ThiefHott Too much of everything

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

morrison-dylan-fan After a great night out I felt like watching an easy-going flick. Buying the Warner Archive DVD a few weeks ago,I decided it was time to climb the hills.The plot:Searching for his fiancée, singer Marc Revere decides to travel around Rome via train in search of her. During a train journey, Revere crosses paths with Rafaella Marini,who quickly gets a real crush on him. Continuing to look for his fiancée,Revere soon discovers that Marini has put down some new tracks of love.View on the film:Whilst Mario Lanza's voice booms,Warner Archives delivery a poor transfer,with the top of the frame appearing to have a broken bit of nail,large specs of dirt dimming the Musical sparkle and the Italian songs having no English subtitles. Filmed in the glorious outdoors of Rome, director Roy Rowland & cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli turn the city into a Broadway landscape,with elegant crane shots sweeping along the brightly lit hills of Rome. Crossing tracks on a train,the screenplay by Giuseppe Amato/Art Cohn and Giorgio Prosperi keep the romance between Revere and Marini relaxed,but fail to give it a much needed shot of Italian passion. Joined by a cute Marisa Allasio as Marini,Mario Lanza lays the smooth lounge lizard charm on Revere,with a voice heard atop the seven hills of Rome.

TheLittleSongbird As a fan of opera and as somebody who loves Mario Lanza's voice, Seven Hills of Rome(or Arrivederci Roma) is not a bad film and has some good things about it, but it could have been better and Lanza's other films showcase his talents much more.The stars here are the cinematography and the Rome scenery itself. The cinematography is bursting with gorgeous colour and is the very meaning of lavish, capturing Rome beautifully. The scenery itself is just splendid, so much so it makes one wish they were back in Rome, and the film does a good job making the costumes and settings as authentic as possible. Seven Hills of Rome has a music score that's energetic and romantically whimsical, and while only Questo a Quella from Verdi's masterpiece Rigoletto and the unforgettable Arrivederci Roma(which is the highlight of the film other than the visuals) are truly memorable the songs themselves are very pleasant and hummable.Lanza is not at his absolute best, and Seven Hills of Rome is the film that showcases his talents the least effectively(he definitely deserved more music to sing), he still sounds great with his very distinctive tone ringing and beautiful and his phrasing and musicality very good too. Marisa Allasio and Peggie Castle are charming and Renato Reschel brings some amusing comedy.Sadly, the story is poor, even for a Lanza film where it was never was a strong point, the reason being that it is so flat and wafer-thin that it is almost non-existent and seems more of an excuse to string alone scenes together. It also has a tendency to move along a little sluggishly and aimlessly and with any charming or amusing moments being in spades rather than consistent. The script fares even worse, getting increasingly tedious and meandering, with comedy that doesn't really sparkle(ranging from mildly amusing to falling flat) and parts that could have been trimmed easily. And while Lanza does sound great here, his acting is another story. It has its moments, like in Arrivederci Roma but he does try too hard and comes over as stiff. His impersonation scene is also hit-and-miss, his impression of Dean Martin is not bad but his one for Louis Armstrong is so off the mark it's embarrassing. He is not the only person whose acting is not great, because the acting generally is either too broad or going-through-the-motions, while the direction generally is limp.In conclusion, Lanza was a great talent that we lost too soon, but Seven Hills of Rome does not show it as well as his other films. Has its moments but of Lanza's films it's by far his weakest. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Neil Doyle The "6" rating is only because Mario Lanza gets to sing a good number of worthwhile songs as only he can. But I could have done without his impersonation scene where he makes fun of popular Italian crooners like Perry Como and Dean Martin.The story is so flat and unconvincing that it's hardly worth a mention. It's sufficient to say that you can forget it while enjoying abundant glimpses of Rome's landmarks and terrain, all nicely photographed in Technicolor.Lanza was beginning to look heavier than usual but his voice is still able to belt out a mixture of operatic arias and pop tunes. The film itself is not an "essential," even for Lanza fans because the script is an uninspired bit of tedium. Just sit back and enjoy the scenery.

andrewsarchus This recently screened on TCM under its "Seven Hills of Rome" title. Under any title this is a pretty typical Mario Lanzo offering. I would say every five minutes he gets to belt one out. Actually the only thing that made me want to watch it was when I saw that Tonino Delli Colli, Pier Paolo Pasolini's favorite cinematographer, was behind the camera. Still, I don't think there is much here - even for a Romanophile like myself. Speaking on the travelogue level, though, there was one hilarious scene where Lanzo, his girl, and his Italian host-accompanist Pepe are inexplicably taking a Whirly-bird ride over Rome and environs (even though it was established in the previous scene that they have no money between them). During this ride Pepe gently strums and sings a tune. And everyone talks normally -- with the total lack of any engine noise! Actually, this might have made a better movie, with Lanzo hitting his high notes as the powerless copter spins its way earthward!