Mr. Imperium (1951)
A European crown prince and an American nightclub singer fall in love during a 1939 holiday in Italy, then are separated when duty calls him home. Twelve years later he seeks her out in California, where she has become a film star, but his father's death and his own accession force another parting.
Built to showcase Metropolitan Opera bass Ezio Pinza after his Broadway triumph in South Pacific, Mr. Imperium paired him with Lana Turner to little effect and is usually counted among MGM’s weaker early-1950s musicals. The studio did not renew the copyright, and the film entered the public domain in 1979.
Background
Mr. Imperium was built as a starring vehicle for Ezio Pinza, the Metropolitan Opera bass who had recently found success on Broadway in South Pacific. Don Hartman directed the MGM production, which pairs Pinza with Lana Turner. The supporting cast includes Marjorie Main, Barry Sullivan and Cedric Hardwicke. The film is generally counted among MGM’s less successful musicals of the early 1950s, and its songs are a large part of why it is still discussed.
What to watch for
The romance is divided into two halves separated by more than a decade. The opening section in Italy establishes a holiday romance in 1939 between a European crown prince and an American nightclub singer, and the separation that follows when duty calls him home. The second half jumps forward twelve years to California, where she has become a film star, and the picture turns on whether the two can resume what was interrupted. Watch Pinza’s singing, which is the film’s most distinctive element. It is a studio romance in the mold of its era, with lavish sets and an emphasis on glamour over realism, and the musical numbers are staged to show off the star’s voice.
