[FilmReview]ANightattheOpera(1935)7.3/10

MarryingtheMarxbrothers’nonsensicalknockaboutwiththehighfalutinoperascenery,SamWood’sANIGHTATTHEOPERAisanearnestbidtogratifybothaudience’seyesandears,whilethenarrativeislargelyinconsequential,cedingitsprimacytovariousskitsofthebrothers’trademarkdrollnessandvirtuosity.Offthetopofthisreviewer’shead(orfranklyanyviewer’s),themostmemorablesetpieceisthecockamamie15-people-crammed-inside-a-pokey-stateroomlunacythatflatthrowsanyvestigialconcernaboutlogicintotheoblivion,typifiesthebrothers’comicstyleandmassappealthatespousesa“themorethemerrier”tenetandunlikeantecedentslikeChaplinorKeaton,trenchantsocialorpoliticalcommentarycanfindnoroominthebrothers’schticks,evenifpoliticalschismisalludedtoduringthe3impersonatingaviators’publicaddress,themonikerofthatelephant-in-the-roomiseschewedentirely.Amongthethreebrothers(thefilmistheirfirstmoviemadeinMGMandwithoutafourthbrotherZeppo),Grouchoplaysacaddish(Dumont,asamintedNewYorkdowager,takestheshortendofthestickwithprofusepoiseandgrievance)andpeskybusinessmanagerofandprovesthatinfallibleadage-emptyvesselmakesthemostnoise,andhispaintedmustachebecomesarequisitedistractionfromhiswitticism-literodomontade;Chicocomportshimselfcomparativelybetter,althoughasageneralrule,toseemiddle-agemenactlikepetulant,puerilebeingsissomethingnoteveryonecansuffergladly,butcreditwhencreditisdue,ChicoandGroucho’stwo-handerofsigningacontractisatotalgas;andHarpo,inawordless,buffoonishrole,whohastheprivilegetoshowoffhisunassumingsleightofhandwithmusicalinstrumentsandthreadsthroughanawesomescrim-scalingcaperintheclimaticoperaofILTROVATORE(duringwhichRumanalsodoesaSisypheanjobastheponderousantagonist,huffingandpuffinginvain),emergesastherealdealasYoursTrulyseesit.AthreadbareromancebetweensopranoRosa(Carlisle)andRicardo(Jones),anunknowntenor,haslittletosavorapartfromtheirsoniccontribution,buttheoverallauditoryimpressionismutedandinarticulate,hurtforanoverhaulfromtheablehandsoffilmrestorers.Thatsaid,stillafairlyimpressivevintagecomedyfromthetop-drawerassemblylineoftheescapismmill.referentialentries:ErnstLubitsch’sONEHOURWITHYOU(1932,7.1/10);ArthurLubin’sHOLDTHATGHOST(1941,7.1/10);SamWood’sTHEDEVILANDMISSJONES(1941,7.2/10).本文版权归作者他他所有，任何形式转载请联系作者。