One of director Milestone's two British films of the 1950s, MELBA was a misfired attempt to ride the coattails of a recently filmed Gilbert and Sullivan biography. It's the story of opera singer Nellie Melba (Munsel) who, in flashback, details her rise to fame from her humble Australian
farm girl beginnings. Opera fans will enjoy the singing, but there's not much else here. Musical numbers include the mad scene from Gaetano Donizetti's opera "Lucia Di Lammermoor," excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata," and "Is This the Beginning of Love?" (Norman Newell, Mischa
Spoliansky).
Released:
1953
Rated:
NR
Length:
113 mins