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Coming back to the “"Trovatore" film it was not as static as one would imagine. Much of the gypsy mother’s story was told in flashback, which helped to simplify its complicated plot, plus the natural castle setting made it most authentic-looking.
The last two Italian items that year were not as musically satisfying. These were “Her Wonderful Lie", an ineffectual and inane title to tell the "Boheme" story yet again. The husband and wife team of Jan Kiepura and Marta Eggerth were vocally and physically past their youthful Bohemian days. Mr, Kiepura interpolated the Polish dance "Ku jawiak" as well as a Chopin duet with his wife. Although the final reel was taken up with the finale to "la Boheme*® sung in Italian, this version was later deleted and one sung in English was inserted. The original title of “Eternal Melody" might not have frightened movie audiences as much as the absurd one eventually used,
Finally, a picture entitled "Mad About Opera*? promised much but delivered little. Its galaxy of stars included Tito Gobbi, Gino Bechi, Maria Caniglia, Gigli and Tito Schipa, with the obvious physical if non-vocal charms of Gina Lollobrigida. This ridiculous farce wasted no time in dissipating its top-heavy with talent cast. The only highlights were Gobbi*’s well sung -"Paghiaeci™ Prologue and Bechi’s brilliant baritoning of “Largo al Factotum" from "The Barber of Seville"; Tito Schipa was painfully wobbly in the Serenade from the same opera. Miss Caniglia was shown singing "Casta Diva" for approximately one minute, then the cameras turned away to give us more of the silly shenanigans of the sterile story. Povero Gigli! He should have sued for libel. He was not even seen Ina long shot, some dollar a day extra was shown going through the motions of singing "Si Fui Soldato" from “Andrea Chenier", with Gigli’s recording cleverly dubbed in. Gigli’s voice was also heard in M*’Appari from "Martha" as it came over the air-waves. As for Miss Lollobrigida,