One Night of Love

Released Jul 6, 1934

1h 20m

Musical

List

63%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

42%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

After relocating from New York City to Milan, Italy, to study opera, Mary (Grace Moore) meets her mentor, Giulio (Tullio Carminati). Under his guidance, Mary learns the intricacies of opera and becomes a more confident songstress. Years later, Mary meets Lally (Mona Barrie), a previous student of Giulio's who brings her feelings of jealousy to the surface. Unable to come to terms with her true feelings toward Giulio, Mary rebels, jeopardizing her budding career and a potential happy ending.

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Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

There are some good swelling notes in the last sixteenth of it, and moments of humor here and there between Tullio Carminati and Luis Albert; but in the main it turns out to be a gawp-show.

Jan 23, 2024

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

One Night of Love is basically an operatic film. It's the fact that the film is human, down to earth, that helps most.

Feb 5, 2009

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Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

An enjoyable light diversion, one worthy of the charm and talent of its stellar performer.

Rated: 4/5

May 20, 2003

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

Love and comedy, with grand operatic climaxes. With Grace Moore, Metropolitan soprano superb in the leading role. Highly recommended.

Jul 23, 2019

Full Review

Helen Brown Norden

Vanity Fair

The star looks charming and sings like an angel; while Tullio Carminati scores a distinct personal triumph as her leading man.

Jun 7, 2019

Full Review

TV Guide

It's all rather cliche-ridden, but the film was a box office hit and began a brief period of Hollywood stardom for operatic diva Moore.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 31, 2012

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Audience Member

Unlike MGM's favorite soprano, JEANETTE MacDONALD, other singers from the Met tried screen careers at various times in the '30s, but none emerged winning enough as screen personalities to rival Jeanette. Columbia tried hard with GRACE MOORE and this is undoubtedly one of her better efforts at attaining screen stardom. TULLIO CARMINATI is amusingly persistent as her demanding voice coach who discovers her singing "Ciribiribin" in a cellar cafe before offering to become her tutor. LYLE TALBOT is her boyfriend with marriage on his mind. But the silly script has Miss Moore acting like a spoiled prima donna, cavorting with boyfriend Talbot while supposedly training for her big moment as "Carmen". A series of misunderstandings involving another woman, MONA BARRIE (strongly resembling Kay Francis), makes up much of the backstage part of the story and only weakens the overall film. Moore is fine whenever she's singing but the lip synch is way off during the final "Un Bel Di" and it's hard to see where her performance earned her an Oscar nomination for the acting part of her role. Summing up: A disappointment for me, regardless of glowing tributes from the other commentators on this particular film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Like many old movies this one falls in the category of a terrible lackluster plot with incredible talent. What a voice this woman had! Other than that I couldn't give two s*$!s about this film. Fell asleep several times watching it. That being said one of the few films that showcases operatic talent and with that one of the most talented opera singers I've ever heard. I'd just youtube some of the singing scenes and skip thru the actual movie as the love story and everything else was so hijinks sentimental bs. The main love story also was pretty abusive and couldn't get into it at all.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

steve d

The music and story did nothing for me.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I had never heard of her but it turns out that opera singer Grace Moore was a pretty big deal in the 1930s as she popularized opera in the United States and headlined several financially successful films. This is perhaps her most iconic film as she earned an Academy Award nomination for her efforts and the film itself was nominated for Best Picture. This is what led me to watch the film and I have to say that I regret doing so as it has aged horribly offering little entertainment value and it is shocking to consider that it was released in the same year as It Happened One Night (1934) which feels as though it has not aged a day. Aspiring opera singer Mary Barrett, Grace Moore, is compelled to move to Milan, Italy so that she can further her career leaving behind a loving and supportive family that she misses greatly. She is quickly spotted by famed vocal coach Giulio Monteverdi, Tullio Carminati, who takes her under his wing but quickly proves to be controlling as she is forced to live with him but he reacts violently to any suggestion of romance between the two of them. She blossoms as a singer under his tutelage and finds herself to performing to larger and larger crowds but her anxieties threaten to derail her career as Monteverdi tortures her due to her growing feelings for him. She pretends to have laryngitis to get out of performing but he discovers her deception leading to an argument between them. Her belief that he has returned to former lover Lally, Mona Barrie, propels her into the arms of his friend Bill Houston, Lyle Talbot. The two eventually find their way back to one another and Barrett successfully performs at the Metropolitan Opera. One of the most disturbing things about the film is that it supports an abusive relationship as Monteverdi is controlling and constantly puts down his supposed love interest. I refuse to believe that this was simply a product of the time as films released within the same year present relationships in which men love and support their wives instead of putting them down. In The Thin Man (1934) we see a married couple who are openly affectionate and understanding of each other's desires to lead careers. The woman supports her husband without giving up her own ambitions and does not berate him when he is not at his best. Comparatively this film is in support of an older man who takes on a younger woman who is essentially his student and purportedly falls in love with her all the while verbally attacking her for doing the same. He doesn't change or became a better human being in any way and the arc of the film seems to be Barrett accepting his abuse rather than their relationship evolving in any real way. Moore's performance also left something to be desired as she transfers her wobbly, high pitched singing voice into her speaking voice and every line is spoken in the same tone. She seems far too old for her role as we are expected to believe her as an extremely young ingénue but she would be more convincing as a mature veteran trying to make a comeback. Her big dramatic scenes always seem slightly off as she broadcasts every emotion loudly and I was never emotionally moved with her as she suffers on for nearly 90 minutes. I also cannot say that I was enamored of her as a musician with her voice annoying me more than drawing me in, I am not a huge fan of opera, and her posture seeming stiff as she sings to large crowds. This film is not popular with modern audiences and it is fairly easy to see why as it presents little of interest as it's story feels stale, Pygmalion (1938) is far more exciting, and the performers were flash in the pan stars. 1930s musicals are not my favorite as I find far more to appreciate in the brighter, more fantastical 1940s and this film would be forgettable if not for the abusive relationship due to the weak songs. I doubt this will receive any reevaluation as it deserves to remain in the past.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

david l

One Night of Love is very well scored, well-acted and well shot, but it's a very dated musical which is an acquired taste in its opera numbers. The story is also standard and nothing special. It's a passable, but dated genre film which certainly did not deserve to receive six Oscar nominations.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best musical movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Victor Schertzinger

Director

Grace Moore

Mary Barrett

Tullio Carminati

Guilio Monteverdi

Lyle Talbot

Bill Houston

Mona Barrie

Lally

Jessie Ralph

Angelina

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Synopsis

After relocating from New York City to Milan, Italy, to study opera, Mary (Grace Moore) meets her mentor, Giulio (Tullio Carminati). Under his guidance, Mary learns the intricacies of opera and becomes a more confident songstress. Years later, Mary meets Lally (Mona Barrie), a previous student of Giulio's who brings her feelings of jealousy to the surface. Unable to come to terms with her true feelings toward Giulio, Mary rebels, jeopardizing her budding career and a potential happy ending.

Director: Victor Schertzinger
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 6, 1934, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2013
Runtime: 1h 20m

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