Serenade on DVD
Derek McGovern
Derek McGovern
Derek McGovern
leeann
I would be interesting to have more conversation on the thread Serenade the novel vs Serenade the film.
I'm continually struck by how this film is "the odd one out" as you say--not only of Lanza's movies, but of Anthony Mann's, and maybe in the way this particular Cain novel was adapted to the screen--compared to, say, Mildred Pierce or The Postman Always Rings Twice. And now to learn, even the technology is an exception!
So, it's maybe like looking at a photographic negative--new things are apparent from a different point of view. So, yes, it's ordered. Best, Lee Ann
Derek McGovern
Armando
Hi Derek: I think that Mann’s statement was a combination of both. He genuinely liked Lanza and could have (and should have) made a much better job of directing had he not fallen in love and been totally smitten by Sarita Montiel.
leeann
After all, Serenade wasn't a huge smash at the box office or in the press. Surprisingly, among major newspapers, the usually rather critical New York Times might be about the kindest! (second row from the bottom; second from the left at http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/movies.html)
There doesn't seem to be any disagreement anywhere about Mann's "unusually flat direction": not on this forum, among critics, biographers, among film historians, and apparently not even in Mann's revisionist memories. In fact, whether they strive for balance or they're out-and-out paeans, some Mann retrospectives, just ignore this movie altogether.
My comments are all suspect until the DVD comes, but cautiously, I think I'm inclined to put a little more weight on the factor saying that Mann was excusing his role in the movie--despite his relationship with Lanza.
The studio assigned this movie to Mann. Whether he could've opted out, well given the point of his career and the studio system, probably it was safer not to, so altruism isn't really on the table. But this wasn't the first time the studio had assigned a movie to Mann, and all the factors were there for a successful film--and a film that could have fit into his repertoire. The noir themes are there, familiar Mann themes are there: the hero in an identity crisis, in the throes of psychological change--and more.
Jeanine Basinger, who's probably written the best critical work on Mann's career, (simply and appropriately called Anthony Mann, see pp. 142-143 for a discussion of Serenade) categorizes this as one of four films that are kind of off of Mann's radar. Surprisingly though, she doesn't blame the soap operatic script [her words] or Lanza, saying he "was actually a vibrant, self-confident presence. He had real star quality..." She does say that neither he nor Sarita Montiel are great actors, but claims that Mann knew how to get the best out of them.
The problem is, while she highlights what Mann did well in this film, she never probes what he failed to do--the "should'a, would'a, could'a" factors. She excuses him, saying it's the only film he made where his directorial presence can't be felt, that it wasn't tailored to his skills. (I'd REALLY argue that).
Without getting into issues of scripting and it's adaptation from Cain's book under discussion on Serenade the novel vs. Serenade the film, I wonder if Armando hasn't best stated what analysts of Mann's body of work ignore: Mann fell in love.
And what went on behind the scenes, the human relationships between Mann and Montiel, Mann and Lanza, Lanza and Albanese, Lanza and Tebaldi are as interesting as the film itself. (See An American Tragedy, pp 197-211)
And then there's the music... Best, Lee Ann
leeann
But it's a work night--so just a sneak peak, and just on a computer with headphones, which is actually a huge step up from watching a very used tape on a very, very worn out VCR player.
I think, though, this version is as advertised--an as-is reproduction and there spots with film grain and filter changes from scene to scene from blue to green to reddish tints.
But the cinematography is beautiful, compelling and worth remastering. And the sound is magnificent, without variation, and it leaps out in high relief amid the ins and outs of the script.
So, like recent Lanza releases on DVD, this is a no frills version--just the movie and a trailer that's both musically and dramatically over-the-top and should have led to audiences storming theaters for tickets! (The movie and the trailer are in different aspect ratios).
But I'm glad to have it and look forward to more detailed reviews and discussions later! (And to watching it on a bigger screen!) Best, Lee Ann
Michael McAdam
Derek McGovern
My own copy was sent on Monday, so I should have it within the next four or five days. Can't wait to check out the film on a 60" TV screen! It'll be fascinating to find out if indeed the picture had been cropped on earlier versions.
Cheers
Derek
JOE
Derek McGovern
It's clearly not the same print as used on the commercial VHS release. For one thing, the God-awful rendition of "Serenade" that's sung over the opening credits on the VHS version is absent here. Hallelujah! The colour differs from the VHS version too.
There's a reasonable amount of grain in the picture, but there's so much more detail apparent now that I'm happy to have that trade-off. The extra detail is fascinating, in fact, especially in the way it emphasizes Lanza's very expressive features.
Sam Samuelian had reported elsewhere that the original 1.66 ratio had been cropped to accommodate the full screen format of today's HD televisions. Well, I wasn't aware of any cropping; the opposite, in fact. While I haven't watched it on our 58" PDP yet, I can say that when viewed on my notebook computer, there's more of the original frame than we've seen before on both the right and the left sides of the picture. It is like seeing the film with fresh eyes. I've just compared the VHS with this DVD, and the former seems claustrophobic by comparison because of its cropping.
So, yes, highly recommended!! I can't wait for a free evening (a vain hope at the moment) so that I can sit down with a few glasses of wine and really savour the whole film.
By the way, a smack on the hand for Critics' Choice Videos, who sent me this DVD in an unpadded thin bag that offered no protection of its contents whatsoever. As a result, the case arrived all bent and snapped off at the top. Armando: I know you've ordered this as well, so I hope yours arrives in better condition!
Cheers
Derek
Joseph Fagan
Derek McGovern
Derek McGovern
I'm very happy with it. Faces are a bit on the red side at times, and, as Lee Ann noted, there are quite a few colour variations (and, especially early on, some startling variations in grain), but these are minor quibbles. The Mexican scenes, in any event, look gorgeous. Beautiful colours in the bullfight/dance scene, and, oh, I love those dramatic clouds in the gloriously hammy confrontation scene!
The sound? Well, for the most part it's excellent. "La Danza" is as clear as a bell, but I would have liked a little more resonance on it. "Torna a Surriento" and "My Destiny" sound terrific. There's some wow on "Di Quella Pira" that unfortunately lasts into the next scene, and makes Mario's high C (actually it's a B!) at the party sound uncomfortably wobbly. Fortunately, the sound returns to excellent for the Otello Monologue.
Among the other vocal selections, I was more than ever aware of how badly out of sync the first half of both the Lamento and "Nessun Dorma" are. In fact, they're so far out that I'd say it wasn't poor miming on Lanza's part that's the problem, but a simple case of the soundtrack and film becoming temporarily unsynchronized. The sound is excellent, though, and I found myself enjoying "Nessun Dorma" more than usual. In fact, the same goes for "Serenade" at the end of the film---it's the best I've heard it, and with warmth replacing echo, it's actually not all that bad. (And, of course, it works histrionically in the context of the film.)
I do wish the volume were a little louder, though, especially from the "Lamento" onwards.
Yes, there's definitely more picture on the left and right-hand sides. However, I quickly realized that there's been some horizontal cropping from the top of the frame. Oh well, I'd much rather have it this way!
Cheers
Derek
P.S. I was reminded yet again what a jarring cut there is on the soundtrack at the point when Juana rushes out of Joan Fontaine/Kendall's house. The way the music jumps from the shot of Juana running out and then back to Mario strongly suggests that something was cut here. It's a sloppy piece of aural editing, in any event!
Joseph Fagan
Derek McGovern
Speaking of which, yesterday I managed to acquire a copy of the Serenade screenplay (!), and, to my surprise, I discovered that the film was originally meant to begin in Mexico, with Mario/Damon collapsing in his hotel room and murmuring (as Juana helps him), "There's no way back." Oh, what a beginning that would have been!
I'll write more about the screenplay on our Serenade and Anthony Mann thread when I get a free moment, but for now I'll just say that the movie could have been significantly better if only Mann had followed the explicit directions of his scenarists!
Cheers
Derek
JOE
Derek McGovern
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_display
Cheers
Derek
Michael McAdam
Derek McGovern
Young Mike: Here in Korea, PDP and LCD are two quite different beasts, and from what I've seen in exhausting trips to Busan electronic stores, the former is definitely easier on the eye than the latter!
And now shall we get back to Serenade? :)
Armando
The much anticipated DVD of Serenade has finally arrived and, overall, I am pleased with it, but how they can claim it’s a remastered edition is beyond comprehension. The most important part, the sound, is really quite good (strangely wobbly high C, though, in the restaurant scene) but the colour in the picture varies quite a bit from scene to scene E.G. very red in the My Destiny sequence. There is also considerable grain when viewed on our 46inch plasma, a lot of it is no doubt due to having blown up the ratio from the original 1.66:1 to 1:85.1
I guess we must be grateful that at last the film is available on DVD even if it is under false pretences.
I have been reading the Serenade script (courtesy of our Derek) and find it totally fascinating. What a film this could have turned out with a little more care and concentration on Mann’s part and closer adherence to the script.
In the script the film begins with a flashback of the burned out Damon in Mexico. It would have made a perfect start and with a little more elaboration on Damon’s infatuation with Kendall the whole thing would have made more sense. They should also have retained the scene (153) between Damon and Kendall in the dressing room, which preceded the meeting between Kendall and Winthrop in the lobby at the Arlesiana performance and possibly the following scenes (154 –155) which were omitted.
I also think that the choice of some of the camera angles was unfortunate. You don’t place a 5’7’ person who also happens to be the leading actor next to the 6’4” Vincent Price.
Nor do you film in close up, lying on his side in bed, someone that weighs over a hundred kilos. Mann should also have asked for less grimacing in places such as at the table in the scene with Tonio (43) whe Damon wants to quit, and, again, towards the end of scene (57) when Kendall tells Damon that she didn’t ask the sculptor whether he is in love with her. Mind you, Lanza has some excellent moments in both of these scenes and he is very good for the major part of the film.
And lastly, all of the music, including the entire Otello duet and the scene where he sings My Destiny with orchestra, should have been retained. Cutting the film down to 121 minutes was a mistake.
Derek McGovern
Armando
Hi Derek: I watched Serenade in it’s entirety last night and regardless of plot faults, grainy picture or changing colour, all I can tell you is that I was totally blown away by Lanza’s singing.
The man was a musical phenomenon and in Serenade he is vocally outstanding. Lanza is in spectacular voice for the most part, with a column of sound even throughout it’s entire range, solid as a rock, yet with such dynamics to enable him to shift from the dramatic intensity of Otello to the delicate handling of Schubert’s Ave Maria, all the while retaining the magnificent colouring of the voice and it’s brilliant top. I know of no other tenor that combines all this attributes along with such complete involvement and total identification with the music, the plot and the character. Add to this a large a dose of charisma, stage presence and good looks and you have what in operatic circles is commonly know as a stage animal, or a complete singing actor.
There’s no question that in 1955 Lanza was more than ever ready for the operatic stage, and had he been able to make the move at that particular point I have not the slightest doubt that he would have reigned supreme as the ultimate spinto.
Lanza is magnificent in the Otello Monologue and the snippet of the duet from the same opera. He is vocally perfect and fantastic in his total understanding the role.
Furthermore, that a voice that size could handle the difficult tessitura of Di Rigori Armato and deliver ringing B flats and B natural with extreme ease is in itself a miracle.
By this stage Lanza was also perfectly suited to such operas as Fedora, Trovatore, L’Africana, and Turandot. Amor ti vieta and O Paradiso are simply stunning and Nessun dorma, including the final B natural, has never sounded better. Even Di Quella Pira has it’s moments, and in view of the overall sound being produced one can easily overlook the fact that that two high Cs could have been better.
There are outstanding moments in other Lanza films, such as the Vesti La Giubba in The Great Caruso, Addio alla Madre in Because You’re Mine, and the operatic excerpts in For the First Time, but for a voice at the peak of it’s powers Serenade can hardly be bettered.
It’s a film that should be seen and heard by the doubting Thomases, providing, that is, they have sufficient knowledge of the operatic voice and what constitutes an opera singer.
Derek McGovern
Listening to the singing in this film, it's easy to understand why RCA boss Emmanuel Sachs exclaimed on hearing it, "Throw out everything else and stick to this. The man is a musical phenomenon." And that was from the man who had been blown away (and moved to tears) by Lanza's soundtrack to The Student Prince.
I'm glad it wasn't just me who thought that "Nessun Dorma" had never sounded better. That slightly pinched quality (from "Tramontate" onwards) is almost gone here, and those three brilliant high As in succession are quite a thrill. Could Mario have improved on it? Sure, but had this performance featured in practically any other Lanza film, it would have been regarded as a vocal highlight. (It could have singlehandedly redeemed Seven Hills of Rome!) The fact that it's one of the few lesser operatic performances in the film says an awful lot about the calibre of the singing in Serenade.
Cheers
Derek
Armando
Ciao Derek: I think that taking Lanza for granted is
probably something we all subconsciously do from time to time. That’s why I tend
to not listen to his recordings or view his films too frequently. When I do, the result is almost akin to rediscovering
him again and be totally mesmerised by his towering talent.
Derek McGovern
Listening to Lanza's singing in this film---and not just the highlights either---it struck me that only a musical ignoramus could fail to be bowled over by the combination of artistry and vocal splendour on display here. It also utterly refutes that tired old nonsense about Lanza's vocal glory days ending with the Coke Shows or "Song of India."
Anyone who cares about great operatic singing and a tenor voice at its best should get this DVD, and I passionately hope that it reaches people who had previously dismissed Mario Lanza.
Cheers
Derek
Armando
Ciao Derek: Those fixated on the Coke days voice fail to understand that the singing during this period was mostly totally unrestrained, stylistically poor and technically uneven, with some abominable orchestrations and conducting to boot. The voice itself, with few exceptions, was consistently brilliant but, particularly in the songs, Lanza was using a more open tone and letting the voice rip with complete abandon, throwing caution to the wind.
Both the voice and the singer in Serenade are a totally different matter. The voice, while retaining its brilliant colouring, is darker, but the singer is stylistically and technically miles ahead from the Coke days. It’s obvious that he had worked seriously on the music with the great coach, Giacomo Spadoni and that he benefited greatly from Ray Heindorf superior conducting.
The overall result from someone that had been inactive for the best part of three years is close to miraculous, with a towering Lanza both vocally and interpretively.
Roger Brown, wrote in the September 29, 1956, edition of Saturday Review,
“The voice of Mario Lanza yearns towards the operatic stage and I dare predict it will carry him there.”
Had fate been kinder, Brown’s prophecy might well have become a reality. However, I can think of no greater Operatic Testament from Lanza than his outstanding singing in Serenade.
Had more of this sort of singing and less of the Coke one been peddled by his recording company we may encounter less resistance when discussing Lanza with the more enlightened opera connoisseurs.
I guess one can dream……..
Derek McGovern
If only Lanza had followed that advice! In fact, if he'd left the movies after Serenade, that film would have provided a fitting end to his movie career. It is the best representation we have of his operatic singing.
Still, I am grateful for the magnificent operatic singing he left us in For the First Time, and I'm quite excited at the prospect of that film being released on DVD soon, and in (hopefully) excellent sound. Can we dare to hope for the soundtrack to be in stereo this time?
And while I think of it, is anyone planning to buy the DVD of Seven Hills of Rome? That's presumably next on the release list. Earlier this year, I was told that all the remaining Lanza films were going to be released on DVD by the end of 2011, so it can't be far away. I may give that one a miss, however :)
Cheers
Derek
leeann
Barnabas Nemeth
Heidi
Derek McGovern
Lee Ann: I love that quote from William Monahan, and, yes, it definitely applies to Serenade. I work with a young Canadian (from P.E.I., Mike and Gary!) who's one of the biggest film buffs I know, and he feels---as I do---that it's so often the flawed films that engage us the most. (We've even watched a couple of scenes from Serenade in the office; he liked some of Mann's touches.) We've spent hours discussing favourite scenes and performances from films that would never meet the usual criteria of a masterpiece, but which nevertheless continue to give us both great pleasure. And I think it's telling that none of us here has felt compelled to analyze what works and what doesn't in, say, The Great Caruso or The Toast of New Orleans---two much more polished films---and yet we keep coming back to Serenade, warts and all.
I may just steal that quote from Monahan for my Serenade article :)
Cheers
Derek
Armando
Hi Derek: Saying goodbye to films after Serenade would certainly have been ideal. But, again, apart from the disastrous situation of his finances( most of the earnings from Serenade had gone on the purchase of the Bel Air home and he still had unpaid taxes) there was a question of confidence. This was no longer the self -assured man of merely 4 years earlier. Behind the façade and the bravado was a man whose psyche and self- esteem had suffered an almost fatal blow.
To imagine that in that particular frame of mind he could have attempted a return to opera is, in my mind, totally inconceivable.
I do believe, though, that had he been able to get his health in order and work seriously with someone like Peter Herman Adler or Tullio Serafin or Oliviero De Fabritis, (the latter, following Tebaldi’s instigation, was interested in working with him) it could well have happened in the 60s.
Of course, this latest of mine will do nothing to change the
mind of those that are forever accusing us of dreaming.Frankly, they would be better
off keeping totally silent since their
understanding of operatic matters and operatic singing is completely non existent.
But then again-ignorance is bliss!
Derek McGovern
I've enjoyed the DVD of SERENADE and do think it an improvement,
overall, compared to the VHS release. To be specifically critical
though, there are certain things about the DVD that I notice and that
have been touched upon on this forum, i.e.: the inconsistent
coloration from scene to scene, the volume changes, etc. In general
though, a glad and welcome addition to the Lanza video catalog.
One note - perhaps really a question. There is a very brief scene,
just before Mario sings "Nessun dorma," that takes place in what looks
like a back alley or, more likely, the stage entrance to the opera
house, and it show Joan Fontaine getting out of a car and walking into
the opera house. It's very brief, only a few seconds, and I am
thinking to myself that this little shot is not in the VHS version I
have. I have not had time to check and indeed it's a very minor
thing, but it is something that occured to me when my wife and I
watched the DVD version. Any thoughts?
Ciao ~ Tony
Hi Tony: That little scene is in the VHS version of the film that I have, though I guess it's quite possible that it was cut from some TV broadcasts.
Cheers
Derek
Vincent Di Placido
copies of "The Great Caruso", "Because You're Mine", "The Student
Prince" & "Serenade" from Critics Choice along with my Warner's double
bill dvd of "That Midnight Kiss" & "The Toast of New Orleans" I now
have great prints of these 6 Lanza movies... But one of the major
revelations for me was the warm rich sound now that I am not listening
to the sped up result of the PAL video system, it made me appreciate
the singing, especially on the "Great Caruso" soundtrack. Compared to
the copies I had before I am very impressed with these releases, nice
to have them in official releases. I noticed some details I hadn't
noticed before, A great widescreen print of "For The First Time" would
be great next...
Derek McGovern
I still remember how amazed my youngest brother and I were by the richness of Lanza's middle and lower registers when we attended a screening of That Midnight Kiss in 1978. (It was at a get-together of the NZ Mario Lanza Society.) We were so used to hearing sped-up Lanza on TV whenever his films were shown that it really was a revelation to hear the true voice in all its glory.
I'm sure For the First Time will be released in widescreen (just as the laserdisc was in the 1990s). A real bonus would be a stereo version for once! Anyway, we should know pretty soon...
Cheers
Derek