A NIGHT AT THE OPERA Remains a Night Well Spent

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (Blu-ray Review)

1935 / 91 min

FROM WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Whether or not it’s their best film is debatable - I’d personally throw my hat in for Duck Soup - but A Night at the Opera is certainly the Marx Brothers’ most iconic, with enduring cultural influence. Admit it...some of you grew up thinking it was simply the name of a Queen album.

Title notwithstanding, key scenes and classic lines of dialogue have been endlessly riffed, ripped-off and referenced over the years, to the point that if one were watching it for the first time today, they might feel a keen sense of deja vu. So if nothing else, A Night at the Opera deserves a spot on any self-respecting cinephile’s shelf for its historical importance alone. And it looks great on Blu-ray.

From a comedy standpoint, the film still holds up pretty well, especially the classic scenes of rapid-fire banter between Groucho and assorted co-stars. The undisputed master of wordplay, puns, sarcasm and double-speak, he’s in fine form, best exemplified during the famous ‘sanity clause’ scene with Chico. Until the manic climax at the opera house, the story - such as it is - relies a bit less on slapstick and visual gags than some previous Marx Brothers films, which is fine because I never found Harpo all that funny anyway.

"This isn't that kind of massage, sir."

The only thing that tends to drag things down are the musical interludes, particularly a lengthy scene obviously designed to show-off Chico and Harpo’s musical skills. Some might find it charming, but it goes on way too long and is inessential to the story. Elsewhere, co-stars Kitty Carlisle & Allan Jones get plenty of opportunities to belt-out some songs, but as usual, the all movie’s best bits belong to the bros.

EXTRA KIBBLES

“REMARKS ON MARX” - An entertaining look back at the Marx Brothers’ career.

GROUCHO MARX ON THE HY GARDNER SHOW - Vintage TV interview.

SHORTS - “Los Angeles: Wonder City of the West”; “Sunday Night at the Trocadero”; “How to Sleep.”

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critic/historian Leonard Maltin.

TRAILER

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.