A Night at the Opera (1935)

Boring

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Groucho Marx is in his element as slick, fast talking business manager Otis B. Driftwood, who spends his time playing up to arts patron Mrs. Claypool (classic Marx Bros. foil Margaret Dumont). When he sees that she's willing to pony up $1,000 a night to have pompous Lassparri (Walter Woolf King) sing, he wants a piece of the action. Circumstance soon throws him together with equally sly Fiorello (Chico) and goofy Tomasso (Harpo), as they become determined to help out young lovers & aspiring opera stars Rosa (Kitty Carlisle) and Ricardo (Allan Jones).Even if one is not a fan of the opera, they shouldn't let that dissuade them from checking out the Marx Bros. in their glory. Some buffs consider this their best film, and it certainly shows off their talents to memorable effect. Musical interludes do go on a bit long, but the quality of the comedy when it occurs is top notch. There are some truly great bits in here, like the "party of the first part" contract, the overcrowded (to say the least) stateroom sequence, and the frantic, farcical efforts of Otis, Fiorello, Tomasso, and Ricardo to pull the wool over the eyes of a suspicious inspector (Robert Emmett O'Connor) by moving beds from one room to another.Groucho is hilarious, as always. Very few entertainers in film history can fire off a one-liner as snappily as he does. Chico and Harpo have their wonderful moments, as well. (It's such a hoot when Harpo does a Spider-Man routine near the end.) Carlisle and Jones are extremely appealing, Dumont is once again a fine "straight woman", King is an appropriately snooty villain, Sig Ruman is superb as eternally frustrated Gottlieb, and O'Connor is likewise good as the antics of Otis and company take a toll on him.The pace isn't always consistent, but there is some enjoyable action and first rate stunt work. Overall, this is a solid comedy / musical that will appeal to any lover of this era in cinema.Eight out of 10.

75 years after it was released, A Night at the Opera is still as fresh and enjoyable as ever. A vehicle for the Marx Brothers' comic genius, it is excellent. Key to this is the Groucho wisecracks, coming at a rapid rate, and all hitting the spot.Harpo's clowning is also something to behold.Probably the most pleasantly surprising thing is Harpo and Chico's musical abilities - their piano and harp playing on the ship was amazing.I'm not a fan of opera, but the music in the movie was sublime.Great movie, and an all-time classic.

In their earliest movies, the Marx Brothers were at their best and funniest. The scripts were crisp and very witty, the antics were hilarious, and there were very good plots that held it all together. "A Night at the Opera" is one such film, and among my favorites. Groucho plays Otis B. Driftwood, a stage producer and director. Chico plays Florello, a stage handyman, and Harpo plays Tomasso, and friend of Chico's. Kitty Carlisle plays Rosa, and Allan Jones plays Ricardo. They are the romance for the film. Two other roles are excellent. Margaret Dumont plays Mrs. Claypool, and Sig Ruman is over-the-top funny as Gottlieb.The story is a great one that lends itself perfectly for the type of antics the Marx Brothers excel at. Naturally, the boys get to use their musical talents – and they were very talented on instruments. The movie is funny throughout, and it has a Marx Brothers trademark sequence of grand antics. Chico and Harpo had quite the athletic ability as well – as seen in the hilarious stage antics. Other reviewers discuss the setting, and I don't want to say more about the plot. It unfolds wonderfully and hilariously. Here are some samples of dialog to when one's appetite for watching "A Night at the Opera."Florello, "Shhh! Don't wake him up. He's got insomnia. He's trying to sleep it off."Sgt. Henderson (played by Robert O'Connor), "Say, what's that bed doing here?" Otis, "I don't see it doing anything."Florello, "What'' I say?" Otis, "Tell them you're not here." Florello, "Suppose they don't believe me." Otis, "They'll believe you when you start talking."Sgt. Henderson, "I notice the table is set for four." Otis, "That's nothing. My alarm clock is set for eight. That doesn't prove a thing."Sgt. Henderson, "What's this?" Otis, "Why, it's a fire escape. And, uh, that's a table. And this is a room. And there's the door leading out. I wish you'd use it. I .. 'I vahndt to be alone.'"This is a movie guaranteed to keep one in stitches. It's a great addition to any film library.

A Night At The Opera inspires memories of Kitty Carlisle and Alan Jones as 2 charismatic young lovers. Their, uh, operatic romance was a highlight of 1930s cinema, overshadowing everything else in this picture. Oh, but the movie was missing a key ingredient. The hilarious Zeppo Marx had retired from acting after his one-of-a-kind work in Duck Soup. A pity.Okay, reverse everything in that first paragraph and you'll have the truth. Nobody cares about Carlisle or Jones, probably not even Carlisle or Jones. As for Zeppo, the day he gave up his career as a thespian, the film world's yawn was very loudly indifferent. No, this picture is all about the zaniness of the non-Zeppo Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico and Harpo). The former vaudevillians overshadowed everyone else who ever appeared in their films. Groucho's oft-naughty wordplay and Harpo's silent antics are legendary. Chico never got enough credit for playing off his 2 brothers as well as he did.You can't talk about A Night At The Opera for even 2 minutes without bringing up the infamous stateroom sequence. The 3 Marxes, various workmen, maids and other hangers-on, all crowd into one small room on an ocean liner. Why they're all in there and how the situation resolves itself won't be revealed here. It's funny and it's been imitated by dozens of movies and TV shows in the years since A Night At The Opera came out. You probably recognize it even if you haven't seen this movie.Was that scene and the Marx Brothers typical insanity enough to make this movie worthy of being on the American Film Institute's Top 100 list in 2007? It's a dubious choice, especially if your feeling is that a little of Groucho goes a long way. The piano/harp scene by Chico and Harpo is a great one, but it stops the, uh, story cold. So, no, A Night At The Opera is not one of the greatest movies ever made, but it's not without its charm...and it has Carlisle and Jones! Remember them? Oh. Right. No one does.If you got anything at all out of this quickie review, check out the website I share with my wife (www.top100project.com) and go to the "Podcasts" section for our 18-minute Night At The Opera 'cast...and many others. Or find us on Itunes under "The Top 100 Project".