Opera

Summary

Introduction by film scholar Troy Howarth – author of Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento:

For many viewers, Argento’s great run ended with Opera in 1988. This writer disagrees, in so far as I find much to love in his 90s work, but there’s no doubt that this film takes Argento’s propensity for elaborate stylization and experimentation about as far as it could go. The story has its roots in two important antecedents: one is Argento’s life-long love of The Phantom of the Opera, specifically the Arthur Lubin-directed version with Claude Rains from 1943, which Argento saw as a child; the other is Argento’s failed efforts to stage a daring, vampiric, and bloody take on Rigoletto. Argento would later go on to direct a big budget take on Phantom in 1998, but it was a box office bomb that did irreparable damage to his professional standing; and he would finally get several cracks at staging operas in the 21^st century, as well. For Opera, Argento took inspiration from the panic surrounding the AIDS epidemic: it’s a cold film, with people who are afraid to get close to one another. The coldness extends to his protagonist, played by Cristina Marsillach; despite her deliberate awkwardness, however, she gives a strong performance, even if she and Argento didn’t get along during the filming. Ian Charleson appears as an Argento stand-in: a director of violent horror movies staking his claim in the world of opera. The autobiographical connections extend to the casting of Antonella Vitale as Charleson’s girlfriend; she was dating Argento during this time. Daria Nicolodi agreed to come back for one final sizable role as Marsillach’s agent/mother figure, but her elaborate death scene brought her to the verge of a panic attack, as she was convinced (she claimed) that Argento was trying to kill her for real. Luciano Tovoli was unavailable, so Argento turned to British cinematographer Ronnie Taylor, who provides exceptional lighting. The camerawork is truly astonishing and the scene in which the camera takes on the point of view of a raven let loose inside the auditorium is unlike anything you’ve ever seen; it’s a truly dizzying effect when seen projected in 35mm, though it remains impressive even scaled down on television. Opera is the culmination of Argento’s experimentation with elaborate camera choreography, but make no mistake: his subsequent work in films such as Two Evil Eyes (Due occhi diabolici, 1990), Trauma (1993), and The Stendhal Syndrome (La sindrome di Stendhal, 1996) is nothing to be sniffed at, either. Unfortunately, while the film was a sizable box office hit in Italy, plans to give it a proper U.S. release were stymied when Orion Pictures started to experience financial difficulties. It established a trend for Argento’s subsequent work, much of which was denied full theatrical exposure in the American market.

Review

In 1987, Dario Argento crafted Opera -one of his most inventive and technically accomplished films. The film finds Argento working at a fever pitch and performing technical feats with the camera in nearly every scene. This film is a giallo that features some of Argento’s most vicious ideas and death sequences, so it is not as assessable a film as his earliest work The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Many consider this to be one of Argento’s best films, and it certainly ranks as his most lavish. Scorpion Releasing originally put out a one disc version of the film, but they returned to the film with a limited edition 3-disc version of the film that was sold exclusively through the Ronin Felix website. I was lucky enough to snag a copy before it sold out.

The plot of Opera revolves around young opera singer and understudy Betty (Cristina Marsillach.) When the egomaniacal opera singer Mara Cecova is hit by a car outside the opera house, Betty is given the opportunity to take her place in an adaptation of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth. Betty is excited but also very worried about taking over the role partially due to the rumors of bad luck that surround the performance of MacBeth. In her opening night performance, she is an instant success and famous immediately. In an upper box of the opera house during the performance, a black gloved killer murders a stage hand but the death is ruled accidental. After the show, Betty agrees to go back to the home of her boyfriend Stefano (William McNamara.) When he leaves the room, the black gloved killer overpowers Betty, ties her to a post, tapes her mouth shut, an puts a series of small needles near her eyes so that she must watch as he kills her lover. After the brutal murder, he cuts Betty loose and flees the scene. Betty leaves the scene of the crime, and confides in her director Marco (Ian Charleson.) While the show must go on with the opera, many murders occur in a similar fashion in front of Betty.

Opera is one of Argento’s most technically accomplished films. Filming inside of an actual opera house, Argento pulls off some incredible feats. The sequence that is probably the most memorable in the film is a spinning crane shot that is meant to be a point-of-view shot from a raven. That is the most memorable sequence, but the camera is always moving in the film and Argento never takes the easy way out on planning the shots. A sequence involving an apartment break-in is also really great. With help from cinematographer Ronnie Taylor, whom had worked on Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, the film is visually striking from the beginning to the end of the film.

The script of the film, penned by Argento, has some really strong ideas. None are stronger than the monstrous way in which the villain attacks Betty and forces her to watch him kill. That said, the film also has a couple spots that seemed a little unfocused (my chief complaint actually comes at the very end of the film which felt a little bit tacked on.) Betty is a likable protagonist, even if she is not as relatable as some of his earlier heroes and heroines. I think that the overall scenario of the film is one of Dario’s best setups and must have been a tremendous undertaking to think through completely.

The cast in the film are all enjoyable. Despite her disagreements with Argento on set, Cristina Marsillach is well cast as Betty. She brings an innocence to the role that works well for the part. Ian Charleson is great as opera director Marco. Sadly, he passed away a few short years later from AIDS. Argento regular Daria Nicolodi is in the film and does solid work in a small, but very memorable, role. Urbano Barberini does a fine job as Inspector Alan Santini.

There are a lot of things that work incredibly well in Opera. As I have already mentioned, the film is a visual spectacle. That said, there is one aspect of the film that did not vibe with me. Argento brought prog-rock into the giallo genre with his collaborations with Goblin. This was a triumphant success. Unfortunately, in Opera he tries to do the same revolutionary approach with heavy metal. For me, this diminishes the impact and effectiveness of those scenes. If Argento ever decides to have Goblin record new music over those sequences, I will buy this 3-disc set again.

Overall – Opera is a visually stunning and incredibly audacious film by Argento. While it does not rank as my favorite Argento film, (these things are subjective) it is still necessary viewing for fans of Argento and the Italian giallo genre. 

Video

For this three-disc set, Scorpion Releasing have provided three different cuts of the film – the Orion cut, one presentation in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and another presentation in 1.78:1. My preferred cut of the film would definitely be the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, but it is great to have all three to peruse. The transfer of the film comes from a new 2K scan done by Scorpion Releasing that underwent over forty five hours of color correction. This is a really well done visual presentation, although it is never reaches the visual acrobatics that Synapse Films accomplished with their Suspiria releases. As a fan of Dario Argento, it is an amazing time to be alive when we can see all of these films in great looking high definition. I think Scorpion Releasing should be incredibly proud of how they brought this film into the twenty first century.

Audio

For this release, Scorpion Releasing have done a solid undertaking with a brand new English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 track, and an Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. Both the Italian and English dubs have their strengths and weaknesses (some of the dubbing actors in the English version are a bit weak,) but I prefer the English DTS-HD 5.1 track due to its better immersion. Fans should be pleased.

Supplements:

•DISC 1: Opera – 2.35:1

 Audio Commentary by Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson – Nathaniel does a solid job of discussing the film and Argento.

 Interview with Director Dario Argento – this is a great piece in which Argento explains his overall happiness with the film (which he ranks as his favorite) and also discusses how they filmed some of the most technical scenes. Not to be missed.

 Interview with Coralina Cataldi Tassoni – the actress discusses working on the film and the uncomfortable death sequence.

International Trailer

DISC 2: Opera – 1.78:1, 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Troy Howarth – Troy is an incredibly talented writer who has recently written a book on Dario called Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento that he was undertaking as they recorded this commentary. I have always liked Troy’s tracks (especially Argento related ones,) and this is one of the selling points for considering purchasing the three disc edition. (Editorial Note: Troy also wrote the introduction to this review. Thanks again Troy!)

Interview with William McNamara – the actor who played Stefano gives a nearly hour long interview.

Interview with Barbara Cupisti – Barbara played a small role in the film and gives a brief interview

Opera Music Video

DISC 3: Opera – US Orion Pictures Cut

 Interviews with: Composer Claudio Simonetti

 Screenwriter Franco Ferrini, 

 Special Effects Artist Sergio Stivaletti , 

 Makeup Artist Franco Casagni, 

 Actor Urbano Barerini, 

 Press Agent Enrico Lucherini, and 

 Film Historian Fabrizio Spurio, 

 Backstage: Behind the Scenes Footage, 

US Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Opera is one of the most technically accomplished and visceral films directed by giallo genre maestro Dario Argento. The film has some sequences that need to be seen to be believed. This was the most expensive undertaking that Argento would ever undertake, and it shows in every frame thanks to the work of cinematographer Ronnie Taylor. The film makes a few missteps that detract slightly from the overall experience, but it remains an exceptionally well made and unique thriller. The new Ronin Flix exclusive 3-disc set is very well crafted and features tons of new interviews, an exclusive audio commentary by Troy Howarth, and three different presentations of the film. Fans will surely want to add the film to their collection. Recommended.