Groucho Marx is in his element as slick, fast talking business manager Otis B. Driftwood, who spends his time playing up to arts patron Mrs. Claypool (classic Marx Bros. foil Margaret Dumont). When he sees that she's willing to pony up $1,000 a night to have pompous Lassparri (Walter Woolf King) sing, he wants a piece of the action. Circumstance soon throws him together with equally sly Fiorello (Chico) and goofy Tomasso (Harpo), as they become determined to help out young lovers & aspiring opera stars Rosa (Kitty Carlisle) and Ricardo (Allan Jones).Even if one is not a fan of the opera, they shouldn't let that dissuade them from checking out the Marx Bros. in their glory. Some buffs consider this their best film, and it certainly shows off their talents to memorable effect. Musical interludes do go on a bit long, but the quality of the comedy when it occurs is top notch. There are some truly great bits in here, like the "party of the first part" contract, the overcrowded (to say the least) stateroom sequence, and the frantic, farcical efforts of Otis, Fiorello, Tomasso, and Ricardo to pull the wool over the eyes of a suspicious inspector (Robert Emmett O'Connor) by moving beds from one room to another.Groucho is hilarious, as always. Very few entertainers in film history can fire off a one-liner as snappily as he does. Chico and Harpo have their wonderful moments, as well. (It's such a hoot when Harpo does a Spider-Man routine near the end.) Carlisle and Jones are extremely appealing, Dumont is once again a fine "straight woman", King is an appropriately snooty villain, Sig Ruman is superb as eternally frustrated Gottlieb, and O'Connor is likewise good as the antics of Otis and company take a toll on him.The pace isn't always consistent, but there is some enjoyable action and first rate stunt work. Overall, this is a solid comedy / musical that will appeal to any lover of this era in cinema.Eight out of 10.

75 years after it was released, A Night at the Opera is still as fresh and enjoyable as ever. A vehicle for the Marx Brothers' comic genius, it is excellent. Key to this is the Groucho wisecracks, coming at a rapid rate, and all hitting the spot.Harpo's clowning is also something to behold.Probably the most pleasantly surprising thing is Harpo and Chico's musical abilities - their piano and harp playing on the ship was amazing.I'm not a fan of opera, but the music in the movie was sublime.Great movie, and an all-time classic.

is it DUCK SOUP or A NIGHT AT THE OPERA? it sure is not HORSE FEATHERS or THE BIG STORE? OK.yes, this is THE Marx film for "family entertainment" - has it all. very funny scenes, Marxes all fired up. even good music, which a reviewer here adroitly says is overdone.in this Reviewers' mind, it can never compare to DUCK SOUP as a "comedy". the 1933 film is nearly perfect as such. even if NIGHT lost most of the music, the Marx characters are now nice guys who help the lovers. they are so freaking nice that even Margaret Dumont, Groucho's love interest in the war picture, is not really needed! think of how important she was to DUCK SOUP! NIGHT is probably the best film to take slapstick artists and tone them down./ we all know what happened to Laurel and Hardy when they switched to the "bigs"; what happened to Abbott and Costello, from day one on the sound stage. (when their TV show hit the waves, fans could see what they were missing, in those overlong, sentimental films, for 10 years! all about "escapism"! Thalberg thought audiences needed rest time between laffs. so he added music.very much a matter of taste. the DVD is worth owning. but beware it may come with "lesser" MB vehicles, hard to sit through.

Much Thought and Trepidation went into the Decision by the Marx Brothers and MGM as to Why such a Great Film like Duck Soup (1933) was a Flop. MGM's Thalberg Insisted it was the Incoherence and the Lack of Plot that Audiences Required and the Marx's went Along with Him and His Formula. The Rest is History.This Film Became the Brothers Biggest Hit and Sustained Their Career. Thalberg May have been Right, and the Moviegoers of the 1930's Liked a Lot of Singing and Dancing with Their Comedy, but Truth be Told. It was just a Fad. In Retrospect the Dated Love Songs and Romantic Subplots are Hardly the Reason Anyone After the Fact went Back to View these Comedic Gems. Today, Blasphemous as it May Be, it is Common for Modern Audiences to Say, "I fast forward through the Songs." So it is the Zany Brothers that Make These Things Classics. Their Irreverence, Timing, Wit, and Overall Hilarious Routines that Make a Marx Brothers Movie. In this One They Even Make Opera Somewhat Tolerable. It is Considered One Their Best and Some Say it is the Best. Along with Duck Soup it is the One that is Universally Touted as the Cream of the Brothers Crop.The Opera, is in Fact, a Great Place for the Marxes to be Unleashed as They Rip it to Shreds Along with Contracts and Clothes. It is a Slick Film that Groucho Said is His Favorite.But for Pure Marx Brothers Without the MGM Mix of Music and Romance…Some Prefer Duck Soup as Well as Some of the Others Done at Paramount.