A Night at the Opera (1935)

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

James Kevin McGuinness (story)
George S. Kaufman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 November 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Musical

Tagline:

Don't miss it! The funniest picture ever made!

Plot:

A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Stowaway | Marx Brothers | Singer | Opera Singer

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Otis B. Driftwood
Chico Marx	...	Fiorello
Harpo Marx	...	Tomasso
Kitty Carlisle	...	Rosa Castaldi
Allan Jones	...	Ricardo Baroni
Walter Woolf King	...	Rodolfo Lassparri (as Walter King)
Sig Ruman	...	Herman Gottlieb (as Siegfried Rumann)
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Claypool
Edward Keane	...	Ship Captain
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Henderson (as Robert Emmet O'Connor)

Runtime:

96 min | USA:91 min (1948 re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #1613) | South Korea:12 (2004) | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

In the scene where Harpo Marx, Chico Marx and Allan Jones are impersonating the three aviators in front of the mayor, Groucho Marx turns around to speak to them in a "foreign language." What is actually being said is a direct response to the accusations of imposters, only the audio track is played backwards. The first time Groucho Marx actually says, "Did you hear what he said? He said you were frauds and imposters!" which is then followed by Chico Marx and Riccardo protesting loudly, "How can he say a thing like that?", "This is ridiculous," and other such comments.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Harpo is playing the harp, he is whistling. The fourth time he whistles, we hear his whistle but he doesn't move his mouth until about a second later.

Quotes:

[the waiter brings the bill]
Otis B. Driftwood: Let me see that... 9 dollars and 40 cents? This is an outrage.
[to his dinner companion]
Otis B. Driftwood: If I were you I wouldn't pay it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Anvil Chorus

The Marx Brothers against the world

This is probably the best Marx Brothers film. It is certainly my favorite. The brothers destroy pomposity and pretension by the ton. The pieces of comic business were worked out through many live theater performances before the scenes were finally filmed. This craftsmanship never shows, but it pays off completely. The stateroom scene is a classic, and the total devastation of the opera is a delicious piece of craziness.