cinemabon
06-08-2004, 01:56 PM
While it can be said that “A Night at the Opera” is not the Marx Brothers at their finest, they do manage to tear down every preconception of a normal night at the opera delivering a hilarious send up as the climax to this otherwise dull picture. Available for the first time on DVD and cleaned up considerably (although there are several sequences where frames are completely missing causing jump cuts to take place) here are the Marx Brothers in all their madcap glory along with their predilection for chaos which strikes at the heart of their brand of comedy. No one has ever been able to successfully explain why this irreverence should make us all laugh. We somehow have the urge to see all figures of authority and pomposity to fall from grace and land on their butt with a startled expression on their face. The Marx Brothers accomplish this with panache and polish. “A Night at the Opera” is full of scenes that poke fun at the wealthy, lawyers, police, heros, and heads of business making them all buffoons before the unblinking eye of the analytic lens of the camera. George S. Kaufman, responsible for the best one liners and writing their Broadway plays, returns to reunite with the now threesome at MGM (there were originally four brothers in the early Paramount films which included Zeppo who dropped out after “Duck Soup” bombed at the box office). Wunderkind Irving Thalberg helped the Marx Brothers, Harpo, Groucho, and Chico (originally pronounced with a short ‘I’ and not the double ee sound) revive their careers by bringing them to MGM at a time when Hollywood had turned its back on the comedy team.
The newly released DVD has a great behind the scenes short about not just the making of this classic comedy but also a bit about the history of how the brothers came to be, their original act in Vaudeville and the origin of their names. A well preserved Kitty Carlisle-Hart, just twenty-one at the time of filming, recalls life on the set, working with Alan Jones (the romantic lead; he also starred in “A Day at the Races”), the Marx Brothers, and director Sam Wood. Also included is the insightful second soundtrack with commentary by Leonard Maltin. I personally believe Maltin to be one of the greatest film historians of all time. His commentary is both informative, concise, and enjoyable to listen to.
While the print is very clear, the missing segments are disappointing to say the least, especially when some occur during critical moments of comedic timing. Still, there are many great moments to be treasured like the Stateroom scene and the Contract scene which ends with one of the greatest comedy lines in the history of film thanks to Mr. Kaufman (Maltin’s commentary, however, states that other writers were brought in uncredited to add such punch lines to the finished script).
Unfortunately, the best of the Marx Brothers was really done at Paramount with “Animal Crackers” and “Duck Soup” being the finest examples of their style of comedy. Alas, they are not yet available on DVD. Made years earlier than “...Opera” between 1929 and 1933, I shudder to think what condition the movies are in today. I saw them years ago in both 16mm and 35mm prints that were very scratched and missing many key elements (sometimes cut out by projectionists themselves wanting souvenirs of certain scenes!). It is a shame on the film industry which now speaks of being an art form that they cannot, or are not saving some of the finest moments of cinema past for future generations. Sadly, the movement of film preservation that began so strongly in the 1990's has now faded to a trickle in favor of putting out product too quickly commercializing on the past instead of preserving for posterity sake. Still, despite the small amount of classic material available on DVD, it is a joy to watch the Marx Brothers in their prime deliver lines like... Margaret Dumount: “I’m here to discuss business.” Groucho: “I don’t know... there’s something about me that brings out the business in every woman!” My nine-year-old son laughed and laughed requesting “A Night At The Opera” repeatedly for three nights. Take note Hollywood. There’s a new appreciative generation born every minute.
Additionally, Maltin’s commentary makes us painfully aware that the true cut of “A Night at the Opera” is actually 95+ minutes, and not the 91 minutes listed. In 1942, MGM cut any references to Italy from the film due to the involvement of Italy in World War II. They cut the original negative and the trims have been lost forever. Remember America, when you start to censor something, even in times of war, you may be cutting off your own nose to spite your face, leaving a work of art, like “A Night at the Opera” only part of what the whole might have been.
The newly released DVD has a great behind the scenes short about not just the making of this classic comedy but also a bit about the history of how the brothers came to be, their original act in Vaudeville and the origin of their names. A well preserved Kitty Carlisle-Hart, just twenty-one at the time of filming, recalls life on the set, working with Alan Jones (the romantic lead; he also starred in “A Day at the Races”), the Marx Brothers, and director Sam Wood. Also included is the insightful second soundtrack with commentary by Leonard Maltin. I personally believe Maltin to be one of the greatest film historians of all time. His commentary is both informative, concise, and enjoyable to listen to.
While the print is very clear, the missing segments are disappointing to say the least, especially when some occur during critical moments of comedic timing. Still, there are many great moments to be treasured like the Stateroom scene and the Contract scene which ends with one of the greatest comedy lines in the history of film thanks to Mr. Kaufman (Maltin’s commentary, however, states that other writers were brought in uncredited to add such punch lines to the finished script).
Unfortunately, the best of the Marx Brothers was really done at Paramount with “Animal Crackers” and “Duck Soup” being the finest examples of their style of comedy. Alas, they are not yet available on DVD. Made years earlier than “...Opera” between 1929 and 1933, I shudder to think what condition the movies are in today. I saw them years ago in both 16mm and 35mm prints that were very scratched and missing many key elements (sometimes cut out by projectionists themselves wanting souvenirs of certain scenes!). It is a shame on the film industry which now speaks of being an art form that they cannot, or are not saving some of the finest moments of cinema past for future generations. Sadly, the movement of film preservation that began so strongly in the 1990's has now faded to a trickle in favor of putting out product too quickly commercializing on the past instead of preserving for posterity sake. Still, despite the small amount of classic material available on DVD, it is a joy to watch the Marx Brothers in their prime deliver lines like... Margaret Dumount: “I’m here to discuss business.” Groucho: “I don’t know... there’s something about me that brings out the business in every woman!” My nine-year-old son laughed and laughed requesting “A Night At The Opera” repeatedly for three nights. Take note Hollywood. There’s a new appreciative generation born every minute.
Additionally, Maltin’s commentary makes us painfully aware that the true cut of “A Night at the Opera” is actually 95+ minutes, and not the 91 minutes listed. In 1942, MGM cut any references to Italy from the film due to the involvement of Italy in World War II. They cut the original negative and the trims have been lost forever. Remember America, when you start to censor something, even in times of war, you may be cutting off your own nose to spite your face, leaving a work of art, like “A Night at the Opera” only part of what the whole might have been.