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Opera
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $10.99
Your Save: $ 3.96 ( 26% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, William McNamara, Daria Nicolodi
Directed By: Dario Argento
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Ryko Distribution
EAN: 0827058106498
Format: Anamorphic
Label: Blue Underground
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Blue Underground
Region Code: 0
Release Date: 2007-09-25
Running Time: 107
Studio: Blue Underground
Theatrical Release Date: 1987
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Editorial Reviews:
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An Aria of Terror from the Maestro of Horror - DARIO ARGENTO When a young opera singer takes over the leading role in an avant-garde presentation of Verdi's Macbeth, she triggers the madness of a crazed fan who repeatedly forces the diva to watch the brutal murders of her friends. Will the woman's recurring nightmare hold the key to the identity of this psychopath or does an even more horrific evil lay waiting in the wings? The legendary Dario Argento (DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA) co-wrote and directed this savagely stunning thriller featuring some of the most shocking sequences of the maestro's entire career. Previously available in the U.S. only in heavily edited form, this horror classic has now been restored from original Italian vault materials and is presented uncut, uncensored and loaded with Extras.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Cinematography
Comment: After seeing Opera for the first time, the impression you get is that it is definitely a case of style over substance as a lot of other reviewers have pointed out. But really if you've seen Argento's previous work you'll come to recognize this as a trait we all know and love.
The cinematography alone makes this film a must see for any horror fan. I get shivers down my spine whenever I see the opening title, it is just so dramatic not to mention the soundtrack is amazing.
The murders are fantastic: Brutal, Un-relenting and masochistic without adding a lot of silly gore to make it over the top and just gives it a dark evil feel.
I notice a lot of reviewers are complaining about the Heavy Metal tracks used throughout the film. May I remind you this was 1987? This was a time when metal ruled the airwaves hence it is not out-dated (not even by today's standards). If you ask me, Metal belongs in horror movies. It just makes them that much more fun not to mention the music flows very well with the dark gothic theme of the film.
This ranks on my top ten list of favourite horror films of all time for sure. I highly recommend this title as it is an important film in the horror genre of the 1980's. Along with Demons I'd say it was one of the best films made in that decade. Don't miss it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Night At the Opera (No Day at the Beach)
Comment: I've always found there to be something unsettling about operas. I don't know if it's the often-dark themes of murder, suicide, and betrayal, the tragic endings, or the lovely voices that, after three hours, sometimes seem to morph into migraine-inducing caterwauling. Given my taste in films, theater, and books, I suspect the latter. It's not that I don't appreciate the opera, I just need for it to be in smaller doses. Which is exactly what I got in Dario Argento's 1987 thriller, "Opera". Set against the backdrop of an avant-garde production of "Macbeth", there are a few snatches of sopranic trilling here and there, and then it's back to the heart of the film: a stylish, colorful murder mystery involving a comely, ambitious young opera singer and the seriously twisted killer stalking her and her inner circle. The additional kick is that the killer is able to grab the singer at any time, tying her up, propping her eyes open, and forcing her to watch as her friends are viciously (and graphically) mutilated and slain. As usual with Argento, plot takes a back seat to lush cinematography, atmosphere, and inventively gory murders. For many directors, this could be a fatal blow, but with a masterful filmmaker of Argento's caliber, this only serves to enhance the film's mystery and cachet.
Although they are subjectively different, there is a certain similarity of cinematic styles and themes that, I believe, link Dario Argento to that great American surrealist, David Lynch. There is a certain dark, daring, "out-there" sensibility that can be found in each director's work, and it's seems like the films of one director compliment the films of the other.
The acting isn't bad in "Opera", although you get the feeling that some of the actors are basically winging it. Gorgeous Cristina Marsillach plays Betty, the up-and-coming diva, with panache and style; onstage, as Lady Macbeth, done up in a slinky, form-fitting gold number and matching skull cap, pointing a pistol and belting out an aria while live ravens swirl around her, she's death personified--a kinky, lusciously deadly Mata Hari. Offstage, as the more innocent Betty, her cool sexuality is far more subtle, yet unmistakably there. When she seeks help from the men in her life--boyfriend, director, police inspector--it's with the helpless expectancy of a lewd Lolita; the innocence is all surface. She thinks she's frigid so she needs someone to help her out (the masked and gloved killer is more than willing--at least that's what he says). Such paves the road for the psychosexual undertones of this tense thriller.
The late Ian ("Chariots of Fire") Charleson is also featured in the film, along with Argento's ex (and Asia's mother) Daria Nicolodi, Urbano Barberini, William ("Copycat") McNamara, Barbara Cupisti, and Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, as potential victims of the maniac. Nicolodi is (as usual) impressive in the role of Betty's agent/surrogate mother, as is a very young William McNamara as Betty's would-be boyfriend. But the film really belongs to Argento, and star, Marsillach. Her Betty is probably one of the most complex and believable of Argento's heroines.
The only real problem I have with this film is the ending, which seems tacked on; appropos of nothing, it plays like a psychotic vision of "The Sound of Music". However, after giving it more thought (than it probably merits), I'm thinking that maybe this small portion of the film (or possibly even larger sections) is taking place in the post-breakdown mind of a heavily traumatized Betty. That analysis could be wrong, but the ending does seem to make more sense when viewed in that context. And, to be honest, that analysis is what put me in mind of David Lynch in the first place.
All in all, an excellent film that has far more depth than what many might realize, "Opera" is trademark Argento and ranks as one of his finest.
Customer Rating:
Summary: HEADSHOT!!!
Comment: Since I'm an Argento review virgin reviewing Argento (at the coercion of some fellow Amazon denizens) during our annual Horrorween month celebration, I'll start from the beginning. I happened across Suspiria one night on cable. "Love at first sight" is the only pertinent phrase to describe the feeling. That is how I discovered Italy's macabre national treasure, Dario Argento. Since then we've crossed paths often, be it his collaborations with personal hero George Romero, the B-movies he's produced like Demons, or the occasional giallo -a genre he owns like no other, but is hot and cold for me- but I've never been able to recapture that "this is the greatest thing ever" feeling I got from "Suspiria". The closest were his entries into Showtime's outstanding Masters of Horror series, Jenifer and Pelts. And now here we are, with the first feature-length Argento-directed film since that fateful night that I have enjoyed front to back.
"Opera" is the story of a singer, Betty, who is forced to stand in for the injured star of a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, a play that has long been believed to be cursed. She owns the role and becomes an overnight sensation. Then the killing starts. A masked assailant begins a horrific ritual of tying up our protagonist and taping a row of needles under her top eyelids so that she is unable to even blink without drawing blood. He then lies in wait and proceeds to brutally kill whatever friend or lover attempts to come to Betty's rescue before cutting her free and going on his merry way. Why? Well that's complicated; best to let you figure that one for yourself. You've got your brutal Argento-rific deaths, your pack of birds not to be f#@ked with (quoth the raven, "mmmmm, eyeballs yummy!"), some really cool opera scenes, your creepy little girl spying on people in her apartment building through an air-conditioning shaft, and yes, your utterly inappropriate blasts of 80's heavy metal music. I haven't decided if it's obnoxiousness is charming or annoying, but I'm glad Argento represents.
Cristina Marsillach is beautiful. The girl is as captivating as they come whether she's in full-on opera garb belting it out, conversing with her co-workers, enjoying the beauty of nature maybe a little too much, or running braless down the street from her mysterious stalker. She is just a joy to watch in this film. The opera itself is very cool too. Argento added another layer of cred by making the director of the production a horror filmmaker crossing over into theater. The giant skulls and live croaking ravens on the stage set look absolutely killer and the costumes are pretty sweet as well. The tension in the film is well-played and the release is always a blast. Argento's trademark technicolor lighting gets a little bit of a workout in a scene or two. I don't know why it is so creepy and cool when it should just be a distraction, but I love the visuals that are created by this out-of-order color scheme that Argento likes to play with at times. Often imitated, never duplicated. Thought I was going to talk about horrible deaths first didn't ya? I'm not that shallow. Or am I just saving it for later to make you think I'm not?
Wait's over. "Opera" features some amazing deaths. Gotta love the ol' knife through the lower jaw and into the mouth gag. Get's 'em every time! Then you've got your close-ups of knife entering flesh which never stops being unnerving, and of course the fight with a clothes iron over a little gold trinket. Seriously. But the show stopper here is a work of true and utter genius. It's a death that has inspired countless others in it's artfulness, inventiveness, and (almost) unexpectedness, and is even more impressive when you consider that modern filmmakers need a million dollars worth of CG to attain anything close to the same effect today. Italian horror filmmakers really are a breed apart. That scene will likely put me off of peepholes for some time.
I wish "Opera" was perfect, but it just isn't so. First off, giallos (and slashers in general) aren't really my thing, though I do appreciate them. On the other hand, I must say that I also loved What Have You Done to Solange? so perhaps the genre is growing on me. There are a few parts in "Opera" where the scenes played out in such a fashion that I was literally annoyed by what I was watching. The battle for the trinket is one such scene. I don't demand realism, but don't be stupid either. No one is fighting a masked assailant over a crummy bracelet knowing that people have been murdered while their friend is mysteriously tied up in front of them. And nobody is going down for the count because a clothes iron hits them in the back either. Awful sequence. It also kind of robs the killing scenes of their emotional impact when we are hearing cheesy metal the whole time and we're supposed to be feeling for poor Betty being forced to watch. The needles under the eyelids didn't actually look very convincing, the ending was kind of odd, and I guessed who the killer was the first scene he was in. I can't even point to a specific reason why, I guess I just knew by some ingrained understanding of film conventions. Maybe Queen B's horrible sixth spoiler sense has rubbed off on me somehow. Dread the thought.
This is my second favorite Argento film that I've seen so far but there are, of course, more to see. This is an entertaining film of any genre and fans of Argento, murder, mystery, and murder-mysteries need to give this a shot. It stops short of being a masterpiece, but it's not that far off, either. Woopak (he's got you all in check!), and Mackshere: this one's for you guys.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Like Russian Roulette, 2 shots that killed me....
Comment: THE NEEDLE EYELID SCENE =======>
Arguably the most unfathomable tragedy that could be inflicted upon a person would be the heinous murder of a loved one, right before your eyes. Imagine being forced to watch this, totally helpless, as your companion suffers an agonizing death. Completely traumatizing.
Argento feeds on this fear with precise tension and oppresive cruelty. A homicidal maniac ties up the main character and tapes packets of needles underneath her eyelids. A simple blink becomes excruciatingly painful. This detained woman is forced to gaze at the vicious murder. And the way this killing is fashioned is just bloody brutal. You will be left in a horrified stupor. Argento orchestrates this fatal crime with a penetrating audacity.
BULLET THROUGH THE PEEPHOLE =======>
Keep in mind that this film was made over two decades ago. The aesthetic maneuvering of this moment has been rehashed countless times in Hollywood. It is nothing short of brilliant.
Two women are trapped in an apartment. The killer is just outside the door, claiming to be a policeman. We are only given glimpses of the intruder as she looks through the peephole. This forces us to connect with the desperation and uncertainty that the woman feels. Of course we sense the danger, but have a shred of comfort since the perpetrator is outside the locked door.
And then, it happens...right before our eyes.
We see an extreme closeup of the bullet. Our vision is concentrated on it as it slides through the chamber of the peephole. Entering and exiting through the woman's head. Just a quick, instant death, and we're left dazed. And with a stroke of horrible luck, the phone is taken out simultaneously with this single shot. Black comic genius, I love it!
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You would be hard pressed to find two better scenes in any horror movie. Heck, any movie period. Superb filmmaking.
Opera might get some criticism due to the acting, voice dubbing, or elaborate plot details that might be hard to follow. But I feel sorry for those who can't feel the impact of this magnificent horror film. I implore you to give it another try.
Death by Dario is heavenly
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wish I saw the same greatness everyone else did.
Comment: Betty is a young actor who is given the lead role in a Macbeth opera. She is now playing Lady Macbeth after the previous female lead is hurt. There's rumors circulating that the play is in fact cursed. Betty, soon finds herself stalked by what appears to be a crazed fan. Or a maniac with his own twisted agenda.
I said it before and I'll say it again. Argento is a master when it comes down to style in his horror. Fans of horror who understand that mindless gore alone isn't horror. Can only sit back and marvel the visuals of an Argento film. Opera to me definitely joins the ranks of both Suspiria and Inferno concerning style(to a certain degree).
The opening scene paints a very eerie picture. An opera is taking place with ravens squawking in the background. I really can't think of a more evil setting. Pairing those enigmatic birds with opera. I was prepared to give this five stars for that alone. The setups do get better plus the amazing camera work adds even more to the atmosphere.
The pacing to this film was very good to me. The main character was pretty well developed. Her situations with the killer adds a unique feel to the film. It is at first hard not to feel her pain. The kills can be very brutal at times. And one death scene(although predictable) had me rewinding it a few times.
Opera also has something important in common with both Tenebre and Phenomana. Like those two films. Opera is coherent and understandable. It doesn't require many watches to fully get. For the most part it is spoonfed and as a result it's easier on the brain.
Now my problems with this film are huge. Which explains my three star rating. As great as the atmosphere and death scenes are. They're almost instantly killed by the absurd soundtrack. This was also a weakness in Phenomana. The movie is called "Opera". So what the hell is a rock soundtrack doing in this film? And it's in mostly all of the death scenes. To me the impact of the murder scenes lose alot of steam and therefore aren't very effective. They come off more as a joke. I also feel the characterization is off. I won't spoil and give details. But I found the main characters reactions very unbelievable. I mean, I don't care what side of the earth you come from. But people just don't behave like that. I will also point out that the acting is off at times.
Opera is a good horror mystery but incredibly far from great. I need my characters to be somewhat realistic. And the music score must support the atmosphere. I just can't see how anyone can watch this and not cringe at the out of place music score. Opera, unlike some of Argento's films, isn't an acquired taste. But I don't recommend this to someone who isn't completely "Argentoized". Those who go against the grain alot. Would be better off renting this one if you're curious.
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