Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

lonchaney20 This film has been on my mind since watching Argento's production of Verdi's Macbeth, so I decided to get it out of my system with another viewing. This is an interesting and important film in Argento's career, representing both the peak of his baroque sensibility and the beginning of his decline (though arguably the same thing could be said about Phenomena). The concept of a murderer getting his kicks by tying up a young woman and forcing her to watch him butcher her associates (taping needle under her eyes to keep her from closing them - a brilliant touch) is an inspired one, and by setting it within the world of opera he's given plenty of opportunities to exercise his macabre imagination.While the imagery is never less than jaw dropping, the clunky script sees Argento at his most stilted. Perhaps it's because of his difficulty with English, but Argento actually wanted Betty (the female protagonist) to say at one point, "I can't have sex with you because I'm frigid." I think it was Ian Charleson who pointed out how ludicrous it sounded. This sort of wacky dialogue worked more effectively in films like Suspiria and Inferno, which are by nature dreamlike and illogical, but one feels here that Argento is trying and failing to create plausible characters. The one exception might be the character of Marc, a director of horror films (directing the production of Macbeth at the story's center) clearly based on Argento himself. Ian Charleson, who plays Marc, is such a brilliant actor that he can make even the most ridiculous exchanges seem plausible. The use of heavy metal music during the murder scenes also strikes me as rather grating. Musically the film is at its best when using Claudio Simonetti's romantic theme, or when opera is used to dramatically counterpoint the horrible events on screen. A great example of the latter approach, and easily my favorite section of the film, is a nail-biting game of cat-and-mouse between Betty and the murderer in her apartment Though several aspects of the film disappoint, overall I find that Opera's successes outweigh its failures. Argento was still such a genius at conjuring bizarre murders and suffocating suspense that the lapses in logic hardly matter - at least until the ending, an extremely weird coda that never loses its ability to baffle me. I've seen the film several times, and I still can't fully articulate how I feel about the last scene. It's easily the most divisive moment in Argento's filmography, with some Argento-philes' explanations (for example, that the protagonist went insane) seeming more like desperate attempts to rationalize something that is clearly the work of a lunatic. That said, I was intrigued by one analysis that suggested a key image (Betty freeing a lizard stuck under a branch) was actually a symbolic apology for the lizard killed on camera in Deep Red. Anyway, if nothing else it certainly provokes discussion.Having become more interesting in Italian opera in the last couple years, I also picked up on some things that eluded me in previous viewings. The most obvious (and I'm probably the last person on earth to notice this) is that the character of Mara Czekova is clearly an extremely vicious caricature of the legendary soprano Maria Callas. They share the same initials, and to make sure there's no ambiguity, Czekova's singing at the beginning of the film is even represented by a recording of Callas! Callas was unfairly and inaccurately depicted by the media as a snotty diva. Argento plays this up in an almost comic-grotesque fashion, anticipating the comically exaggerated prima donna in his disastrous adaptation of Phantom of the Opera. The operatic pieces played or performed throughout the film also tend to reflect the plot in interesting ways, while other choices are a little more tongue-in-cheek; Sempre libera (Always free), a spirited aria from La traviata, plays at one point as Betty escapes from the killer's clutches.From this point on, Argento begins his downward trajectory. I think all of his subsequent films are of interest in one way or another, but they tend to be more frustrating than anything. The Stendhal Syndrome is the most impressive of the bunch, being Argento's only character study, but it suffers from some really primitive CGI - an unfortunate trait that culminates in the embarrassing mantis attack in Dracula 3D. I can only conclude that the tumultuous experience of making Opera drove Argento insane - at least...more insane than he used to be.

Michael_Elliott Opera (1987) *** (out of 4) A production of Lady MacBeth hits a snag when the lead actress is hit by a car. This turns the lead role over to Betty (Cristina Marsillach), a young understudy who soon finds herself being stalked by a crazed "fan" who forced her to watch him kill her co-workers. Here's yet another good film from the Italian master but if you're familiar with the work of Dario Argento then you already know that he doesn't waste time on silly things. Of course, one such "silly thing" is plot, which is something he rarely digs too deep into and it's also rare that any of his films make much sense. The reasons behind the killer are certainly explained towards the end but let's just say that very little thought went into them. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the entire story by Argento really didn't go anywhere past the idea of putting needles under the eyes of our hero, which is the one way that the killer can force her to watch him kill. Without the needles she could just close her eyes but with the needles, if she attempts to close her eyes then she'll basically be poking them out. Even that seems to have a few problems when you see the device but that's besides the point. Overall this is a fairly stylish little film that certainly has a few creepy moments to make it worth viewing. One of the highlights happens when Betty and her agent (Daria Nicolodi) are trapped inside an apartment not knowing if the man inside is a killer or the cop trying to protect them. Then, on the outside, is another man who might be the killer or perhaps he's really the cop. This is a very good sequence that Argento handles very well. Another such sequence is the now somewhat legendary first ending dealing with crows taking their revenge. If you stop and think about it the scene is quite ridiculous but while watching it you can't help but be entertained. Marsillach has taken a lot of heat from fans due to her lack of performance as she's never really all that emotional or at least she doesn't show it. I didn't have too much of a problem with her performance, although she's certainly not in the same league as some of Argento's other leading actresses. Ian Charleson is good in his role as is Urbano Barberini and Nicolodi. Now, the controversy happens after the ending inside the opera. I'm not going to spoil anything but I found what happens after the opera to be downright idiotic and completely worthless. The entire sequence is just a joke and it really makes the viewer leave the picture with a bad taste in their mouth. Still, even with the flaws OPERA is a pretty effective horror film where the director once again mixes style, graphic violence and some nice atmosphere. One only wishes the stories had a little more thought to them.

p-stepien Betty (portrayed pathetically by Cristina Marsillach) is an up-and-coming opera singer, who gets her big break after the star diva breaks her leg. Promoted from understudy she becomes the breakaway star of Guiseppe Verdi's "MacBeth", an opera with a long history of bad luck. During the opening night a murder is committed. Even later that evening a masked man gags Betty and forces her to watch him gut the stage manager after which he lets her go unharmed. Who is the murderer and what wicked game is he playing? Dario Argento during the years mastered his trademarks, which include long travelling shots, exquisite classic-inspired sumptuous settings as well as the use of colour (with a specific obsession with red ochre) to instill an unrelenting all-engulfing atmosphere. This time however Dario exaggerated and overused the long shots making his typical slow pace virtually stop to a halt. Almost nothing happens during over 100 minutes, albeit when it finally does occur it is engrossing and damn near to perfection.Sadly this movie has probably one of the worse scores in any Argento movie, save for the absolutely classical and unmistakable captivating beauty of Verdi's "MacBeth". The remaining music however consists mostly of loud and severely outdated heavy metal, that cruelly rape the ears and kill visual enjoyment.Additionally this is probably Argento's 'easiest' movie in the sense, that the script is severely underdeveloped and lacks the prerequisite mystery. Shortly after the first murder it becomes quite apparent that there is only one possibly killer. I naturally expected some twist to turn the events upside down (however illogical the twist), but none happened and the only possible culprit does not fail to not surprise. At the same time he must be one of the stupidest Argento murderers ever with plotting and ideas so thinly planned out, that were it not for the even more imbecilic victims he would have been caught within 30 minutes. But when victims fail to finish him off after knocking him unconscious with an iron or policemen require several days to differentiate a corpse from a mannequin this villain gets more screen time than he deserves.The only mystery worth finding out concerns the reason to the murderer's killing spree, which is suitably wicked and Argento-style twist. Also the ending itself is devious, albeit a lot of substance lost due to the terrible Marsillach, who lacks enough vibrant emotion to convey the terrible truth. All in all not a bad movie, but I fail to find anything worth note in this ultimately repetitive and flawed Argento thriller.

gavin6942 After the lead actress of the opera is killed in a car accident, her young understudy, Betty, is brought to the forefront. That's very lucky for her, with one problem: she has an admirer that has decided he will kill all her friends and make her watch. What is his connection to the opera, and what is his fascination with Betty? I love Dario Argento with every part of my body. And I'm not an orthodox fan, I think. Many people, particularly critics, praise his earlier work ("Suspiria" and "Deep Red") but really frown on later films, such as "Sleepless", which I liked. My favorite, "Phenomena", is usually vastly underrated. "Opera" tends to fall somewhere in between. Some consider it one of his last great films, others see it as part of his so-called decline. I loved it.The picture is crisp, the music is great (unlike other critics, I love the metal soundtrack), the female lead is someone I can feel for (not unlike Jennifer Connelly from "Phenomena"). And the imagery... wonderful. Great cinematography, and some amazing kill scenes. The concept of taping needles to a person's eyes so they cannot blink... brilliant. My assistant Tina thinks this looked fake, but even if it does, the idea is more than enough to pay off. And some great effects, like a knife blade coming up inside a man's mouth? Awesome.Jim Harper calls the film "stunning" and calls attention to the "innovative cinematography, well-constructed shots and exceptionally violent murders." I agree with this completely -- one shot follows the camera through winding tunnels, and there is a very interesting visual use of crows throughout the story. Mike Mayo likewise calls it "visually fascinating eye-candy" and lauds the "crisp editing and flowing camera-work". It's really a wonder that this is not one of Argento's more highly-praised works.Argento returned to the opera with "Phantom of the Opera", which was a bit of a failure despite the casting of his daughter Asia and Julian Sands. Even more interesting, this same year offered the release of Michele Soavi's "Stagefright", which (like "Opera") has a killer loose inside a theater killing off the people involved with the presentation. Both are great films, with Soavi's more on the slasher side. (Soavi actually served as second unit director on "Opera"... you can make your own conclusions.) My only complaint with this film is the length and pacing. While it is very beautifully shot and the kill scenes are glorious, they are not as frequent as they should be. The first one takes over a half hour, and then we get down times between them. The lead actress should be in constant terror, but she is given time between kills to calm down as if everything is normal again. Not cool, Dario. We need to keep the suspense low and the intensity high.