THE GREAT CARUSO [1951 / 2021] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] The Greatest Mario Lanza Technicolor Musical Romance Ever!
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 No.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 Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi and more, emphasizes works most closely associated with Enrico Caruso. The story, spanning Enrico 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 1951 Academy Awards®, the movie won for Best Sound Recording.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1952 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Sound Recording by Douglas Shearer (M-G-M). Nominated: Best Costume Design in Color for Gile Steele and Helen Rose. Nominated: Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture for Johnny Green and Peter Herman Adler. 1952 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Richard Thorpe. 1952 Photoplay Awards: Win: Most Popular Male Star for Mario Lanza. 1952 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Musical for Sonya Levien and William Ludwig.
FILM FACT No.2: The Opera Montage is the Metropolitan Opera stars, notably sopranos Teresa Celli, Lucine Amara and Marina Koshetz, mezzo-soprano Blanche Thebom, baritone Giuseppe Valdengo and bass Nicola Moscona. Though the film follows the basic facts of Caruso's life, the story is largely fictional. Members of the Enrico Caruso family successfully sued M-G-M for damages because of this. ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ was a massive commercial success and the most profitable film for M-G-M in 1951. It set a record gross at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, grossing $1,390,943 in ten weeks. According to M-G-M records, it made $4,309,000 in theatrical rentals in the USA and Canada and $4,960,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $3,977,000.The film was also the most popular at the British box office the same year.
Cast: Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Jarmila Novotna, Richard Hageman, Carl Benton Reid, Eduard Franz, Ludwig Donath, Alan Napier, Pál Jávor, Carl Milletaire, Shepard Menken, Vincent Renno, Nestor Paiva, Peter Price, Mario Siletti, Angela Clarke, Ian Wolfe, Yvette Duguay, Argentina Brunetti, Blanche Thebom [Vocalist / Opera Montage], Teresa Celli [Vocalist / Opera Montage], Nicola Moscona [Vocalist / Opera Montage], Giuseppe Valdengo [Vocalist / Opera Montage], Lucine Amara [Vocalist / Opera Montage], Marina Koshetz [Vocalist / Opera Montage], Jacqueline Allen [ Soloist in “Magnificat”] (uncredited), Edit Angold (uncredited), Martha Bamattre (uncredited), Rudy Baron (uncredited), Olive May Beach [Gilda in “Rigoletto” / Opera Montage] (uncredited), Genevieve Bell (uncredited), Mario Bellini (uncredited), Dino Bolognese (uncredited), David Bond (uncredited), Peter Brocco (uncredited), Ralph Brooks (uncredited), George Calliga (uncredited), Claude Cariguel (uncredited), Douglas Carter (uncredited), George Chakiris (uncredited), St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers (uncredited), Mario Cimino (uncredited), Mae Clarke (uncredited), Harry Cody (uncredited), Dick Cogan (uncredited), James Conaty (uncredited), Paul Cristo (uncredited), Viola Daniels (uncredited), Henry Dar Boggia (uncredited), Rod De Medici (uncredited), Sayre Dearing Mario DeLaval (uncredited), Helen Dickson (uncredited), Hazel Dohlman (uncredited), Tay Dunn (uncredited), Renald Dupont (uncredited), Robert Ebright [Ramfis in “Aida” / Opera Montage] (uncredited), Charles Evans (uncredited), Antonio Filauri (uncredited), Bess Flowers (uncredited), Blanche Franke (uncredited), Michael Frasco (uncredited), Jack Gargan (uncredited), Maria Genardi (uncredited), Jack George (uncredited), Eula Guy (uncredited), Nola Haines (uncredited), John Hamilton (uncredited), Paul Harvey (uncredited), Stuart Holmes (uncredited), Fred Hoose (uncredited), Jimmie Horan (uncredited), Sherry Jackson (uncredited), Nikki Juston (uncredited), Colin Kenny (uncredited), Paul Kruger (uncredited), Richard LaMarr (uncredited), Peggy Leon (uncredited), Carl M. Leviness (uncredited), Leota Lorraine (uncredited), Wilbur Mack (uncredited), Charles Mauu (uncredited), Anthony Mazzola (uncredited), Roddy McCaskill (uncredited), Philo McCullough (uncredited), Harold Miller (uncredited), Silvio Minciotti (uncredited), Yolanda Mirelez (uncredited), Howard M. Mitchell (uncredited), Ernesto Molinari (uncredited), Matt Moore (uncredited), Roger Moore (uncredited), Leo Mostovoy (uncredited), Sol Murgi (uncredited), George Nardelli (uncredited), Richard Neill (uncredited), William Nind (uncredited), Spec O'Donnell (uncredited), Manuel París (uncredited), Frank Pershing (uncredited), Dario Piazza (uncredited), John Piffle (uncredited), Nino Pipitone (uncredited), Jose Portugal (uncredited), Tom Quinn (uncredited), John Raven (uncredited), Allan Ray (uncredited), George Restivo (uncredited), Helen Reyes (uncredited), Bert Roach (uncredited), Jewel Rose (uncredited), John Royce (uncredited), Gilbert Russell [Arturo in “Lucia” / Opera Montage] (uncredited), Maurice Samuels (uncredited), John Sheffield (uncredited), Robert Sherwood (uncredited), Larry Steers (uncredited), Bert Stevens (uncredited), Minerva Urecal (uncredited), Danilo Valente (uncredited), Albano Valerio (uncredited), Dorothy Vaughan (uncredited), Tito Vuolo (uncredited), Lawrence A. Williams (uncredited), Eric Wilton (uncredited), Zacharias Yaconelli (uncredited), William Yetter Jr. (uncredited) and Esther Zeitlin (uncredited)
Director: Richard Thorpe
Producers: Jesse L. Lasky and Joe Pasternak
Screenplay: Dorothy Caruso (suggested by Biography Of Her Husband), Sonya Levien (screenplay) and William Ludwig (screenplay)
Composer: Johnny Green
Conductor: Peter Herman Adler (Operatic Numbers Staged and Conducted)
Costumes: Gile Steele and Helen Rose
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 109 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ [1951] brings you another of those typical musical biopics, with some level of fiction interspersed to either streamline the story, heighten the drama, avoid some unpleasantness or various other reasons, justifiable or not. By all accounts, ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ takes more liberties than some tales as it includes a very messy, inaccurate timeline, invented scenarios and a complete excision of a relationship that spawned two children. Those with a deep knowledge of Enrico Caruso will probably be shaking their heads at some of the factual discrepancies, but the average person, especially these days, will likely be blissfully ignorant of what the film gets wrong. The good news is that the film sails along very smoothly and in a very entertaining manner.
The film takes you on a propulsive journey through the life of Enrico Caruso from his very earliest days in Naples to his burgeoning success in Europe and beyond. Enrico Caruso is a very fascinating figure, and is presented with having a large spark for life despite experiencing much in the way of darkness, including the passing of his beloved mother at a young age. Life was not easy for Enrico Caruso, who barely made enough money to get by until his unexpected discovery as a cafe singer. Enrico Caruso’s initial rise is swift, with the tenor performing in Milan, London and other European hotspots, but New York provided him with some bigger obstacles. Enrico Caruso has difficulty winning over a very important patron, Park Benjamin [Carl Benton Reid], after a series of faux pas, which is especially vexing considering he has fallen in love with his daughter, Dorothy Benjamin [Ann Blyth]. It is very heartening to watch Enrico Caruso come into his own as a singer for the people, even as he eventually wins over the high class society members who initially looked down upon him. While he may have never earned the admiration of his future father-in-law, his relationship with Dorothy is nonetheless very touching.
‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ is a very straightforward crowd pleaser that dares not to go into anything that is too dark. The greatest sin that Enrico Caruso commits is being someone who is too committed to performing – leaving it all on the table for his audience. If the real life Enrico Caruso had any darker demons worth tackling, you will not learn about them here. Yet, it is okay to be content with this, especially with such strong performances anchoring the film. Mario Lanza is downright otherworldly in his portrayal of Enrico Caruso. Rare is the person who would have the vocal talents to compare with Enrico Caruso, but the fact that Mario Lanza is also a capable actor is a coup for cinema. Ann Blyth is not given enough to do as Dorothy Benjamin, and is a welcome calming presence to Enrico Caruso’s constant exuberance. Most probably come to the film for the music, and those people will not be disappointed. The performances come fast and furious, and they are delivered with such force that it will feel like a ton of bricks just knocked into you. There are more than a few red flags with the film concerning the accuracy of the picture to real life, but for sheer entertainment spectacle this one is hard to beat.
This highly fictionalized, sentimental bio film of the late, great Metropolitan Opera tenor, Enrico Caruso, handsomely mounted in Technicolor, has a lot of popular ingredients, including a boy-and-girl-vs-disapproving-parent romance, the draw of Enrico Caruso’s rep, glamor of the Met, a host of sure-fire, familiar operatic arias, and the pull of Mario Lanza.
‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ is very entertaining and I can fully appreciate that those who enjoy the singing of Mario Lanza and will definitely love this film. But for those who watch for the love of films, the balance between the music and the story telling the life and times of Enrico Caruso in pure Hollywood magic. What is equally wonderful is how Mario Lanza puts his impressive dramatic power to work in 23 arias, some sung with others, by such composers as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Paolo Tosti, Bach-Gounod, Gioachino Rossini, Amilcare Ponchielli, Gaetano Donizetti, Friedrich von Flotow, Guy d'Hardelot, Victor Herbert, Ernesto De Curtis, and Amilcare Ponchielli, but even though I am not a great opera buff but Mario Lanza's rendering of some of these arias gives me goose bumps. M-G-M spared no expense in bringing the film to the screen. Art and set decoration are wonderfully colourful and in the case of the opera house, like the stage, backstage, balconies, etc., are totally splendorous.
THE GREAT CARUSO MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE LOVILIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR (Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) (Music by Juventino Rosas) (Music adaptation by Irving Aaronson) (Adapted from "Sobre las olas") (uncredited) [Also performed by Ann Blyth] (uncredited)
Magnificat (uncredited) (Written Johann Sebastian Bach) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
'A Vucchella (uncredited) (Written by Francesco Paolo Tosti and Gabriele D'Annunzio) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
La Danza (uncredited) (Written by Gioachino Rossini) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
The Consecration Scene from "AIDA" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Trio Finale from "AIDA" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Dorothy Kirsten and Blanche Thebom]
Celeste Aida from "AIDA" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Dorothy Kirsten and Blanche Thebom]
Celeste Aida from "AIDA" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
In Questa Tomba from "AIDA" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Dorothy Kirsten]
The Torture Scene from "TOSCA" (uncredited) (Written by Giacomo Puccini) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
E Lucevan le Stelle from "TOSCA" (uncredited) (Written by Giacomo Puccini) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
The Villification Scene from "CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA" (uncredited) (Written by Pietro Mascagni) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Brindisi from "CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA" (uncredited) (Written by Pietro Mascagni) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Cielo e Mar from "LA GIOCONDA" (uncredited) (Written by Amilcare Ponchielli) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
La Donna e Mobile from "RIGOLETTO" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Torna a Surriento (uncredited) (Written by Ernesto De Curtis) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Che Celida Manina from "LA BOHÈME" (uncredited) (Written by Giacomo Puccini) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Mattinata (uncredited) (Written by Ruggero Leoncavallo) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Miserere from "IL TROVATORE" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Lucine Amara]
Quartet from "RIGOLETTO" (uncredited) (Written by Giuseppe Verdi) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Blanche Thebom and Giuseppe Valdengo]
SWEETHEARTS from "SWEETHEARTS" (uncredited) (Written by Victor Herbert and Harry B. Smith) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Dorothy Kirsten]
Recitativo from "PAGLIACCI" (uncredited) (Written by Ruggero Leoncavallo) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Vesti la Giubba from "PAGLIACCI" (uncredited) (Written by Ruggero Leoncavallo) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Ave Maria (uncredited) (Written by Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Sextette from "LUCIA de LAMMERMOOR" (uncredited) (Written by Gaetano Donizetti) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Dorothy Kirsten, Blanche Thebom, Giuseppe Valdengo and Nicola]
BECAUSE (uncredited) Written by Guy d'Hardelot) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
M'Appari from "MARTHA" (uncredited) (Written by Friedrich von Flotow) [Performed by Mario Lanza]
Finale from "MARTHA" (uncredited) (Written by Friedrich von Flotow) [Performed by Mario Lanza] [Also performed by Dorothy Kirsten, Blanche Thebom and Nicola Moscona]
UNDER THE BAMBOO TREE (uncredited) (Music by J. Rosamond Johnson) (Lyrics by Bob Cole) [Sung as a duet by Mario Lanza and Ann Blyth]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us the film ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ with a brand new eye-popping new 1080p master transfer in 1.37:1 sourced from a 4K scan of the original Technicolor negatives. Having Warner Archive Collection work with Technicolor films is like a dream come true for Blu-ray enthusiasts. The level of minute detail and clarity is totally stunning and especially with a great deal of lovely amount of natural film grain intact. The film features some splendid colours within the costumes and settings that pop off the screen with a great vibrancy. The film is practically pristine with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected here. The black levels are incredibly deep with a pleasing stability throughout. Compression artefacts, banding and other such issues do not pop up as an issue in this transfer. This presentation is another instance of Warner Archive Collection showing why they are one of the best labels around. What is equally impressive is the specific period costumes and backdrops sparkle with great detail and clarity, from modest storefronts and shop interiors to the beautiful early processional of Enrico Caruso's youth and colourful stage performances of his eventual adulthood. We get some impressive wide shots, that feature eager audiences during the film's grandiose "live" performances, plus we get some very impressive close-up that gives the film a really natural look. Once again the Technicolor palettes look totally fantastic with bright and vivid hues that absolutely defy the film's age, and especially its extremely clean appearance is thanks to Warner Archive's careful restoration work that combines their purist-friendly approach with manual clean-up to preserve its original textures of the film. Overall, this is yet another top-notch effort for a film of this period, and it is a totally enjoyable experience to behold.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ and especially with Mario Lanza's powerhouse vocals that is a show stopper. Music is the lifeblood of this picture, and this track handles it beautifully with nothing ever sounding blown out or unstable. Lanza’s voice has never sounded better than on this disc. Dialogue comes through clearly from beginning to end without ever being overshadowed by competing elements. Every element seems to present with a nice fidelity, as all sounds are clearly defined and in balance. This is a track that thankfully does not exhibit any glaring signs of age-related wear-and-tear. Warner Archive has knocked it out of the park. We also get good supporting musical performances from the likes of Dorothy Kirsten, Ann Blyth, Blanche Thebom, Teresa Celli, Giuseppe Valdengo, Marina Koshetz, and Nicola Mosconam, plus the original film score by Johnny Green, forms a satisfying soundstage that really gets plenty of time to shine. What is equally impressive is the dialogue, that is really is crisp and clear with no distortion, so all in all this audio experience gets a five star rating.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods [2006] [1080i] [1.78:1] [58:29] Calliope Media and Turner Entertainment Co., presents this 2006 documentary, written and directed by pioneer Mark Kidel, and also served as an episode on the long-running BBC Four series “Legends” that first aired on the 5th December, 2007 as part of its second season. It's a fine tribute to the actor/singer with lots of archival footage featuring Mario Lanza, as well as short retrospective interview clips and highlights from several of his classic M-G-M and Warner Bros. films including ‘Serenade’ [1956], ‘The Student Prince’ [1954] ‘The Toast of New Orleans’ [1950], ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ [1951],‘The Midnight Kiss’ [1949], ‘Because You’re Mine’ [1952], ‘The Seven Hills of Rome’ [1958] and ‘For The First Time’ [1959]. At the height of his career, sold more records and Albums than anyone else in the world and even Frank Sinatra and the Mario Lanza Albums that were the most successful were “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “Mario Lanza in the Greatest Hits from Operettas and Musicals,” “Mario Lanza in Opera,” “The Touch of Your Hand,” “Mario Lanza sings in Serenade” [Motion Picture Soundtrack] and “Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from The Student Prince” [Motion Picture Soundtrack]. Blessed with one of the great tenor voices of all time, Mario Lanza rose to spectacular heights in films, recordings, and concerts and his career spanned little more than a decade. Groomed at the outset for a career on the opera stage, Mario Lanza instead flourished in Hollywood where his films, most notably ‘THE GREAT CARUSO,’ and broke box-office records the world over and influenced the careers of countless musicians. Mario Lanza also received offers to sing in any opera of his choosing from the San Carlo in Naples. Unfortunately Mario Lanza’s old habits of overeating and crash dieting, coupled with binge drinking, compounded many of his problems. In April 1959, Mario Lanza reportedly fell ill, mainly with heart problems as well as pneumonia. On the 25th September, 1959, Mario Lanza entered Rome's Valle Giulia clinic for the purpose of losing weight for an upcoming film. While in the clinic, he underwent a controversial weight loss program colloquially known as "the twilight sleep treatment,” which required its patients to be kept immobile and sedated for prolonged periods. On the 7th October, 1959 Mario Lanza died of an apparent pulmonary embolism at the age of 38 and no autopsy was performed. Mario Lanza was survived by his wife and four children. Betty Lanza returned to Hollywood completely devastated. Betty Lanza died five months later of a drug overdose. Maria Caniglia, Franco Fabrizi and Enzo Fiermonte attended the funeral. Frank Sinatra sent his condolences by telegram. Contributors include: Jeff Rense [American radio host], Derek Mannering [Biographer], Gavin Lambert [Film Historian], Terry Robinson [Hollywood fitness trainer], Dr. Deborah Stern [Psychoanalyst], Murray Garrett [Photographer], Armando Cesari [Biographer], Al Teitelbaum [Mario Lanza’s Manager], Babs Diner [Former singer], Sarita Montiel [Co-star in ‘Serenade’], Eddy Lovaglio [Biographer], Luisa DiMeo [Child in ‘The Seven Hills of Rome’], Peter Pritchard OBE [European Tour Manager 1957], Cian Carlo Slopponi and Ellisa Lanza Bregman [Mario Lanza's daughter].
Theatrical Trailer [1951] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:00] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE GREAT CARUSO.’ The trailer proclaims The Story of the World’s Greatest Entertainer “The Great Caruso” as the man who made Music fo Millions! Great Entertainment in Color by Technicolor!
Finally, ‘THE GREAT CARUSO’ is a true crowd pleaser that gives a wonderful overview of the life of an incredible talent backed by a transcendent performance from Mario Lanza. The film is bursting with music that will leave you feeling greatly moved from the emotion that is permeating each performance. The film is not exactly an accurate portrayal of Enrico Caruso’s life at all times, but as a narrative it is hard to deny its entertainment value. The film looks good in Technicolor, it’s richly staged, the singing is glorious, and Mario Lanza has a great presence; but the film itself is superficial and the biopic is too inaccurate to be worth much. There was drama in Enrico Caruso’s life, but you would never know it from this film. It works best as seeing excerpts from a string of popular operas; otherwise the filmmaker did an injustice to the great tenor by trying to keep him squeaky clean by keeping anything controversial and sad out of the mix. Mario Lanza is handsome, personable and has a brilliant voice. Mario Lanza is a lyric tenor, like Enrico Caruso; and has his stocky build, and especially his Italian character or appearance quality, with some of his flair. Dorothy Kirsten, who plays a Met soprano befriending Enrico Caruso, is a good actress as well as a gifted singer. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
