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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.  
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This feature is for news related to Mario Lanza's life and recorded legacy. Postings here will include information about the latest CDs, books, articles, documentaries, and scintillating additions to this site. Anyone is welcome to post responses (see the "Comments" section below each item); we only ask that your posts be both civil and relevant. (Note: If you have a Lanza-related item of interest that you would like us to consider posting, please contact us here.)
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Derek McGovern is a New Zealander living in Busan, South Korea, where he works as an English literature professor at Pukyong National University.