My Song for You (film)
| My Song for You | |
|---|---|
 Gina Malo as Fifi | |
| Directed by | Maurice Elvey |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Charles Van Enger (as C. Van Enger) |
| Edited by | Charles Frend |
| Music by | Mischa Spoliansky |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Gaumont British Distributors (UK) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
My Song for You is a 1934 film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Jan Kiepura.[1][2] Kiepura sang the title song "My Song for You" written by Mischa Spoliansky and Frank Eyton. The song was released on an EP "Tell Me Tonight" (also a song by Spoliansky and Eyton) in 1957.[3][4]
Plot
[edit]Arriving in Venice for a production of "Aida", young tenor Ricardo Gatti meets the attractive Mary, who has sneaked into the opera house in an attempt to get her fiancé hired as a pianist. Ricardo invites Mary to tea and she tells her story, describing her fiancé as her "brother". Captivated by her, the tenor uses his influence to obtain the job with the orchestra. However, filled with guilt at her deception, Mary breaks off her engagement and consents instead to marry her parents' choice, a wealthy society man. But just before the wedding, she changes her mind and marries Ricardo instead.
Cast
[edit]- Jan Kiepura as Ricardo Gatti
- Sonnie Hale as Charlie
- Emlyn Williams as Theodore Bruckner
- Aileen Marson as Mary Newberg
- Gina Malo as Fifi
- Muriel George as Mrs Newberg
- George Merritt as Mr Newberg
- Reginald Smith as Baron Johann Felix Kleeberg
Critical reception
[edit]The New York Times wrote, "the film is at its best, of course, while its star is attuning his magnificent tenor to a variety of classic arias. The musical high spots of the show are the "Ave Maria" of Gounod, which M. Kiepura sings impressively during a church wedding, and the "Celeste Aïda," which he rehearses during an amusing backstage sequence at the opera house while "Aïda" is being trundled through its paces";[5] and TV Guide called the film "charming in parts, this is a nicely done musical with some good detailed direction."[6]
See also
[edit]- A Song for You (Ein Lied für Dich, German-language film, 1933)
- All for Love (Tout pour l'amour, French-language film, 1933)
References
[edit]- ^ Opera News - Volume 61, Issues 9-17 - Page 18 1997 -My Song for You Kiepura. Aida (several excerpts), Trovatore (he sings both verses of "Di quel la pira") + songs. (1934). English. 89m. #667 $29.95 A silly, wacky film gleefully overacted and magnificently sung by Kiepura. Fun. Fun. Fun.
- ^ International Opera Collector: IOC. - Volume 3 - Page 105 1998 "Films made in English in a 1935 and b 1936. My song for you Jan Kiepura (ten) with various artists. ... The problem with films starring great singers is that, with few exceptions, they tend to be undistinguished as contributions to the cinematic art."
- ^ "45cat - Jan Kiepura - Tell Me Tonight - The Glorious Voice Of Jan Kiepura - Parlophone - UK". 45cat.com.
- ^ "My Song for You (1934)". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
- ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 5 November 2021.
- ^ "My Song For You". TVGuide.com.
External links
[edit]
 | This article about a musical comedy film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1934 films
- 1934 musical comedy films
- British musical comedy films
- British multilingual films
- Cine-Allianz films
- British black-and-white films
- 1934 multilingual films
- 1930s English-language films
- 1930s British films
- Films scored by Mischa Spoliansky
- English-language musical comedy films
- Musical comedy film stubs