Customer Reviews

One Night of Love [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This rarely seen opera-musical from the early thirties is a masterpiece. Charismatic Grace Moore, who had flopped in movies with "A Lady's Morals" at MGM, made a fantastic comeback with this delightful little gem. The story is trivial: American Mary goes to Italy to study opera, comes under the influence of opera's greatest teacher, they fall in love, they breakup, then they are reunited in the most exciting reunion ever conceived: she's singing "Madama Butterfly" at New York's Opera House, but she can't go on without his presence and guidance. Viola! There he is in the prompter's box, leading her on to greatness. You'll be weeping at the final scene like I do whenever I see it. The movie sparkles with bursts of glorious music, mostly classical. Moore went on to make several popular musicals before dying in a plane crash during World War II. Columbia's foul-mouthed, irascible Harry Cohn wanted desperately for his studio to be regarded as more than a B-Studio and took a gamble on Moore. Their fights are legendary, i.e., Moore wanted Cohn to buy the movie rights to the opera Madama Butterfly, but he thought she meant a popular pop tune at the time, "Poor Little Butterfly." When she informed him it was an opera, he went into a tizzy. Also, Moore's weight kept ballooning and there was a battle royal in forcing her to keep her weight down. When pre-recording her songs in the studio, she walked out during the recording of Carmen, accusing the orchestra of being hte problem. She was ordered back to the set or be forced to pay all the musicians salaries that day. Let's all thank the magic of movies that she's preserved in movies. Highlight of this movie: a lengthy sequence of Moore in "Carmen." One can only imagine the cat-fighting between her and MGM's reigning musical diva, Jeanette McDonald. Bravo to Grace!

Metropolitan diva Grace Moore is outstanding. The music is perfect and the cast ideally suited to the script. What I like about this film is the way the chosen opera vignettes follow the plot and enhance the story. I really liked the part when Grace if faking her illness to get out of singing. It's so funny I laughed for 10 minutes. The last scene in the movie, a piece from act 2 of Madame Butterfly, is as good as movie musicals can get.

A surprisingly enjoyable film which is all but forgotten. After auditioning for a radio part, singer Mary Barrett (Grace Moore) informs her parents that she is leaving NYC in order to study music in Milan, Italy. Mary acquires a job at the Cafe Roma - where the eminent Giulio Monteverdi (the authentically Italian Tullio Carminati) hears her sing. He promises to mold her into a star if she will allow him to control her life - without the possiblility of romance...Grace Moore is in fine form, luminously showcased in this ornate production which was nominated for four AA in 1935. The film was chosen as one of the best films of 1934 by Film Daily and won a special "scientific or technical" AA for sound recording.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL FILM. I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY. IT WAS TRULY BEFORE IT'S TIME. GRACE MOORE DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB AND THE FILM IS TRULY FUNNY.

I have never seen an opera in its' entirety and, frankly, I'm not sure I ever will. However, I have enjoyed a number of the more familiar musical passages I've heard over the years. With that in mind, I took a look (and a listen) at "One Night of Love".

The storyline in "One Night of Love" is quite simple but, if I'm not mistaken, that's the way it is with the plot of most operas. They are watched (and listened) for the singing not the acting or the suspenseful, what'll happen next intrigue you'd expect in a Hitchcock movie. In other words, operas are like musicals; the story is designed to introduce the songs and to string us along until we get to the next one. I let that aspect be and enjoyed the impressive singing. I'm not familiar with Grace Moore but she was quite the soprano. I appreciated the selection of opera songs that we are treated to in this movie. I could watch this movie again and again and not even have to be in the same room as the TV.

SO VERY VERY LOVELY TO AT LAST SEE THIS MOVIE WHICH IMPACTED THE WORLD SO GREATLY.

This was probably the first film featuring classical operatic singing that
became a hit with movie goers in the thirties thanks to its star,Grace Moore,who's combination of an excellent voice plus attractive personality makes the film still
watchable today

This was a birthday present for my 94 year old dad who saw this movie in the early 1930s. He was delighted.

I can't review since I have not received your prodeuct that I ordered. It was promised between April 6 and April 26 and this is May 8th andno DVD.

This is the third time I have notified you:

Does anybody hear?

Does Anybody care?

Is anybody there?

h e l l o !!!