MGM has gone to a lot of trouble to obtain the rights to film Marjorie Lawrence's story. Miss Lawrence is a renowned Australian opera star known for her struggle against polio. Undoubtedly, her life serves as an inspiration to many. And it's a shame that this production doesn't do it justice.Eleanor Parker is very believable conveying the dramatic aspects of Lawrence's disability, though the singing is obviously dubbed. The vocals for the musical numbers are in fact provided by Eileen Farrell. So, why has MGM gone to all this trouble? Why not just make the picture with Jeanette MacDonald or Kathryn Grayson?

Like others commenting on this film, I saw "Interrupted Melody" many years ago, and it left a deep impression on me. I found when watching it again that I had retained so many of the scenes in my memory."Interrupted Melody" tells the story of Australian soprano Marjorie Lawrence (played by Eleanor Parker), who was stricken with polio at the height of her career. The singer then has to find the courage to reclaim her will to live, her voice, and her career.This is one of the few films, including anything of Lanza's, where entire arias and/or operatic scenes have been performed - and correctly. Singing for Ms. Parker is dramatic soprano Eileen Farrell, whose voice also acts. In the beginning, when the young Marjorie is in a vocal competition, Farrell takes her powerful chest voice out and instead carries her middle voice down to the low notes, giving the impression of a young, untrained singer. Truly inspired.This has to be the high point of Eleanor Parker's career. I had a chance to see her nearly 30 years ago in a preview performance of "Pal Joey" - regretfully, there were many problems and she and her costar left the show before it opened. It was a shame, because Parker's Vera was wonderful. Here, she plays the young Marjorie with energy and determination, capturing the soprano's nervousness at being away from home when she goes to school in Monte Carlo. Later, she plays the perfect diva not afraid to state what she wants. Finally, she's the crippled Marjorie with no will to live, finding solace entertaining wounded soldiers who are worse off than she is. All through the film, she looks absolutely stunning, and her lipsyncing in Italian, French, and German is perfect.The music is glorious - "Tristan und Isolde," "La Boheme," "Samson et Delilah," "Carmen," "Il Trovatore," (the fastest I've ever heard it), "Madama Butterfly," "Don Carlos," and "Gotterdammerung" - truly a feast for the ears with Eileen Farrell's magnificent singing.Some have questioned whether or not Lawrence actually sang both mezzo and soprano roles. Lawrence did sing "Carmen," which can be sung by a dramatic soprano. Also, Lawrence probably started out as a mezzo - it was not until she trained in Paris that her upper range was extended. She sang Wagner, Strauss, Puccini, and Verdi in the big opera houses. "Samson and Delilah" was perhaps done for the film so we could see Eleanor Parker being sexy and seductive in a gauzy costume. The thing is, Lawrence's specialty was Wagner and you can't only have heavy Wagner scenes throughout a movie. The glamorous soprano did her own dancing in "Salome," and played the immolation scene in "Götterdämmerung" by riding her horse into the flames as Wagner had intended, making her one of the few, possibly the only, soprano to do this. She also did Thais, which calls for sex and beauty - "Thais" was the inspiration for the role Susan Kane bombed in during "Citizen Kane."Glenn Ford plays Lawrence's husband, Dr. Thomas King, and the marriage of a successful opera star and fledgling pediatrician is realistically portrayed with all its difficulties. In real life, Tom King was an osteopath and a Christian Scientist. Ford has a background role much of the time, but also some very dramatic moments and some romantic ones. His gentle, easygoing style fit the character well. A very young Roger Moore is Marjorie's manager-brother.If you love opera, or if you love a story of courage and the power of the human spirit, this film is for you. Have a box of tissues nearby - the ending is very powerful.

Eleanor Parker is one of my favorite actresses from the '40s and '50s and does a marvelous job here, lip-synching to perfection various Wagnerian opera arias (as well as Puccini and Verdi). The storyline is somewhat similar to that of Jane Froman's career in that both were singers who, although paralyzed, continued with their singing careers and entertained servicemen as well. Glenn Ford lends solid support as the understanding, long-suffering husband who is always there when she needs his moral support. Roger Moore has a small role as her brother.Everything moves smoothly under Curtis Bernhardt's direction. The opera segments are beautifully staged and filmed (in gorgeous technicolor, of course). Parker demonstrates her acting skills to the fullest and Eileen Farrell does a superb job on the vocal dubbing.Well worth your time--inspirational and enjoyable even if you're not an opera lover. Filmed in wide screen technique, it loses something on video showings.

I was lucky enough to be channel surfing about 15 years ago when I saw a beautifully staged aria from Madama Butterfly on TV. Being an opera lover I stayed tuned to see what it was. It was the amazing story of Marjorie Lawerence- an opera singer who's career was "interrupted" by polio. The movie does follow her book very closely and the opera arias are just beautifully staged! They don't make movies like this anymore. Eleanor Parker does a masterful job on lipsynching to Eileen Farrell's tremendous singing! Parker does weird histronics occasionally like leaning backward on a high note, but it is still a remarkable job of lipsynching in 3 different languages. Eileen Farrell who plays a voice student in the beginning of the film actually does all the singing for the movie, uncredited as usual during that time. She does soprano roles, mezzo and sings in French, German and Italian and every aria is superb! Glenn Ford lends nice support as the husband who believes in his wife despite his idea of having her at home with children as opposed to a life of touring and singing in the kind of international career she has dreamed of and accomplished. Look for a very early appearance by Roger Moore as Marjorie's brother. This is a movie that can be enjoyed by anyone- the opera scenes are never too long and the major theme of the movie is the triumph of the human spirit.