Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Catching Up with the Classics: A Night at the Opera


Hey, it's been a loooong time since I've done one of these.

Although I have to say this is probably cheating a little.  I love me some Marx Brothers entertainment.  Which is kinda funny, since I really don't like many slapstick, goofy comedies.

The Marxes, though - they own their particular style of comedy in a way no other comedian does.  Nobody does snark like Groucho, and Harpo's peculiar prop-centric slapstick is surpassed only by cartoons, where they can actually blow themselves up with Acme-brand dynamite.

Chico, though... I've never really been a big fan of Chico's faux-Italian shenanigans.  I wonder if it felt different back in the time period, but today it feels a little... culterally-insensitive.

That said, the famous "contract scene" towards the beginning of A Night at the Opera had me laughing.  Groucho and Chico have a great chemistry when they banter, and they carry a lot of comedy that I don't think would otherwise come out.  Chico's accent actually does detract some from the scene, though.

But, then again, Chico is one of the most entertaining pianists I've ever seen.  The obligatory musical interlude feels out of place as always, but I never complain.  Chico's a delight to watch, and Harpo on the harp always manages to bring a tear to my eye.

Yeah, I, um, cry at Marx Brothers movies.  Is that weird.

Whatever.  They're great.

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