Tonight's Movie: The Great Caruso (1951) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Mario Lanza is THE GREAT CARUSO (1951), released on Blu-ray earlier this year by the Warner Archive Collection.

I've loved MGM musicals since I was maybe 10 years old, yet somehow I had never seen THE GREAT CARUSO until now. I don't have memories of it being on television or playing in the revival theaters where we saw so many other MGM musicals.

THE GREAT CARUSO was MGM's biggest moneymaker of 1951; that fascinates me in part because it's so hard to imagine a film about an opera singer having that kind of popularity now, seven decades later. Culturally, we're the poorer for that change.

The film traces opera star Enrico Caruso's life from early childhood in Italy through his discovery, early success, and stardom in America.

Caruso's first romance, with Musetta (played by Sherry Jackson as a child, Yvette Duguay as a young woman) flounders when her father (Nestor Paiva) finds Caruso's singing undignified, but he finds lasting happiness with Dorothy Benjamin (Ann Blyth), despite the disapproval of her own father (Carl Benton Reid).

The movie is well-paced at 109 minutes and particularly springs to life once Blyth enters the picture as Caruso's love. Lanza and Blyth have excellent chemistry, and their portrayal of Enrico and Dorothy's relationship is quite touching. The loveliness of their scenes combined with the beautiful music made it a very enjoyable viewing experience.

The movie is packed with countless musical scenes, with Lanza joined by singers such as Dorothy Kirsten and Jarmila Novotna.

Blyth, herself an accomplished singer, has only one song, "The Loveliest Night of the Year," if you don't count a few lines of "Under the Bamboo Tree"! Funny thing, although I hadn't seen the movie before, I've had the sheet music for "The Loveliest Night of the Year" for decades.

The supporting cast includes Richard Hageman, Argentina Brunette, Angela Clarke, Eduard Franz, Ludwig Donath, Alan Napier, and Ian Wolfe. The St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers from Long Beach, California, accompany Lanza in a song. George Chakiris is listed as a dancer at IMDb but I didn't spot him.

The movie was directed by Richard Thorpe and filmed in Technicolor by Joseph Ruttenberg.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray looks and sounds great. Extras on the Warner Archive Blu-ray consist of the trailer, a song selection menu, and the documentary MARIO LANZA: SINGING TO THE GODS (2007), which is just under an hour long.

I quite enjoyed THE GREAT CARUSO, with its beautiful color, nonstop musical soundtrack, and the presence of a favorite actress, Ann Blyth, who turned 93 yesterday, August 16th.

Those interested in this film will also want to read a lovely piece on the movie by Ann Blyth's biographer, Jacqueline T. Lynch, at Another Old Movie Blog.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection Amazon Store or from any online retailers where Blu-rays are sold.

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