. He exhibited all of his splendid qualities.The movie inspired me to write my recent book about Mario Lanza: "A Kid from Philadelphia, Mario Lanza, the Voice of the Poets." It is not a biography. There have been several excellent bios about him. This is a book from a fan. It exhibits his qualities, talents, passion and love for his art. I wanted it to be a "page turner" that would be impossible to put down while listening to the magnificent voice of Mario Lanza.Anyone who loves Lanza the movie star, the tenor, the popular singer and the human being who did so much in such a short time will love this film.

Since I've been a Mario Lanza fan since childhood (in the 1950's), I've seen "The Great Caruso" a number of times. I had it on videotape but was so glad to get it on DVD! I've watched it twice since I received the DVD & will watch it many times more! I want to thank Amazon for aiding me in my new Mario Lanza collection! -- 3 DVD's (". . . Caruso;" "Serenade;" & just received yesterday & watched last night, "Mario Lanza" in 3 TV appearances -- 2 in 1954 & 1 in 1957); & 5 CD's. People today may not appreciate the "innocent" 1950's but in, the last program, hosted by the founder of The Christophers, a Catholic [and VERY Christian!] organization, is beautiful & uplifting. A treat is the Priest's face-to-face interview with Mario, then with Mario & his wife Betty. I still think "The Great Caruso" is Mario's most impressive film, although some of his very best acting was done in "Serenade!" BRAVISSIMO, MARIO!

I gave it five stars for the music. A separate rating for the movie itself would be two stars. It's pretty hokey, but you'll never hear such great music in so small a space anywhere else, so it's worth putting up with "hokey". Mario Lanza is every bit equal to Luciano Pavarotti! Maria Callas said it was her greatest disappointment that she was never able to sing on stage with Mario Lanza. Caveat: If you depend on subtitles, Chinese is the only choice! So turn subtitles off to avoid the annoyance.

I was always a Mario Lanza, the barrel-chested singer with hopes of being an opera singer. MGM knew they had something in him and cast him in several musical dramas. This one and the Student Prince were the best. In this film, he stars as Roberto Caruso, the famed Italian opera singer of the early 20th century. Lanza sings his heart and throat out in this film. This is a solid biopic film and it is rich in numerous famous opera arias.

Jetzt bin ich stolzer Besitzer dieses einmaligen Stücks. Meine - mit Abstand teuerste DVD. Wurde aber durch den mir bekannten Hörgenuss voll entschädigt. Hat sich gelohnt. Schade nur, dass die beim Original erwähnten Extras bei dieser deutschen Fassung nicht mit drauf sind, darum "nur" 4 Sterne.

Enjoyed the music and the singing

Wunderbarer Film, leider nur in Englisch, was ja eigentlich gut ist aber ich habe die deutschen Synchronstimmen immer noch im Kopf.

Terrible dvd won't buy again as Asian writing on the screen not acceptable not good to watch

I enjoyed the film so much as I've been looking for this film for years but to no success until I checked it was available after all this time on Amazon, I received it with excitement but to my disappointment I have to return it back due to the fact it had no English subtitles only in which I believe is Japanese language, I tried to grasp what's being said on the film but without the subtitles I struggle as being hearing impaired with subtitles will help. Mario Lanza fantastic with wonderful voice. Cute too. Fantastico film in total.