The Warner Archive has just released a Blu-ray of what is apparently a 6K scan of the original 35mm print of Mario Lanza's final film, For the First Time. Visually, it's stunning, preserving its original Technirama ratio and resolution, and the (mono) sound quality is excellent. This official Blu-ray is a major improvement (especially visually) on the German Blu-ray of the film that was issued some years ago.
More than anything else, this Blu-ray reinforces the overall excellence of Lanza's singing in his screen swansong, with its well-staged operatic scenes (all filmed on the stage of the Rome Opera House) and an impressive "O Sole Mio" among the highlights.
This Blu-ray is available now from Amazon, and will hopefully be successful enough to encourage Warners to issue more of Lanza's films in this format, with Serenade surely on the top of most fans' wishlists.
More than anything else, this Blu-ray reinforces the overall excellence of Lanza's singing in his screen swansong, with its well-staged operatic scenes (all filmed on the stage of the Rome Opera House) and an impressive "O Sole Mio" among the highlights.
This Blu-ray is available now from Amazon, and will hopefully be successful enough to encourage Warners to issue more of Lanza's films in this format, with Serenade surely on the top of most fans' wishlists.
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