Serenade (1956)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screenplay) &
Ben Roberts (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 March 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The most thrilling story-with-music ever made is Mario Lanza in 'Serenade.' All the quivering excitement of James M. Cain's best-seller...The story of a farm hand who won fame as a singer and almost lost his soul as a man!

Plot:

Damon Vincenti, a young vineyard worker, has a beautiful tenor voice and dreams of becoming a great opera singer...

Plot Keywords:

Tenor | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Cast

Mario Lanza	...	Damon Vincenti
Joan Fontaine	...	Kendall Hale
Sara Montiel	...	Juana Montes (as Sarita Montiel)
Vincent Price	...	Charles Winthrop
Joseph Calleia	...	Maestro Marcatello
Harry Bellaver	...	Monte
Vince Edwards	...	Marco Roselli
Silvio Minciotti	...	Lardelli
Frank Puglia	...	Manuel Montes
Edward Platt	...	Everett Carter
Licia Albanese	...	Soprano
Jean Fenn	...	Soprano

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Belgium:Tous | UK:U (original rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Movie Connections:

Remade as Kirik plak (1959)

Soundtrack:

Serenade

Mario Lanza's greatest Movie!

Some might say that Mario Lanza was overweight and not in his best voice for this Movie, but that would be judging him by those factors alone. This in my opinion ironically is Lanza's best Movie ever! Serenade is a very dramatic Movie with great performances from the likes of Joan Fontaine and in particular Sarita Montiel who really makes this Picture. Add this to the beautiful colourful backdrops and a haunting and dramatic score in the use of 'Serenade', and what you have is a cocktail for a fabulous Movie! For a two hour Film this could have been 'over-long' but in fact the two hours fly by as the whole is so absorbing.

This lush Masterpiece from 1956 is so under-rated as to never have been released on either Video or DVD in the United Kingdom - and only on Video for a limited period in the USA. If you want to own this Movie you're going to have to be patient and hunt madly, but it will be well worth the time spent! And for those who've already seen it, they will want to own it also, and so you'll have some pretty stiff competition in obtaining one of those scarce copies! If you haven't seen it, then book yourself a night in when it is next shown on TV for a great piece of entertainment, and have the chocolates and wine at the ready for a good quality night's viewing!

This is a superb production - oh, and don't forget the tissues!

Simply magic!