This is actually a masterpiece in its mixture of opera and reality, and for us today it is a major treat to see one of the great world tenors (Beniamino Gigli) alive on screen in a part of almost himself (a world tenor) and playing it well, as it involves great human involvement with other peolple, especially his ailing daughter, for whom he gives up his career and stops singing to live only for her, after her broken heart when she has broken up with her one suitor, who proved to have another woman since five years and wasting everything on gambling as well. Opera and realism are intermixed throughout the film with great convincing virtuoso expertise, so it is both a great opera film (for Benjamin Gigli's sake) and a great human drama, touching on neorelism and at least verism. The universal compassion with the ailing girl is irresistible, she is too convincing in all her frailty and understandable incurable love, and the cinematography is also impressing, from Venice in summer to a very wintry Rome with lots of beautiful Italy in between. One of the sensations in the film is that Beniamino Gigli actually sings Wagner, but in Italian - and suddenly Wagner's music becomes better. His music remains difficult and strained all the same, but Italian at least makes it sound better. The film is of great interest above all to opera fans, as you can study in detail his manner of singing, with his small mouth he actually seems to make no effort at all, while his big head gives him perfect resonance. It is a unique film for its expert composition in mixing up opera and hard core reality in a perfectly harmonized blend, and this film certainly must not be forgotten.
