Review of A Night at the Opera (1935) by Russell G — 14 Oct 2015
The Marx Brothers invade the opera houses with their hilarity. As always, the Marx Brothers are great, but the plot actually gets in the way of their magic this time. One of the main components of the story involves a sappy star-crossed couple of opera singers.
One of them is an established talent but the other just cannot catch a break to prove his talents. I am highly in favor of a plot with substance and incorporating musical numbers to change the pace, but this time it detracts from the Marx Brothers comedy.
The sarcastic and slapstick humor are extremely enjoyable, but things come to a screeching halt with the music numbers. Maybe my attention span was not in full gear, but the continuity is not there. Still for all the shortcomings, there are some iconic scenes.
The contract negations and the tiny room with tons of room service people crammed into at one time are sidesplitting. Perhaps the best scene involves Harpo and Chico hiding from an officer in Groucho's room, by shuffling from hiding place to the other.
Many consider this the strongest Marx Brother film, but I prefer others to this one.
This review of A Night at the Opera (1935) was written by Russell G on 14 Oct 2015.
A Night at the Opera has generally received very positive reviews.
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