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DVD A Night at the Opera
Absolutely one of the most hilarious movies ever made, this classic farce featuring the outrageous genius of the Marx Brothers is a chance to see some of their best bits woven together seamlessly in a story of high society, matchmaking, and chaos. In order to bring two young lovers together, brothers Groucho, Chico, and Harpo must sabotage an opera performance even as they try to pass themselves off as stuffed shirts. Featuring the classic sequence where Groucho piles as many people as possible into a ship's stateroom, A Night at the Opera is a deliciously zany romp worth watching again and again. --Robert Lane
I personally feel this movie is a little overrated, but overrated in that while I don't think it's their greatest or funniest movie, I don't think it's their worst or unfunniest either (far from it, in fact). This was their penultimate truly great film, though with their move to MGM and away from Paramount, you can see a plot is starting to take more precedence over crazy anarchic antics, along with supporting players starting to assume more of a role in the story, along with the dreaded romantic/musical subplot. The brothers were slowly starting to lose their edge with this move to making movies that may have had more of a plot but half the laughs, as Irving Thalberg told them he wanted to do. Although I know they regarded the first two they made at MGM, before he died, as the best they ever made, so it's not like they lost their edge or began their decline and loss of creative control overnight. Although at least here the lovers involved in the subplot really belong there and are a full part of the plot, instead of feeling like boring pointless appendages slowing down an otherwise good movie. And since they're both singers, the musical numbers don't seem superfluous like they do in too many of their other MGM films (although "Cosi-Cosa" is one I could easily skip ever hearing again). Our sympathy with Rosa and Riccardo is established right away, so the viewer really cares for them instead of feeling annoyed whenever they're onscreen taking time away from the comedy. Allan Jones was also the best pseudo-Zeppo they ever worked with by far, although I've read that the three of them really missed their baby brother while they were making this film and wished he'd stayed in the act and been able to make that film with them. Unlike most of their later MGM films, too, here we really have a feeling that the bad guys are really bad and need to be defeated, not just boring generic villains you don't really get a feel for the true meanness of, of their need to be defeated and humiliated, wishing they'd never been born. We know right from the first time we encounter him in the second scene that Rodolfo is cruel, mean, and evil (I can barely watch the scene where he's beating Harpo, first hitting him with a stick and then whipping him, and then a few scenes later roughs him up again), and deserves exactly what he gets at the end.
The extras are hit and miss; the mini-documentary is quite good, but could have been better-served being a bit longer and more in-depth. The audio commentary is also nice; I'm not a big fan of audio commentaries, but they're interesting to listen to at least once, and can clear up confusion about a certain dated reference, shed some light on an in-joke, or just provide interesting tidbits about the movie you might not have found out anywhere else. The mood of the commentary is very informal and friendly instead of overly serious and scholarly. The rest of the extras are alright, but the shorts aren't really related to the movie apart from showing the kind of thing that might have been shown back in 1935 before the main feature began.
The Best Marx Brothers Film
This movie really amazed me. It showed me how funny movies could be, even 70 years ago. In fact, I can't remember a movie this funny being shown in any theater in recent times. There probably hasn't been something this funny in theaters for at least six years.
Groucho is top notch in this one. Although he's known for making joke after joke after joke in a very short amount of time, he puts tons of top quality jokes into his performance here. After publicly thanking Mrs. Claypool for financing the opera, he tells the audience that he's sure the memories of a great performer will come back to them, just as sure as Mrs. Claypool's checks will come back in the morning.
Chico has a great scene in this film too. He tells a phoney story about flying across the Atlantic. He says that after two attempts, the plane ran out of gas, and on the third attempt, his crew got about halfway across the ocean and then realized they forgot the airplane.
The Marx Brothers somehow manage to get the opera's orchestra to play "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" which forces them to succumb to the irresistable temptation of yelling out "Peanuts, Popcorn." They ruin the opera in several other ways as well, like dropping random backgrounds behind the actors while they are singing, with Harpo tearing up one of backgrounds too.
One of the best scenes is when they stow away in a boat, and end up in a very small room. As if it weren't cramped enough, visitor after visitor arrives, and soon 20 more people shove their way in there. It gets so crowded a sleeping Harpo is pushed onto a woman, and while he's lying on her, Groucho says to Chico something along the lines of, "Hey, when I said work fast, I didn't mean your friend, I meant the maid."
Groucho's deadbeat-type character never gets old. He tries to give his hotel bill away, and he withdraws a healthy salary without doing anything. When he's fired, he demands he gets his two-weeks salary pay. When informed that he's overdrawn his salary for the next six months, he says he'll take one week's salary instead.
Highly recommended. This movie will get you to really appreciate the genious of the Marx Brothers.
Two Classic Marx Bros. Films Are As Different As Night & Day
After 70 years, "A Night At The Opera" is still considered one of the finest comedy films ever made, and is often called the funniest film the Marx Brothers ever made; there's also a handful of fans who consider "A Day At The Races" to be the funnier of the two. Die-hard fans already have them both in the five-disc box set; if you've only got room on your shelf for one Marx Brothers film, this review should help you decide between the two.
Both films were supervised by Hollywood genius Irving Thalberg, who realized that the Marx Brothers' raucous style of humor was not enough to sell tickets; it was his insistence on adding glamour and romance that made the films successful. Both films feature Allan Jones as the handsome singer who needs a break so he can marry his sweetheart. Both films feature Groucho and Chico as fast-talking con artists; Groucho swindles Margaret Dumont while Chico swindles Groucho. Both films feature Harpo as a mischevious mute who is sadistically whipped by the villain. Both films end in surrealist chaos, devilishly orchestrated by the brothers Marx. Of course, all is forgiven before the closing credits roll.
In "Night", Margaret Dumont can barely tolerate Groucho's incompetence; in "Day", she blindly ignores it because she's in love with him, allowing him to get away with a lot more comic mischief. In "Night", Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle are both given ample time to sing, bringing the action to a halt; in "Day", Kitty is replaced by the non-singing Maureen O'Sullivan, a better actress who never wastes screen time with a sappy duet. In "Day", the Marxes get revenge on crooks who want to fix a horserace and build a casino, in "Night", they get revenge on a mean opera singer who wants to steal Allan's girl, making him less of a villain and more of a pest. The songs in "Night" are far more tolerable than the music in "Day", but let's face it - the only songs you need in a Marx Brothers movie are the ones played on piano and harp.
Extras on the "Night" disc include a witty essay on curing insomnia by humorist Robert Benchley, along with a Leonard Maltin commentary track. His remarks lack the spontaneity and informality of the commentary track for "Day", suggesting that it was scripted by Maltin or his research staff. At one point, he suggests that sharp-eyed viewers may be able to spot the father of the Marx Brothers twice in one scene: first on a pier and again on a ship. My research indicates that he could not have appeared in this 1935 film, as he had passed away two years earlier. Maltin may have confused this scene with a similiar one in "Monkey Business". There's also a rare talkie for star-gazers featuring cameos by dozens of MGM contract players, including one Julius Marx (aka Groucho sans moustache) but most of the dialogue is muffled or inaudible.
Although both films are highly enjoyable with a higher-than-average amount of laugh-out-loud moments, I'm giving "Day" a slight edge over "Night" on the basis of its comedy-to-music ratio. In addition, the dramatic final horserace in "Day" makes for a much more satisfying conclusion than the lovers' duet in "Night". Head for the races before you see the opera.
A Day at the Races is the Marx Brothers at their commercial and popular peak, working with a top Hollywood director (Sam Wood of The Pride of the Yankees), supported with a healthy screen budget paying for such extras as a blue-tinted ballet sequence, love songs from crooner Allan Jones, and decorative sets. But the brothers are also at the top of their game in terms of their own comic material and timing. The story finds Groucho, Chico, and Harpo helping out at a sanatorium, where their longtime foil in the movies, Margaret Dumont, is the leading patient. The film has some of the trio's funniest and most memorable bits and a dazzling horserace at the climax. Not quite as good as its predecessor, A Night at the Opera, this is still a highlight in the Marxian... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Chico Marx - Harpo Marx Director(s): Sam Wood DVD Release Date: Released the 04 May 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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For those who love the Marx Brothers (Animal Crackers, A Night at the Opera), that this movie is side-slappingly funny is a given. For those new to the Marx Brothers, this is the perfect introduction to Groucho, Chico, and Harpo (and even Zeppo), three of the funniest men to ever grace the screen. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) is the dictator of the small nation Freedonia. The country is a disaster, in financial disrepair, and the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) is its benefactor and the object of Firefly's shrewd affection. When the leader of the neighboring Sylvania decides he's in love with Mrs. Teasdale, Firefly declares war. The movie, from 1933, is tremendously satirical, a play on politics and war. (As Firefly says to a hapless young solider, "You're a brave man.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx - Chico Marx - Zeppo Marx Director(s): Leo McCarey DVD Release Date: Released the 10 October 2000 This item is currently not available.
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There will be a debate of which 2004 DVD collection of Marx Brothers films was better. This Universal release of the better known Paramount-produced films are the only ones starring all four brothers: Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo. The Warner collection contains less-vital films, but is loaded with extras and commentaries. The Universal collection contains only 20 minutes of interviews from NBC's Today Show--interesting but short--with Harpo, Groucho, and Harpo's son Bill from the '60s and '70s. All of the films in this collection were released on DVD by Image Entertainment in 2000 and the prints look the same, which isn't necessarily bad; one just wishes a major restoration had been undertaken.
The films--packaged handsomely with a booklet--are essential Marx Brothers,... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 09 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This second Marx Brothers classic has Groucho playing Captain Spaulding (an inside joke pertaining to a renowned Hollywood drug pusher), whose song "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" became his signature anthem. Despite its staginess, it has some hilarious gags as the boys try to solve the mystery of a stolen painting among the high-society crowd. Some of the highlights include Groucho's African lecture about shooting an elephant in his pajamas, and a wacky card game between Harpo, Chico, and the always-gullible Margaret Dumont. The musical interludes here don't seem as awkward as in later films. It's really quite charming watching Chico and Harpo show off their graceful talents. --Bill DesowitzMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx - Chico Marx Director(s): Victor Heerman DVD Release Date: Released the 17 October 2000 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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A Night in Casablanca may not qualify as a Marx Brothers classic, but it's certainly the best of their latter-day comedies. "This picture is funnier than all but a handful of their earlier ones," wrote the usually cantankerous Pauline Kael, and she's right. The Big Store would have been the final Marx movie, but that disappointment, and an attractive new deal with United Artists, prompted the Marx trio to bring freshly anarchic energy to this post-war spoof of wartime intrigue, prompting Warner Bros. (producers of Casablanca) to threaten legal action over the title, to which Groucho responded, "I am sure that the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo." As it happens, Night bears only passing resemblance to the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx Director(s): Archie Mayo DVD Release Date: Released the 04 May 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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