Tonight We Sing is a 1953 musical biopic film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring David Wayne and Ezio Pinza about the life and career of the celebrated impresario Sol Hurok.
The film includes opera arias, duets and staged scenes from the operas, Boris Goudonov, Faust, Madama Butterfly and La Traviata.
Ezio Pinza, the famous opera bass fresh from his long run on Broadway in ‘South Pacific’, plays the Russian opera singer, Feodor Chaliapin, and is seen in onstage scenes from Boris Godounov and Faust. Isaac Stern, plays Eugène Ysaÿe, the early 20th century violinist, and performs several pieces during the film.
Tamara Toumanova, in her role as Anna Pavlova, performs in three ballet scenes within the film. The tenor voice of Jan Peerce is heard in the picture as the voice of opera singer, Gregory Lawrence, played by Byron Palmer.
In spite of being a conventional biopic full of clichés, the film is definitely worth seeing for the staged opera and ballet scenes and for Isaac Stern’s masterful violin performances.
I saw it on a borrowed DVD and enjoyed it very much. If you can find a copy, it’s highly recommended.
