Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

vitaleralphlouis THE GREAT CARUSO was the biggest hit in the world in 1951 and broke all box office records at Radio City Music Hall in a year when most "movergoers" were stay-at-homes watching their new 7" Motorola televisions. Almost all recent box office figures are false --- because they fail to adjust inflation. Obviously today's $10 movies will dominate. In 1951 it cost 90c to $1.60 at Radio City; 44c to 75c first run at Loew's Palace in Washington DC, or 35c to 50c in neighborhood runs. What counts is the number of people responding to the picture, not unadjusted box office "media spin." The genius of THE GREAT CARUSO was that the filmmakers took most of the actual life of Enrico Caruso (really not a great story anyway) and threw it in the trash. Instead, 90% of the movie's focus was on the music. Thus MGM gave us the best living opera singer MARIO LANZA doing the music of the best-ever historic opera singer ENRICO CARUSO. The result was a wonderful movie. Too bad LANZA would throw his life and career away on overeating. Too fat to play THE STUDENT PRINCE, Edmund Purdom took his place --- with Lanza's voice dubbed in, and with the formerly handsome and not-fat Lanza pictured in the advertising. If you want to see THE GREAT CARUSO, it's almost always on eBay for $2.00 or less. Don't be put off by the low price, as it reflects only the easy availability of copies, not the quality of the movie.

Paul Reichberg I was 12 living in the coastal industry city of Luleå. I had never heard of Opera. My father was a movie projectionist. One evening i happened to see The Great Caruso. It was a breathtaking experience deep into my body. I was caught for ever by opera and I remember the deep sadness I felt in 1959 when my idol Mario Lanza died (similar to my sons feelings some 30 years later when John Lennon was killed). I have the Video and I have seen it many times on TCM Cabel TV - The Great Caruso will stay forever as the film that opened my eyes and emotions for music in general and opera in particular. Thank You MGM, Caruso but in particular thank You Mario Lanza.

didi-5 By far the best thing about 'The Great Caruso' is not its stodgy script or its slightly silly plot (not very likely that much of this equates to the true story of Enrico Caruso, the first opera star to have his voice immortalised for all time), but the first rate singing throughout. Mario Lanza of course was a great asset to MGM through the late 1940s and early 1950s, with a fabulous voice and an attractive personality on the screen. This film also gives us the opportunity to see the lovely Dorothy Kirsten, who seems to have made very few films, and a sweet performance from Ann Blyth as the main love interest for Caruso.We watch the young Enrico (played with charm by Peter Edward Price) grow into an enterprising young man who realises his voice is potentially his fortune. As the young talent flourishes and develops we follow his rise to fame through to his eventual inevitable ending. I didn't get much sense that the character we were seeing in this film was 'Caruso'; having heard his recordings he projected a very different personality than that we see in Lanza; still, this production is entertaining enough.

Neil Doyle I suppose it would be too much to expect a studio like MGM to produce a realistic biography of the legendary tenor in 1951--a year when the studio's reputation for glossy technicolor musicals was at an all-time high. They overproduced many a musical with strong star drawing power to fill the Radio City Music Hall with their products--and were certainly aiming to target the widest possible audience for this Caruso story with their new discovery--Mario Lanza.Lanza's rich lyrical tenor is given a showcase in which to perform both Neapolitan songs and operatic arias and he doesn't disappoint. Casting him as Caruso was a shrewd and clever decision--but the letdown comes in the fictionalized story that bears little resemblance to the true background of the singer. Artificial touches abound--including Ann Blythe as his wife. Nevertheless, since enjoyment of the film depends entirely on whether or not you enjoy the singing talent of Mario Lanza (and his limited acting abilities), you should find this biography a lightweight treatment of Caruso's life--although highly incomplete and sometimes even inaccurate. Perhaps some day there will be a true biography of the singer. If nothing else, should compel some viewers to explore Caruso's life for the real story. Incidentally, there is a new song, "The Loveliest Night of the Year", which rates utmost respect. The soundtrack is great to listen to--Lanza was in the best of voice at the time of recordings.