Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

One of my all time favorites.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The last operetta released by a major studio, and it's a pity, for this adaptation of the 1925 Rudolf Friml war horse is pretty nimble. It stars Oreste, a European tenor with the requisite high notes and a fair amount of dash, as the leader of the Paris rabble; he's quite at ease for such a major screen debut, though his accent, so apparent in song, mysteriously disappears in much of his dialogue, making one wonder if some of his lines were post-dubbed. Kathryn Grayson is her usual shrill and simpering self, albeit in a part Callas herself couldn't have made interesting, and Rita Moreno shows a lot of life and a lot of leg as Huguette. Walter Hampden, as the king, has better lines than most screen kings, and underplays them effectively. Friml, then in his mid-70s, appended his stage score with several new melodies set to adequate Johnny Burke lyrics, and one, "This Same Heart," is quite lovely. It's a studio-bound eyeful, with big sets and colorful costumes that have little to do with reality but everything to do with screen spectacle (did 15th century Parisians really don so much purple and yellow and green?), and the screenplay's pretty erudite for this genre, and Michael Curtiz ably keeps things moving (save a brief, silly Adam and Eve ballet that stops the action dead). Nobody went to it in 1956, audiences just weren't interested in operetta anymore, and they still preferred Mario Lanza to an unknown European quantity. But if you can catch this one--I did on Amazon Prime--you'll get a fine eyeful and earful of the lush melody, sweeping spectacle, and ringing romance that endeared audiences to operetta decades before.

I saw this during its neighborhood run in the year of its release and remember that it made glorious use of Paramount's "high-fidelity" VistaVision process, with some very ripe Technicolor liberally applied to everything about the production (courtesy of the wonderful cinematographer, Robert Burks, who did so much outstanding work for Alfred Hitchcock.)I'd love to revisit this one, despite its very studio-bound aura. It was a feast for the eyes and also for the ears. The handsome tenor, Oreste, had the misfortune to make his screen debut as the Hollywood movie musical was about to be consigned to the fond mists of memory. He and Kathryn Grayson made a great team singing that melodic Friml music.

It is a great shame that one cannot find past recordings of this great movie. Also it is almost impossible to find recordings of this unique Tenor. Perhaps it is about time that "Vagabond King" will be resuscitated by the use of today's technology. Likewise digital recorings from the Archives of this great Voice can at lest give us a rest from listening to the "three Tenors" over, and over again.

This 1956 film version of the Rudolph Friml operetta "The Vagabond King" is a seldom seen gem of a production. Starring Kathryn Grayson, this was meant to be a star vehicle for European opera star Oreste. It didn't quite happen. It is wonderful however seeing some big name stars when they were very young performing in supporting roles. Leslie Neilson, of Naked Gun fame, Jack Lord of Hawaii Five-o, and Rita Moreno all put in admirable performances. It's even narrated by Vincent Price. Some day soon it'll be released on video.