Main Cast: Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Jarmila Novotna, Richard Hageman
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
Plot
The film traces Naples-born Caruso's ascension from adolescent choir singer to the uppermost ranks of the opera world. Caruso is brought to America, getting off to a bad start by inadvertently insulting the impresario (Carl Benton Reid) responsible for his Metropolitan debut. This complication has a happy outcome when Caruso marries his benefactor's daughter (Ann Blyth). Refusing to spare himself or to hold back his talents from his fans, Caruso's health fails him, and he dies in 1921 at the age of 47. Featuring no fewer than 27 musical numbers, Great Caruso also stars Mario Lanza as Caruso, as well as such operatic superstars as Dorothy Kirsten and Jarmila Novotna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Mario Lanza's tenor voice made this film one of the top box-office draws of 1951. What's more, it helped to popularize opera among the general public and to inspire two boys to pursue opera careers -- Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. In the film, Lanza portrays the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), who first rises to prominence in his native Italy, then earns critical acclaim in America. The film takes many liberties with the facts as it romanticizes Caruso's life. Moreover, Lanza's acting is generally mediocre. However, in imitating the power and majesty of Caruso's voice, he excels. Among the arias he sings are "Celeste Aida" (from Aida, by Giuseppe Verdi), "Vesti la giubba" (from I Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoncavallo), and "Che Gelida Manina" (from La Boheme, by Giacomo Puccini). Lanza also sings popular selections and performs the Johann Sebastian Bach-Charles Francis Gounod version of Ave Maria with a boy choir. In a PBS television special, acclaimed opera star Domingo, one of the "three tenors," said the 1951 film truly inspired him when he was a boy growing up in Mexico, and that Lanza "was a superstar before that word was even invented." Carreras, another of the three tenors, dedicated one of his albums to Lanza. Ironically -- because of hard living, debilitating stage fright, and an unruly temperament -- Lanza himself never joined an opera company, and opera critics generally snubbed him as an undisciplined lout even though he became the first opera singer to sell more than 50 million albums. The Great Caruso won an Academy Award for best sound recording and an Academy Award nomination for best music and best scoring. Opera star Dorothy Kirsten also sings in the movie in the role of Louise Heggar. Actors Carl Benton Reid and Ann Blyth turn in good performances as the father-in-law and wife of Caruso. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
Carl Benton Reid - Park Benjamin; Eduard Franz - Giulio Gatti-Casazza; Ludwig Donath - Alfredo Brazzi; Alan Napier - Jean de Reszke; Carl Milletaire - Gino; Shepard Menken - Fucito; Vincent Renno - Tullio; Nestor Paiva - Egisto Barretto; Peter Edward Price - Caruso, as a boy; Mario Siletti - Papa Caruso; Angela Clarke - Mama Caruso; Ian Wolfe - Hutchins; Edith Angold - Hilda; David Bond - Father Angelico; Robert Bright; Peter Brocco - Father Bronzetti; Argentina Brunetti - Mrs. Barretto; Teresa Celli - Opera Montage; Mae Clarke - Woman; Yvette Dugay - Musetta Barretto; John Hamilton - Foster DeWitt; Paul Harvey - Benefit Spokesman; Sherry Jackson - Musetta as a Child; Marina Koshetz - Opera Montage; Silvio Minciotti; Matt Moore - Max; Bert Roach - Technician; Gilbert Russell - Opera Singer; Maurice Samuels - Papa Gino; Blanche Thebom - Opera Montage; Minerva Urecal - Carmencita Toscano; Giuseppe Valdengo - Opera Montage; Tito Vuolo - Pietro Toscano; Charles Evans - Finch, Benjamin Butler; Pal Javor - Antonio Scotti
The film, while following the basic facts of Caruso's life, was largely fictional. Here are a few of the factual discrepancies:
Early in the film, Caruso is shown singing the minor role of Spoletta in Puccini's opera Tosca. When Tosca premiered in 1900, Caruso was already a rising opera star and was considered for the starring tenor role of Cavaradossi, though the part was given to Emilio De Marchi. Caruso, however, did sing the role shortly after the premiere.
In real life, Caruso met Dorothy Park Benjamin, his future wife in 1917. In the film, he meets her at the time of his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1903.
In the film Caruso seems to die after a throat hemorrhage onstage during a Metropolitan Opera performance of Martha. Caruso did suffer from a throat ailment and suffered a hemorrhage during a Metropolitan performance of L'elisir d'amore in Brooklyn on December 11, 1920, causing the performance to be cancelled. His last performance was in La Juive at the Met on December 24, 1920. He died on August 2,1921 in Naples of peritonitis following months of illness and several surgeries.
Reaction
The Great Caruso was an enormous commercial success, largely on the strength of Mario Lanza's performance. Newsweek wrote that, "Lanza brings to the role not only a fine, natural and remarkably powerful voice, but a physique and personal mannerisms reminiscent of the immortal Caruso."
The film has also been cited by tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras as having been an inspiration for them when they were growing up.
Nearly 40 years later, Caruso's own son, Enrico Jr. reminisced that, "Vocally and musically The Great Caruso is a thrilling motion picture, and it has helped many young people discover opera and even become singers themselves." He added that, "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."
References
Caruso, Enrico Jr. and Farkas, Andrew. Enrico Caruso: My Father and My Family. (New York: Amadeus 1990)
Cesari, Armando. Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Fort Worth: Baskerville 2004)
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