FIFENA1. [Past] Narrative Feature Films: 1935
Submitted by dgeiser13 on Mon, 07/22/2002 - 12:12
Tags:
- Ranked and Rated
- ==========================
- To See?
- Definitely:
- Probably: A Night at the Opera (1935)
- Possibly:
- Unlikely:
Author Comments:
My ratings system is explained here. Recent additions to this list are highlighted in yellow.
I'd highly recommend "Bride of Frankenstein." "A Night at the Opera" is pretty good, but there are much better Marx Brothers movies. Only see if after you've seen at least "Duck Soup" and "Monkey Business", and preferably "Animal Crackers" and "Horse Feathers" as well.
As you may know, "Duck Soup" was a flop at the box office, and Paramount didn't renew their contracts. They got picked up by MGM, who seriously cramped the Marxes' style: they wouldn't let them perform their bits onstage to see audience reactions, they forced the films to concentrate more on a romance plot with plenty of musical numbers, and the Marx Brothers lost their mischievous edge and became just clownish. A little history lesson for the uninformed.
In my opinion, all the Paramount films are superior to all of the MGM films, with the possible exception of "The Cocoanuts", their first film, although that wasn't that bad. "A Night at the Opera" is by far their best MGM film; however, it's nothing compared to their Paramount pictures.