The Unexpected Blogathon – A Night at the Opera (1935)

This is my 1st of 3 reviews for The Unexpected Blogathon 2018 being hosted by Rebecca of Taking Up Room.

Tnx for letting me partake Rebecca!

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“Listen, Gottlieb, nix on the love making. Because, I saw Mrs. Claypool first. Of course, her mother really saw her first; but, there’s no point in bringing the Civil War into this.” – Otis B. Driftwood

Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 Dec 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A business agent and the managers of two opera singers try to cut a deal to perform in the New York Opera.

My Take on it – This is a film that I’ve heard about for so many years yet never had the opportunity to see why so many people think it’s one of the best comedy films ever made.

I thought that this blogathon would be a great opportunity to see what it was all about.

The Marx Brothers are known for their comedic antics and this film is no different because they lay it on really heavily throughout.

The entire film is filled with lots of comedic antics and gags that range from so-so all the way to perfect.

The best among them is the stateroom scene which gets funnier and funnier as it builds thing sup.

This film has a few musical interludes which detract a bit from the comedic aspects of the film, but they still manage to keep things enjoyable throughout.

This film isn’t as funny as the Marx Brothers’ film Duck Soup (1933) yet it is completely understandable why so many people think this film is one of the best comedy films ever made.

Bottom Line – Hilarious comedy of errors that works so well largely due to the great comedic antics of the Marx Brothers. The best scene is obviously the stateroom scene yet the whole film is filled with so many gags and antics that are really clever and work quite well.  The musical interludes drag the comedy story down a bit yet it still remains enjoyable throughout.  Still not as great as Duck Soup (1933), but understandably one of the Marx Brothers most famous films. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Producer Irving Thalberg would often call people in for meetings, and then keep them waiting in his office for hours while he attended other meetings on the MGM lot. One day, during pre-production for this picture, Thalberg kept The Marx Brothers waiting for several hours in his secretary’s office while he was in his own office making phone calls. When Thalberg’s secretary went home for the day, the brothers decided they’d had enough. They pushed the office file cabinets against Thalberg’s door, trapping the producer in his office. Afterwards, Thalberg kept his appointments with the Marx Brothers, but would often interrupt his meetings with them and step out to attend other meetings–again keeping the brothers waiting for hours. One day Thalberg came back from another meeting to find Groucho Marx, Chico Marx and Harpo Marx sitting in his office completely naked, and roasting potatoes on sticks in his office fireplace. Thalberg sat down with them, had a potato and never missed or interrupted another meeting with the Marx Brothers. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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