AFI Top 100: #85
When it comes to early film stars, particularly in comedy, some of the most memorable and hilarious stories come from the Marx brothers. Groucho, Chico, and Harpo are some absolutely fantastic, comedic performers that I just adore and I found them to be especially hilarious together in their earlier work Duck Soup. However, Sam Wood's A Night at the Opera is a bit of a disappointment for me personally. While their signature style is still very much there, so many elements of the plot and its writing fell flat and left me wondering what could have been. It is very obvious to see these brothers grow in their talent but I feel like Wood had much more opportunity to utilize them in a clearer and easier-to-understand story. As a recent fan of this period of comedy, I still very much appreciate this movie and its efforts but I'm also starting to realize that some early comedy films definitely stand stronger than others.
Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx), a slimy but effective business manager, partners with his clownish friends Fiorello (Chico Marx) and Tomasso (Harpo Marx) to help two lowly opera singers achieve their dreams. When the money-hungry opera owner Gottlieb (Sig Ruman) comes on the scene, the couple's dreams of stardom seem to falter but not without a hilarious fight from Driftwood. This film has everything that one could expect to see from the Marx brothers and more. Whether one is a fan of classic slapstick or just witty dialogue writing, director Sam Wood does a solid job bringing it all together. This film is genuinely funny and the chemistry between these characters works extremely well. I did find a lot of the visual gags to come off as almost recycled or ideas that were initially thrown out but they work decently for the types of environments that this set of characters explore. Groucho, in particular, stood out to me in this film and I feel like he is really refining his talent as a comedian in this role. From just minute facial expressions and bodily signals, he is able to get his point across very well and I really enjoyed how much of a smartass he is as Driftwood. Not only does it suit the character well, but it gives him room to play with the comedy to the point that it almost feels like natural improv. All of the performances are more technical pieces of this film are done well too and while it might take some who are new to this era of film by surprise, the massive production value and thought behind every little detail was astounding for being released in 1935.
Many elements of A Night at the Opera work incredibly well and others just seem to feel very out of place. One of these such aspects is the script by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind and how their story itself feels mismatched. The Marx brothers' characters never felt like they were in the same story as the young opera couple and I kept forgetting that they were out to achieve the same thing. Groucho is practically the face of these humorous brothers, as everyone tends to remember his name and personality the most. This is where I feel like Wood misused the performers, however, because while Groucho led the film with his snarky character of Driftwood, Chico and Harpo felt incredibly shoehorned in. Groucho could have easily led this film on his own without the unnecessary inclusion of Fiorello and Tomasso but if that had been done, there also would be no point in advertising this film as one done by the Marx brothers. This is where I find myself so conflicted because these three brothers succeed so well when they are together but that chemistry depends on the script itself. Kaufman and Ryskind's script sidelines Chico and Harpo so much that their characters become a nuisance more than anything. I never felt like the characters of Fiorello and Tomasso had much reason to exist other than to help with the comedy and add that little touch on slapstick. While they are undoubtedly funny together, they never really fit in with the tone of the story. But then again, this film has a much different type of plot than other films that the Marx brothers have done, which focus more on the trio as a whole. There is still so much to love about the humor infused into this film from Wood but I just desperately wanted to see more of the brothers and less of the half-assed romantic plot between the opera singers.
A Night at the Opera is an amusing comedy from the Marx brothers but one that is far from their best work. While still carrying their trademark brand of wit and slapstick, these brothers are really the best part of this entire film and I really wish that more focus would have been put on them instead of the half-attempted romantic story between the side characters. Regardless, this film is still a decent eduction into how they approach comedy and I will always enjoy just watching them get into absolutely nonsensical situations.
My Rating: ★★★
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