Directed by:
Richard ThorpeCinematography:
Joseph RuttenbergComposer:
Johnny GreenCast:
Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Jarmila Novotná, Blanche Thebom, Teresa Celli, Richard Hageman, Carl Benton Reid, Eduard Franz, Ludwig Donath (more)Plots(1)
Bravo, Enrico! Bravo, Mario! Renowned tenor Mario Lanza portrays his long-time singing idol Enrico Caruso in the crowd-pleasing musical that was 1951's #4 box-office hit. Suggested by Dorothy Caruso's biography of her husband, The Great Caruso rings out with aural pleasures (27 musical selections) and shines with the grandeur of a life lovingly refracted through the Hollywood biopic lens. The music (by Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi and more) emphasizes works most closely associated with Caruso. The story, spanning Caruso's Naples boyhood to worldwide acclaim and tragedy-stricken final performance, touches on the down-to-earth character traits that spread the singer's fame beyond the black-tie society of Metropolitan Opera connoisseurs. Nominated for three Academy Awards, the movie won for Best Sound Recording. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (1)
It can be an opera or a biopic. When it comes down to it, a color film from this year is interesting on its own but it doesn't work as a whole. Mario Lanza may be an excellent singer, but he sucks as an actor, which is a bit of a problem if he is supposed to play the lead role. The other roles are played by a whole collection of famous singers, including the world-wandering Jarmila Novotná, who was literally begged to play the lead in the film in the mid-1930s, but it was not important to her.
()
Gallery (33)
Photo © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
![The Great Caruso - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/167/109/167109177_860fef.jpg)