For the First Time is a 1959 musical film directed by Rudolph Mate and starring Mario Lanza, Johanna von Koczian Kurt Kasznar and Zsa Zsa Gabor. It was tenor star Mario Lanza's final film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer six weeks before his death. The film tells the sentimental story of an operatic tenor (Tony Costa) who finds love for the first time with a young German woman (played by Johanna von Koczian), who happens to be deaf.

For the First Time
Directed by	Rudolph Maté
Written by	Andrew Solt
Produced by	Paul Baron Alexander Grüter Max Koslowski Alfredo Panone Georg von Block
Starring	Mario Lanza Johanna von Koczian Zsa Zsa Gabor
Cinematography	Aldo Tonti
Edited by	Gene Ruggiero
Music by	George Stoll
Production companies	Corona Filmproduktion Orion Films Titanus
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Constantin Film
Release date	26 August 1959
Running time	92 minutes
Countries	Italy United States West Germany
Language	English
Budget	$500,000[1]
Box office	$1,685,000[1]

It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin and on location in 1958 in Capri, Salzburg, Berlin and at the Rome Opera House. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hans Jürgen Kiebach, Fritz Maurischat and Heinrich Weidemann.

Reception

Critics singled out Lanza's singing of "Vesti la Giubba" from Pagliacci and the Death Scene from Otello for special praise, with Howard Thompson of The New York Times calling it the tenor's "most disarming vehicle in years."^{[citation needed]}

Cast

• Mario Lanza as Tonio Costa
• Johanna von Koczian as Christa
• Kurt Kasznar as Tabory
• Zsa Zsa Gabor as Gloria De Vadnuz
• Hans Söhnker as Prof. Bruckner
• Annie Rosar as Mathilde Faktotum
• Sandro Giglio as Alessandro
• Walter Rilla as Dr. Bessart
• Renzo Cesana as Angelo
• Peter Capell as Leopold Hübner

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $710,000 in the US and Canada and $975,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,685,000.[1]

See also

• List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing

References

Cesari, Armando. Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Fort Worth: Baskerville, 2004).

External links

• For the First Time at IMDb
• For the First Time at AllMovie
• For the First Time at the TCM Movie Database
• For the First Time at the American Film Institute Catalog
• For the First Time: Lanza's Sweet Little Swansong, by Derek McGovern

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