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.

Betty (portrayed pathetically by Cristina Marsillach) is an up-and-coming opera singer, who gets her big break after the star diva breaks her leg. Promoted from understudy she becomes the breakaway star of Guiseppe Verdi's "MacBeth", an opera with a long history of bad luck. During the opening night a murder is committed. Even later that evening a masked man gags Betty and forces her to watch him gut the stage manager after which he lets her go unharmed. Who is the murderer and what wicked game is he playing? Dario Argento during the years mastered his trademarks, which include long travelling shots, exquisite classic-inspired sumptuous settings as well as the use of colour (with a specific obsession with red ochre) to instill an unrelenting all-engulfing atmosphere. This time however Dario exaggerated and overused the long shots making his typical slow pace virtually stop to a halt. Almost nothing happens during over 100 minutes, albeit when it finally does occur it is engrossing and damn near to perfection.Sadly this movie has probably one of the worse scores in any Argento movie, save for the absolutely classical and unmistakable captivating beauty of Verdi's "MacBeth". The remaining music however consists mostly of loud and severely outdated heavy metal, that cruelly rape the ears and kill visual enjoyment.Additionally this is probably Argento's 'easiest' movie in the sense, that the script is severely underdeveloped and lacks the prerequisite mystery. Shortly after the first murder it becomes quite apparent that there is only one possibly killer. I naturally expected some twist to turn the events upside down (however illogical the twist), but none happened and the only possible culprit does not fail to not surprise. At the same time he must be one of the stupidest Argento murderers ever with plotting and ideas so thinly planned out, that were it not for the even more imbecilic victims he would have been caught within 30 minutes. But when victims fail to finish him off after knocking him unconscious with an iron or policemen require several days to differentiate a corpse from a mannequin this villain gets more screen time than he deserves.The only mystery worth finding out concerns the reason to the murderer's killing spree, which is suitably wicked and Argento-style twist. Also the ending itself is devious, albeit a lot of substance lost due to the terrible Marsillach, who lacks enough vibrant emotion to convey the terrible truth. All in all not a bad movie, but I fail to find anything worth note in this ultimately repetitive and flawed Argento thriller.

Italian horror master Argento's Opera is loosely based on The Phantom of the Opera. It's set in the 'Teatro Regio' in Parma, Italy, during the performance of Verdi's Macbeth. The opera is known to bring bad luck and the production of the film was indeed plagued by misfortunes, such as the death of Argento's father, while he was filming. The director returns here to the 'giallo' genre, after his so called 'supernatural years', during which he presented us with masterpieces such as Deep Red, Suspiria and Phenomena. The lead role is played by the Spanish newcomer Christina Marsillach, who Argento defined the hardest actress he ever had to direct.The score was composed by Brian Eno and Claudio Simonetti, the latter being a regular contributor to Dario's films, and the heavy-metal music, which normally accompanies the murders in his movies, is one of the features that gained him heavy acclaim, and one of the reasons why his films have reached the status of cult. Probably, Opera is Dario Argento's last masterpiece, the following films to date revealing a mere shadow of his former glory, though still being high quality productions.Argento is known for his cinematic flair, and we are not disappointed here; scenes beautifully composed, violent murders, accentuated here by the element of voyeurism, and some shots that will remain in the memory of the viewer, such as the key-hole murder shot. However, although Argento claimed that every shot and camera point of view were justified by a certain logic, we can't help suspecting that some of the visual choices in Opera are simply dictated by bravado. Nonetheless, the results are amazingly beautiful and proportioned, and the viewer will not be let down. Just think, doesn't it titillate you to watch bloody murders being committed right in front of you, while you are tied and have needles taped under your eyes, so you must watch? Yes, I thought so...

An opera diva has an accident, which leaves the door open for her understudy to take over the role. Betty (Marsillach) is now the star of Mac Beth, but someone hiding in the trenches has an opera of his own planned out. He gets his kicks out of tying Betty up, putting needles under her eyes (so she cant close them) and murdering members of the opera company before her very eyes."Opera" is certainly one of Argento's more ambitious films, like mixing it up with Shakesphere's Macbeth there is of course the fact that the opera performed in the film is Giuseppe Verdi's version of Macbeth but also Argento, just like Shakespeare uses ravens as an omen of death and misfortune. And like the ravens circling the castle Dunsinane, foreboding the demise of the scheming Macbeth, the ravens in OPERA play a key part in the downfall of the killer. Furthermore just like in the old play the murderer acts on the exhortation of his lover. But I don't want to go as far as saying OPERA is intended to be a remake of the either The Phantom of the Opera or Macbeth, the similarities are far too subtle. It's just a typical Argento masterstroke, and with it he gives this otherwise quite basic thriller a vivid hue of Gothic mystique.Although this movie does have it downsides like the heavl metal soundtrack just doesn't fit in with this movie and the final scenes in this movie are a bit strange.All in all "Opera" is something of a flawed masterpiece but still good.