Tito Gobbi Movies

The life of Verdi is set, appropriately, to music performed by the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala. ~ Rovi

Told in pageantlike fashion, Casa Ricordi is the story of the Ricordi family, the most prestigious music publishers in all Italy. It was the Ricordis who, for better or worse, came up with the "royalty" concept, paying artists (and their families) for their work in perpetuity. As the family's fortune grows, the Ricordis rub shoulders with the musical glitterati of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Bellini and Rossini. Naturally, this allows the film to showcase some of these composers' most famous works--and in true Hollywood-by-the-Mediterranean fashion, the principal influence for these compositions are the various members of the Ricordi family. The soundtrack of Casa Ricordi reverberates with the voices of such musical immortals as Tito Gobbi, Renata Tibaldi, Mario Del Monaco and Gianni Poggi, among many others. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Eldfagein started out as a modest musical short subject, spotlighting the talents of dancer Ellen Rasch. During production it was expanded by several reels, then promoted as Sweden's first full-color feature film. To flesh out the running time, opera stars Tito Gobbi and Leon Bjorker perform several masterful arias. And, yes, there's a plot, the old chestnut about fame and fortune impeding the romance between a singer and a dancer. Storywise, Eldfagein is a crazy quilt; musically, it is consistently fine. Outside of Sweden, the film was released as The Firebrand. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Soho Conspiracy isn't a movie, it's a crazy quilt. The thin plot strand concerns a group of down and out residents of London's Soho district. Pooling their talents, these worthies put on a Big Show to save a church from falling apart. If the musical numbers seemed familiar to British filmgoers in 1951, it was no surprise. All the musical highlights in Soho Conspiracy were lifted bodily from earlier films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A composer discovers that the inspiration for his greatest work may come at the expense of his marriage in this romantic drama with music. Richard Wilder (Michael Dennison) was a pilot with the RAF during World War II and was shot down over the Dolomite Mountains of Italy during a mission. Wilder's life was saved by Alida (Valentina Cortese), a beautiful woman working with the anti-fascist resistance who rescued him after his crash. After the war comes to a close, Wilder returns home to England and his wife Ann (Dulcie Gray), where he begins writing an opera based on the legends of Dolemite, as passed along by the peasants of the region. However, his home in England does not prove to be a conducive creative environment, so he travels back to Italy, where he spends time with Alida and is able to complete his work. However, he begins to fall in love with Alida, and he soon finds that he must choose between his muse and his spouse. Acclaimed classical vocalist Tito Gobbi appears as himself and sings several selections. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Italian director Carmine Gallone, who previously brought the Giueseppe Verdi opera Il Trovatore to the screen, herein offers a cinemazation of Verdi's La Forza del Destino. With a less dynamic plot than Trovatore, this Verdi composition can be appreciated on the merits of its music alone. Famed opera star Tito Gobbi does his own singing (of course), while his co-stars Nelly Corradi and Gino Sinimberghi are dubbed by Caterina Mancini and Galliano Masino. The stars are backed up by the orchestra and chorus of the Rome Opera. Not quite as well filmed as Il Trovatore, La Forza del Destino is still a must for opera buffs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Can there be any doubt as to the contents of the Italian First Opera Film Festival? Divided in four parts, the film offers highlights from a quartet of classic operas. Included are vignettes from Rossini's William Tell, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Donizetti's Don Pasquale and Bizet's Carmen. Among the featured artists is legendary tenor Tito Gobbi, who was making quite a few film appearances at the time. For the English-language version, an ongoing narration was added, spoken by New York Times music critic Olin Downes, whose sarcastic, semi-satirical tone is most unwelcome. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Italian cinemazation of Rossinis comic opera The Barber of Seville is worth seeing if for no other reason than the presence of legendary tenor Tito Gobbi in the title role. The moment Gobbi launches the famous, tongue-twisting "Largo et Factotum," the audience is in the palm of his hand. The plot, of course, concerns the efforts of Count Almavina (Ferrucio Tagliavini) to woo and win the beautiful Rosina (Nelly Corradi) without arousing the suspicions of the heroine's overprotective guardian, but it's the music that remains in the memory. Mme. Corradi's rendition of "Une voce poco fa" is also to be cherished, though it isn't as impressive as Gobbi's solo numbers. For the benefit of English-speaking audiences, the plot is "explained" by music critic Deems Taylor, who performed a similar function in Disney's Fantasia (1940). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this screen adaptation of Donizetti's comic opera, a flirtatious young girl loves teasing the boys. One young man is particularly enamored and goes to the local medicine man for a love potion. The strange brew works and romance ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi