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The Great Caruso

THE GREAT CARUSO

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CREDITS

1951, 109 minutes, Technicolor.
Producer, Joe Pasternak; Director, Richard Thorpe; Screenplay, Sonya Levien and William Ludwig; Cinematography, Joseph Ruttenberg; Music Direction, Johnny Green and Peter Herman Adler.

CAST

Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza; Dorothy Benjamin, Ann Blyth; Louise Heggar, Dorothy Kirsten; Maria Selka, Jarmila Novotna; Carlo Santi, Richard Hageman; Park Benjamin; Carl Benton Reid; Giulio Gatt-Casazza, Eduard Franz; Alfredo Brazzi, Ludwig Donath; Jean de Reszke, Alan Napier.
Appearing As Themselves:
Blanche Thebom, Teresa Celli, Nicola Moscona, Giuseppe Valdengo, Lucine Amara, Marina Koshetz.

SONGS

The Loveliest Night Of the Year by Irving aaronson and Paul Francis Webster; Sweethearts by Victor Herbert and Robert B. Smith; Because by Teschemacher and Guy d'Hardelot; Ave Maria by Bach and Gounod; The Last Rose of Summer; M'Appari by Flotow; Vesti la Giubba by Leoncavallo; Celeste Aida; Numi, Pieta; Finale from Verdi's Aida; La Donna e Mobile by Verdi; Sextet from Lucia de Lammermoor by Donizetti; Che Gelida Manina; E Lucevan le Stelle by Puccini; Mattinata.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

"The Great Caruso simplified the Caruso life down to a kind of Italian-boy-makes-good-at-the-Met story, held together by a romantic story line in which young Enrico falls in love with wealthy socialite Dorothy Benjamin (Blyth), overcomes her parents' disapproval, and settles down to a happy marriage that never interferes with his career."
- Lawrence B. Thomas, The MGM Years

NOTES

"A heavyweight entry in every respect - from Lanza's own (220 lbs) to the box-office gross ($4,500,000), it was the high-water mark of producer Joe Pasternak's career, and the most successful 'long-haired' entertainment ever to emerge from Hollywood."
- Clive Hirschhorn, The Hollywood Musical

"Mr. Lanza has an excellent young tenor voice and he uses it in his many numbers with impressive dramatic power. . .the music - and there is plenty of it - is fine. . .The production, in Technicolor, is in MGM's opulent style. So, on that score (no pun is intended), it is a lot for your money on the screen."
- Bosley Crowther, The New York Times

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONs:
Scoring Of A Musical Picture
Costume Design (Color)

PHOTPLAY GOLD MEDAL AWARD WINNER:
Most Popular Male Star - Mario Lanza

The Great Caruso was the 4th highest-grossing film of the year. See Box Office Hits

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