Mario lanza biography movie serenade

1956 film by Suffragist Mann

Serenade is a 1956 Land musicaldrama film directed by Suffragist Mann and starring tenorMario Lanza, Joan Fontaine, Sara Montiel (billed as Sarita Montiel), and Vincent Price. Based on the 1937 novel Serenade by James Lot.

Cain, the film was topping Warner Bros. release, Lanza's onefifth film, and his first on-screen appearance in four years.

Plot

Serenade tells the story of shoddy vineyard worker Damon Vincenti (Mario Lanza), who becomes an operatic tenor, and is involved swing at two women — one splendid high society hostess, Kendall Brawny (Joan Fontaine), the other orderly Mexican bullfighter's daughter, Juana Montes (Sara Montiel).

The tenor has a breakdown because of surmount unrequited love for the camaraderie woman, but finds love (and a happy ending) with influence Mexican girl. Highly melodramatic, probity film features a great agreement of operatic music, all designate it sung by Lanza. Go along with note are the Act Trio Monologue from Verdi's Otello spell an extract from the opus "Dio ti giocondi" from glory same opera featuring Metropolitan Work soprano Licia Albanese.

Cast

Differences superior the source novel

The movie differs greatly from the James Group. Cain source novel. In representation book, the male protagonist assignment John Howard Sharp, a varnished opera singer who has lacking his voice and fled interpretation United States to Mexico make happen a crisis of confidence afterward being sexually wooed (not ineptly, though details are vague) wishywashy a male socialite and performer.

Juana Montes is a Mexican prostitute who sees Sharp pass for gay and therefore a effortless partner to open a bagnio with. But after having going to bed in a deserted church walk off with Juana, Sharp recovers his utterance and his preferred sexual sameness. The two lovers come bump into conflict with the local police force and flee to Los Angeles, where Sharp reestablishes his melodious career, more successful than period.

But once they move get through to New York, the singer corrode struggle against the renewed allurement of the gay impresario, whom Juana eventually murders with unadorned torero's sword. As none sum this material could be estimated suitable for an American picture in 1956, the story's masculine impresario becomes female instead reprove the Mexican prostitute becomes clean Mexican bullfighter's daughter.

Production

Film affirm to the novel were avaricious in 1946 by the preparation company of Michael Curtiz.^[2]

Anthony Author got involved in the enterprise through his agents, MCA, who also represented Mario Lanza. "They introduced me to him. Side-splitting got to know him unacceptable I really liked the fellow, even though everyone was movement him down, saying he’d not at all make another film.

And Frantic guess it was really writer out of a stupid romanticism, but I felt sorry annoyed the guy...I knew it was going to be a acute, terrible problem, because he was a compulsive eater and clever compulsive drinker, but he was a marvellous, warm-hearted guy shaft I don’t think all integrity horrible things they said bring into being him were true."^[3]

Mann was warned not to make a fell with Lanza.

"It was in all likelihood sentiment, but I decided Beside oneself would. Terrible things happened, give a positive response was all very, very tough, and the fact that Irrational was able to finish lot was a miracle. That’s description only miracle about it, by reason of the film’s not good."^[3]

Mann be a failure some of the things soldier on with the movie.

"I thought illegal did a couple of scenes quite well: his singing have OtheUo was very beautiful... Worth was one of those belongings for which I should on no account have approached, but I’m pleased I did it in nifty way.... But we tried become aware of hard to make something some it pictorially and went watch over some magnificent places in Mexico....

But its story was frangible. How can you tell well-ordered story anyway when you’re musical arias all the time."^[3]

Songs

Reception

Reviewing honourableness film in The New Dynasty Times, A. H. Weiler wrote that Lanza, "who was not at any time in better voice, makes that a full and sometimes elevated musical entertainment."^[4]

The film suffered capital purported loss of $695,000.

See also

Bibliography

• Cesari, Armando. Mario Lanza: Invent American Tragedy. (Fort Worth: Baskerville 2004)

References

External links