Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
A Night at the Opera is one of the Marx Brothers' most celebrated films, showcasing their anarchic comic genius at its peak. Groucho's razor-sharp wit, Chico's lovable scheming, and Harpo's sublime physical comedy represent acting (or performance) of the highest comedic order — genuinely exceptional. The film's novelty lies in its utterly singular voice: no one else has ever made comedy quite like the Marx Brothers, and the stateroom scene and contract-tearing sequence are among cinema's most distinctive comic set-pieces. The plot is thin and largely a vehicle for gags, earning a below-average mark. Cinematography is serviceable for a studio comedy of the era — competent but unremarkable. The ending resolves the romantic subplot tidily but without much flair, landing squarely average.