A Night at the Opera: 9/10

The comic timing of the one-liner is a lost art, and there are very few in the cinematic field that has that special delivery.

A Night at the Opera should be the how-to guide for all aspiring actors that want to pursue the skill. But it's more than just the quick-paced jokes and subtle innuendo, Night at the Opera is arguably the most complete Marx Brothers film as we get a combination of opera, romance, comedy, music, and best of all each Brother having their chance to shine on the big screen. With a plot to loosely tie in all the mayhem this is one of the best films of the early cinema era.

This movie follows the brothers playing a manager, a dresser, and a good friend of an aspiring singer running into each other as an opera in New York is about to be underway. Unlike most Marx Brothers movies which usually featured a take-no-prisoners approach, this time the chaos is unveiled to combat the villains in the story. This gives the Marx Brothers an actual dosage of humility and allows us to actually root for them as opposed to feel sorry for all the innocents that get trampled by their insanity.

Like the best of comedies, you get a little bit of everything: dialogue humor, physical humor, subtle humor, visual humor, and of course all the hilarious innuendo of Groucho Marx. And although the romantic subplot and the operatic moments might be a bit much, it at least gives us a chance to breathe and relax after the machine gunfire of jokes that the Brothers can through in a limited amount of time. There is clearly a better director/writing combination to catch the Marx lightning in celluloid.

The talent of the Marx Brothers is on full display here, and if you ever want to truly see what they are capable of, this film is their best example. Groucho's comic timing is amongst the best in film history. Harpo and Chico are excellent with the physical stunts and can play a mean piano. And just wait until you see Harpo have his fun with a harp in the middle of a musical interlude.

Not just a great comedy, but one of the best in the history of the medium. A Night in the Opera starts out strong, rushes through with great bit after great bit, and finishes off with a great climax that displays excellent cinematography, stuntwork, and physical humor that has made the Marx Brothers a staple in American comedy. It ages well, holds up well, and remains a gem after all these years.