(No spoilers in the first three paragraphs.) This film was released in 1958, and the next year Mario Lanza was dead. That is hard to fathom, seeing him so youthful and alive here. The story is simple - Marc Revere (Lanza, 36 during filming) is a well-known singer in the USA and engaged to pretty but difficult Carol. When she goes off to Europe, he sets out to find her, and things become interesting during his train ride to Rome. In the rain a pretty, young Italian, Rafaella (Marisa Allascio, 21 during filming), stumbles, falls, and gets on the train without a ticket. Marc, overhearing her argument with the conductor, offers to pay the 5,900 Lira for her ticket, allowed her to share his compartment, and even goes out the compartment for a minute so she could change into his dry coat.
Marc has no apparent romantic attraction, although Rafaela is strikingly pretty. They ride together to Rome, she says she will pay him back after she meets with her uncle who is to help her find a job. The rest of the movie involve a couple of different love triangles, but mostly is a series of opportunities for Mario Lanza as Marc to sing, and beautifully he does. My favorite scene is where he sings for youngsters in the streets, doing his impersonations of Perry Como, Frankie Laine, Dean Martin, and Satchmo Armstrong. A nice little movie for anyone who enjoys Mario Lanza and his singing.
As was often the case in the 1950s and 1960s, movies set in a foreign country contained liberal footage of the sights and sounds of the locale. Not so much to advance the plot, but I think more to serve as a 'travelogue' of sorts, back when fewer people traveled overseas and TV was not so world-wide. This movie includes much footage of Rome, its major attractions, and the surrounding countryside, filmed nicely in widescreen and color.
SPOILERS follow, do not read further if you have not seen the movie, but please DO see it when you get the chance. When they arrive in Rome, Rafaela finds that her uncle has moved to Argentina, she has no job and no place to stay, so she and Marc end up staying with Marc's cousin Pepe (Renato Rascel). When Rafaela sees that Marc is not a cad, and is in fact a nice, talented singer, she begins to fall for him, even though Marc just treats her as a young lady working as cook and cleaning lady at Pepe's. Meanwhile, Pepe who becomes Marc's pianist, begins to fall for Rafaela, but she has no interest in him. Marc finally finds Carol in Rome, they renew their intent to get married, but she has another suitor chasing her. In the end it doesn't work out and, as Marc and Carol split, Rafaela is leaving for the train station, to leave Rome. Marc tracks her down and they end up hand in hand, walking in the evening light.
The story uses the 'chance encounter' theme, if Rafaela had not been chasing that particular train, or if Marc had not been in that particular car, chances are they never would have met. Much of the middle of the movie is set up by Marc, Rafaela, and Pepe all being essentially 'broke', so they have to hustle odd jobs to buy food and avoid eviction. Marc's break in Rome comes when he stumbles into a local bad talent contest, wins easily, and gets hired for a regular singing job paying just over $5 American a day.
Marc has no apparent romantic attraction, although Rafaela is strikingly pretty. They ride together to Rome, she says she will pay him back after she meets with her uncle who is to help her find a job. The rest of the movie involve a couple of different love triangles, but mostly is a series of opportunities for Mario Lanza as Marc to sing, and beautifully he does. My favorite scene is where he sings for youngsters in the streets, doing his impersonations of Perry Como, Frankie Laine, Dean Martin, and Satchmo Armstrong. A nice little movie for anyone who enjoys Mario Lanza and his singing.
As was often the case in the 1950s and 1960s, movies set in a foreign country contained liberal footage of the sights and sounds of the locale. Not so much to advance the plot, but I think more to serve as a 'travelogue' of sorts, back when fewer people traveled overseas and TV was not so world-wide. This movie includes much footage of Rome, its major attractions, and the surrounding countryside, filmed nicely in widescreen and color.
SPOILERS follow, do not read further if you have not seen the movie, but please DO see it when you get the chance. When they arrive in Rome, Rafaela finds that her uncle has moved to Argentina, she has no job and no place to stay, so she and Marc end up staying with Marc's cousin Pepe (Renato Rascel). When Rafaela sees that Marc is not a cad, and is in fact a nice, talented singer, she begins to fall for him, even though Marc just treats her as a young lady working as cook and cleaning lady at Pepe's. Meanwhile, Pepe who becomes Marc's pianist, begins to fall for Rafaela, but she has no interest in him. Marc finally finds Carol in Rome, they renew their intent to get married, but she has another suitor chasing her. In the end it doesn't work out and, as Marc and Carol split, Rafaela is leaving for the train station, to leave Rome. Marc tracks her down and they end up hand in hand, walking in the evening light.
The story uses the 'chance encounter' theme, if Rafaela had not been chasing that particular train, or if Marc had not been in that particular car, chances are they never would have met. Much of the middle of the movie is set up by Marc, Rafaela, and Pepe all being essentially 'broke', so they have to hustle odd jobs to buy food and avoid eviction. Marc's break in Rome comes when he stumbles into a local bad talent contest, wins easily, and gets hired for a regular singing job paying just over $5 American a day.