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Serenade

1956 2h 1m Musical List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A vineyard worker (Mario Lanza) becomes an opera singer in love with a socialite (Joan Fontaine) and a Mexican girl (Sara Montiel).
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Serenade

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Sentimental tearjerker romantic drama directed with skill by the great Anthony Mann. Rated: C+ Jun 26, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The story is pretty ridiculous but its all presented lushly with all the big studio trimmings. Gorgeous locations in sumptuous Technicolor and a top flight cast all doing good work. Mario is in fine voice even if he doesn't look his best and sings many beautiful songs full of vigor. The script requires more acting than usually asked of him and he pulls it off well enough although no one would ever mistake him for Olivier. Joan Fontaine checks in with the silky brand of villainy that became her stock in trade once her sweet ingenue phase came abruptly to an end sometime after Letter from an Unknown Woman. Did any actress have a more dramatic change of persona than she from dewy vulnerability to brittle hard edged sophistication in so short a time? Anyway she looks incredible and is a fine balance to the breathtaking beauty of Sarita Montiel. The other standout in the cast is Vincent Price in a part that had anybody else with less flair played it would have been nothing. With the sly humor in his voice he makes his lines memorable and walks off with any scene he's in. If you're a fan of any of the stars well worth the time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member If you're a fan of Lanza, you should really see this one. The story is alright, but if you're not a fan you'll be bored. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member I thought this was a wonderful story, surprised to see so few stars & reviews.What a voice Mario Lanza had Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Mario Lanza era dueño de una gran voz, y no cabe duda de su notable talento como tenor. Se decía que era mejor que Caruso. No se puede decir lo mismo sobre su faceta como actor de cine. En Serenade (1956), el tenor originario de Filadelfia, luce sobreactuado y nada convincente interpretando a una joven promesa de la ópera, al cual la fama le llega tan rápido que en poco tiempo echa todo por la borda. Dirigida por Anthony Mann, musicalmente la película te llega a las entrañas. Lanza interpreta el "Ave Maria", extractos de "La Boheme", "Don Giovanni", "Otello" e "Ill Trovatore", además de canciones originales escritas para el filme por Nicholas Brodzky y Sammy Cahn. Basada en la novela de James M. Cain, la película está filmada casi enteramente en México (específicamente, en San Miguel de Allende), a donde llega nuestro artista luego de la desilusión romántica causada por su descubridora, una atractiva socialité (Joan Fontaine). Vincent Price tiene una estupenda participación como el manager de Lanza. Sin embargo, la película no escapa de la clásica visión folclórica de México, y a partir de aquí Serenade se transforma en una especie de telenovela, con tantos giros argumentales que la supuesta química que debe de haber entre Mario Lanza y la española Sarita Montiel (buen acento mexicano) queda en segundo plano. Más en pantallanueve.blogspot.com Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member If you're a fan of Lanza, you should really see this one. The story is alright, but if you're not a fan you'll be bored. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member The story is interesting enough, not great, but okay. I just wished I could have seen more of Vincent Price in the movie. Of course, if you're a fan of Lanza's work, you should really see this one. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Serenade

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A vineyard worker (Mario Lanza) becomes an opera singer in love with a socialite (Joan Fontaine) and a Mexican girl (Sara Montiel).
Director
Anthony Mann
Producer
Henry Blanke
Screenwriter
Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, John Twist
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Genre
Musical
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2009
Runtime
2h 1m
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