Synopsis
Obsession. Murder. Madness.
A young opperata is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.
Opera
1987 Directed by Dario Argento
Cast
Cristina Marsillach Ian Charleson Urbano Barberini Daria Nicolodi Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni Antonella Vitale William McNamara Barbara Cupisti Antonino Iuorio Carola Stagnaro Francesca Cassola Maurizio Garrone Cristina Giachino György Gyõriványi Bjorn Hammer Peter Pitsch Sebastiano Somma Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz Michele Pertusi Dario Argento Michele Soavi Karl Zinny
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Cinematography
Art Direction
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Sound
Costumes
Make-Up
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Alternative Titles
Terror at the Opera, Opéra, Ópera, Η όπερα του τρόμου, Опера, Im Zeichen des Raben, Τρόμος στην όπερα, オペラ座・血の喝采
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Always fun to watch a movie and go “ohhhhhh THAT’s where that shot in Kill Bill comes from”
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Sweepingly beautiful camera work with graphically intense murderyog sequences (If you've seen the cover art for this, you know are fucked), Argento crafts a doozy of a giallo against the backdrop of an Opera production of MacBeth and the soundscape of pulsating metal. ‘Blessed Ravens, never forget’. Honestly, this is my least favorite of Argento’s popular films, but Opera really is a tense thrill fest of blood and that keyhole scene is a 10/10.
The new Scorpion Releasing/Code Red blu (I mention both because the case says Scorpion but the disc says Code Red, Lol those crazy Olsen brothers) looks and sounds fantastic! The color correction job they spent 45 million hours doing really shows, I saw colors in this that I never knew were there! Bravo!
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#Giallo
Verdi's Macbeth and rock music playing to the melody of the rhythmic sprays of blood flying everywhere as the maniac killer repeatedly stabs the guy. Or is it the other way around? Do the rhythmic stabs play to the melody of the alternating rock music and Verdi's opera? Who the hell cares? It works, doesn't it?
Opera is easily the darkest of the 3 Argentos I've seen so far. It is also the director's technical best. Having engaged in some introspection, I came to the conclusion that what I find most alluring about Argento is how he transcends most arthouse directors in terms of technicality (not kidding), but joins up his brilliance with the most anti-arthouse subject matter imaginable.…
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Dario Argento shows, relatively uncharacteristically, an unbridled nihilistic savagery in this ultra-visceral giallo.
Opera gives off an unshakeable feeling of anger from Argento. The heavy metal cutting through the grandiose score of opera and classical music with pure malice as the black leather gloves stab incessantly and indiscriminately. Argento's camerawork emulates the ravens, swooping and circling and tying you into place, forcing you to take in the brutality. Absolutely vicious from Argento, who usually adorns his murder in stylish appeal.
The anger is somewhat manifested through Ian Charleson's character, Marco. A horror director, often labelled a sadist and a one-trick pony and implied to be the murderer. The malicious ripping of flesh in the depraved acts of violence exposing blood,…
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GIALLOTHON: Film 1 of 4
"Good luck, little snake."
I've had Opera on my watchlist for a long time, but have never found the right circumstances to watch it. The Egyptian programmed it and they had an uncut print.
Cristina Marsillach was great as the lead: Betty. She looked a ton like Irène Jacob that I was fascinated throughout the film, convinced that they must somehow be related.
I could see how this highly influenced Paul Verhoeven's Elle. The cinematography from Ronnie Taylor was also gorgeous: especially the pull-away shots with Giulia the costume designer (Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni) trying to repair a dress.
Also, I love Betty's relaxation tape that she listens to. I could definitely use it.
All in all,…
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Holy shit Dario man, this film! A whirling black raven-winged POV bullet through the back of the brain exploding onto the retina in a paroxysm of colour! I'm not gonna say it's more of a beautifully deranged nightmare than Phenomena, but it's in the same Speedballpark. There's a giddiness to the neon-lit visuals, the highly strung music (a heady mix of opera and heavy metal), badly dubbed, frequently bizarre dialogue, and the restless camera, roving and gliding and looping through complete 360s like a stoned bird, that actually makes you feel high. It had me shaking my head in disbelief and grinning for most of its run time!
It's a giallo at heart, but in the same way a seasoned…
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"I'm exactly like my mother" - Betty, going through a mood
2 Minutes Later
"I'm nothing like my mother!" Betty, going through a mood- Dario Argento Ranked: boxd.it/30KqM
- Daily Horror Hunt #12 (June 2019): boxd.it/2XMsk
Day 19. Yay!! Watch a movie starring Daria Nicolodi (b. June 19, 1950).Thanks Argento! Now I'm scared of peepholes.
In Opera, "A young opperata is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself." I just quoted the description because most of Argento's films have a basic premise and then feel like improvised horror (but good) even though I know that's not exactly how it's done.
This movie looks great. I love how…
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“Ravens are very vindictive. They don't forget.”
Opera is another fantastic and clever giallo film from the master of horror Dario Argento; this time much calmer on the bright colours and arguably far more brutal. Inspired by the director’s own unsuccessful attempt at directing a stage production of Macbeth, the film uses its elegant settings to its advantage, filling them with various theatrically harsh and elaborate murder scenes, most of which are set to an out of place but highly entertaining death metal soundtrack. It’s a slightly different approach to the genre than his earlier work that may feel colder and more cruel but in a lot of ways is far more refined, delivering greatly in all the areas that matter most.
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Dare I say it - there are parts in Opera that almost surpass the technical and artistic brilliance of Suspiria.
Purposefully excluding the saturated hues that bled through the screen of that violent fairytale, precisely a decade later, Argento’s style still remains as opulent as ever, only this time, exercising a more vicious edge to his creation through a passion for perverse torture and death metal. Side-smirkingly set in a location where drama and tragedy collide, the magic of this mystery is only heightened by the hollow acoustics that fill each dark corner of the theatre; a place where blood-curdling screams are drowned-out by the art of performance unfolding centre stage. Casting an ensemble of jet-black crows to monitor the fog-laden wings,…