The Great Caruso

"The Intimate Story of a Man with a Voice as Great as His Heart!"

Aug 17 1951 Approved 1h 49m
Biography, Drama, Music

Enrico Caruso's only passion is to sing. For that, he leaves his hometown of Naples, Italy, and travels to America to sing for the Metropolitan Opera. At first, his lack of education and poor background make him an outcast in the high-class opera world. Eventually, his voice wins him both fans and the hand of his love, Dorothy. But his nonstop pace and desire to perform at any cost eventually take their toll on the singer's health.

Plot

This film traces the life of tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921). He loves Musetta, in his home town of Naples, and then Dorothy, the daughter of one of the Metropolitan Opera's patrons. Caruso is unacceptable to both women's fathers: to one, because he sings; to Dorothy's, because he is a peasant. To New York patricians, Caruso is short, barrel chested, loud, emotional, unrefined. Their appreciation comes slowly. The film depicts Caruso's lament that "the man does not have the voice, the voice has the man": he cannot be places he wants to be, because he must be elsewhere singing, including the day his mother dies. Throughout, Mario Lanza and stars from the Met sing.

Written by

Sonya Levien, William Ludwig, Dorothy Caruso

Directed by

Richard Thorpe

Cast

Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Languages

English

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 2 wins & 4 nominations total

Trailers
THE GREAT CARUSO - Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
1,547
Average Rating
6.5 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA