There is a similarity between the films of Elvis Presley and some by Mario Lanza. A young man travels around, singing for people along the way, sometimes surrounded by his adoring fans. There is usually a fistfight, and always a girl. "For the First Time" even includes a dust-up, like a Presley film.
The young lady in this film is a deaf girl Tonio (Maria Lanza) falls in love with. The fact that he is a singing superstar and she cannot hear his voice is a plot point. The fact that the title song is uninspiring is a weak point of the film.
Lanza's career capitalized on his crossover appeal to fans of opera and popular music alike. Here, the viewer gets some of both. But the plot is weak and fails to capitalize on Lanza's tremendous voice. As an actor, Lanza is adequate, but he lacks the ability to engage the audience in drama the way his voice can capture feelings with heart-rending effect.
Lanza's film career was plagued with concerns about his weight, so a brief bit involving a scale is a self-deprecating moment of levity. Not so funny is the fact that this was Lanza's last film and that his girth surely had something to do with it.
The young lady in this film is a deaf girl Tonio (Maria Lanza) falls in love with. The fact that he is a singing superstar and she cannot hear his voice is a plot point. The fact that the title song is uninspiring is a weak point of the film.
Lanza's career capitalized on his crossover appeal to fans of opera and popular music alike. Here, the viewer gets some of both. But the plot is weak and fails to capitalize on Lanza's tremendous voice. As an actor, Lanza is adequate, but he lacks the ability to engage the audience in drama the way his voice can capture feelings with heart-rending effect.
Lanza's film career was plagued with concerns about his weight, so a brief bit involving a scale is a self-deprecating moment of levity. Not so funny is the fact that this was Lanza's last film and that his girth surely had something to do with it.