I have a real love/ hate relationship with Argento's movies. I love the love the art of them. I love the beautiful, sublime imagery that he is able to obtain in his movies. The way that he thinks through shots and perspectives create a series of images that would work as art pieces captured frame by frame. His murder scenes are gorgeous and, typically, what draws me into these movies. I really want so much to enjoy his movies, but there is no much to hate as well. The dubbing is poorly done and ruins any of the craft of performing that his actors bring to the table. The dialog is typically bad, as well, and nobody talks like a normal person would in day to day conversation. Usually, the plot is nonsensical and just there so that Argento can hang these images out for the viewer to see.Most all of these things are true of OPERA, which many would tell you is Argento's last watchable movie before his career went completely off the rails. A young ingénue is an understudy in a performance of the opera Macbeth. When the leading lady suffers an accident, she is given her chance at stardom. Things aren't quite so great, though, as the cast and crew start getting murdered before her eyes (literally). In the end, these murder scenes are really the only thing worthwhile about this movie. I have seen it several times now and would argue that it is one of the more straight- forward films in Argento's catalog, meaning that the plot mostly makes sense and the viewer is able to follow the mystery of the movie without getting distracted by insane oddness.It's been said that the true judge of a horror movie is whether it would work without the violence. If you removed the murders, do you still have a good movie? If we're applying that to this one, the answer is most definitely "no". Without the gorgeous deaths, what we are left with is no better than a bad 70s detective TV show, albeit with some wonderfully artistic moments and camera shots. Even including the murders in your judgment, Argento continues his annoying 80s habit of using metal music in those scenes. It's jarring and completely dated and, for me, ruins any sense of terror in those moments. Instead, it becomes like a 17-year old's first home video movie, showcasing the poor choices that have always kept Argento from being more successful in his films.If you are a lover of Argento's movies, then there is a lot of his trademark style to love here, for sure. Those who worship at his altar will vehemently defend this movie. If you are a novice who is unfamiliar with his work, though, or maybe you've seen SUSPIRIA and thought you'd check out some others, then know that his work is very much an acquired taste. I have seen almost his entire catalog and even I find his movies to be a chore to get through, at times. If you like DEEP RED, then see TENEBRE and if you've enjoyed both of those, then most likely you will like this movie, but it is far from being his strongest work.

Opera (1987) *** (out of 4) A production of Lady MacBeth hits a snag when the lead actress is hit by a car. This turns the lead role over to Betty (Cristina Marsillach), a young understudy who soon finds herself being stalked by a crazed "fan" who forced her to watch him kill her co-workers. Here's yet another good film from the Italian master but if you're familiar with the work of Dario Argento then you already know that he doesn't waste time on silly things. Of course, one such "silly thing" is plot, which is something he rarely digs too deep into and it's also rare that any of his films make much sense. The reasons behind the killer are certainly explained towards the end but let's just say that very little thought went into them. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the entire story by Argento really didn't go anywhere past the idea of putting needles under the eyes of our hero, which is the one way that the killer can force her to watch him kill. Without the needles she could just close her eyes but with the needles, if she attempts to close her eyes then she'll basically be poking them out. Even that seems to have a few problems when you see the device but that's besides the point. Overall this is a fairly stylish little film that certainly has a few creepy moments to make it worth viewing. One of the highlights happens when Betty and her agent (Daria Nicolodi) are trapped inside an apartment not knowing if the man inside is a killer or the cop trying to protect them. Then, on the outside, is another man who might be the killer or perhaps he's really the cop. This is a very good sequence that Argento handles very well. Another such sequence is the now somewhat legendary first ending dealing with crows taking their revenge. If you stop and think about it the scene is quite ridiculous but while watching it you can't help but be entertained. Marsillach has taken a lot of heat from fans due to her lack of performance as she's never really all that emotional or at least she doesn't show it. I didn't have too much of a problem with her performance, although she's certainly not in the same league as some of Argento's other leading actresses. Ian Charleson is good in his role as is Urbano Barberini and Nicolodi. Now, the controversy happens after the ending inside the opera. I'm not going to spoil anything but I found what happens after the opera to be downright idiotic and completely worthless. The entire sequence is just a joke and it really makes the viewer leave the picture with a bad taste in their mouth. Still, even with the flaws OPERA is a pretty effective horror film where the director once again mixes style, graphic violence and some nice atmosphere. One only wishes the stories had a little more thought to them.

With increasing fame comes an increase in budget and investors. Opera feels like the most expensive production from Dario Argento up until that time, although it's still not a budget feature. Of course, money is not all that important. Dario has everything he needs to work his magic, and in the end, (despite a plot that feels more blatantly silly than the rest of his work) Opera turns out to be a very good piece of work, Maybe not his best but certainly his most energetic. Betty is a young opera singer, who is about to make her debut with Macbeth. She is nervous and lacks self confidence, but on aria is all it takes to make her a star. But fame may prove to be a bit more than she can handle, when she discovers that she has a stalker, who is killing everyone she knows.Argento's camera work in Opera is among his best. Nobody composes shots like this today, in part because they draw attention to themselves and their duration interferes with story telling. Argento makes it work nicely. His camera sweeps through the sets almost flawlessly. One of his trademarks of course it to linger in a room, long after a person has walked out of it. This re-directs the viewers attention, causing us to start looking around for what the camera wants us to see. It is almost a form of visual dramatic irony. (Remember the shot of the eye in the closet from Deep Red).Opera is the closet that Dario Argento has come to presenting a climax, even though it is weird and strangely predicable. All of his previous movies seem to end on rushed notes, with someone dying which is followed by a reaction shot, and then the credits. Opera contains what feels like a more solid book ending, the kind you might be hoping for.Another trade mark of Dario Argento, is his scoring decisions. Not Unlike John Carpenter, music usually comes in the form of two or three simple licks rather than an official score. Argento seems to have taste for American rock, as he has recruited renowned musician/producer Brian Eno do write a lick that will go well with a chase scene (or two, or three). Frankly, I think it sounds like too much like 1980's metal for a film that is about Opera. Nobody seems to regard this as one of Dario's best, but Opera may in fact deserve a bit more credit than it has gotten. Sure the plot is a bit flimsy and the dialogue is so-so, but the film has exceptional style and it amounts to a sufficiently weird and wonderful little horror/thriller.

After the lead actress of the opera is killed in a car accident, her young understudy, Betty, is brought to the forefront. That's very lucky for her, with one problem: she has an admirer that has decided he will kill all her friends and make her watch. What is his connection to the opera, and what is his fascination with Betty? I love Dario Argento with every part of my body. And I'm not an orthodox fan, I think. Many people, particularly critics, praise his earlier work ("Suspiria" and "Deep Red") but really frown on later films, such as "Sleepless", which I liked. My favorite, "Phenomena", is usually vastly underrated. "Opera" tends to fall somewhere in between. Some consider it one of his last great films, others see it as part of his so-called decline. I loved it.The picture is crisp, the music is great (unlike other critics, I love the metal soundtrack), the female lead is someone I can feel for (not unlike Jennifer Connelly from "Phenomena"). And the imagery... wonderful. Great cinematography, and some amazing kill scenes. The concept of taping needles to a person's eyes so they cannot blink... brilliant. My assistant Tina thinks this looked fake, but even if it does, the idea is more than enough to pay off. And some great effects, like a knife blade coming up inside a man's mouth? Awesome.Jim Harper calls the film "stunning" and calls attention to the "innovative cinematography, well-constructed shots and exceptionally violent murders." I agree with this completely -- one shot follows the camera through winding tunnels, and there is a very interesting visual use of crows throughout the story. Mike Mayo likewise calls it "visually fascinating eye-candy" and lauds the "crisp editing and flowing camera-work". It's really a wonder that this is not one of Argento's more highly-praised works.Argento returned to the opera with "Phantom of the Opera", which was a bit of a failure despite the casting of his daughter Asia and Julian Sands. Even more interesting, this same year offered the release of Michele Soavi's "Stagefright", which (like "Opera") has a killer loose inside a theater killing off the people involved with the presentation. Both are great films, with Soavi's more on the slasher side. (Soavi actually served as second unit director on "Opera"... you can make your own conclusions.) My only complaint with this film is the length and pacing. While it is very beautifully shot and the kill scenes are glorious, they are not as frequent as they should be. The first one takes over a half hour, and then we get down times between them. The lead actress should be in constant terror, but she is given time between kills to calm down as if everything is normal again. Not cool, Dario. We need to keep the suspense low and the intensity high.