Master Rank #599

A Night at the Opera

1935

GCML Total7.9240% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Sam Wood

CastGroucho Marx · Chico Marx · Harpo Marx

USAEnglishComedy96 minNot Rated
AFI 100Narrative FeatureModerate pace
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Impresario Otis B. Driftwood tries to advance young singer Ricardo Baroni and his romance with soprano Rosa Castaldi inside the New York opera world. Fiorello, Tomasso, wealthy patron Mrs. Claypool, and obstructive tenor Lassparri multiply the schemes.

Why it belongs

In A Night at the Opera, the Marx Brothers reduce opera hierarchy to comic wreckage through contract logic, crowded cabins, musical skill, and escalating sabotage.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

A torn contract, ocean liner, impossibly full stateroom, backstage ropes, orchestra pit, costumes, and rapid verbal reversals let Groucho, Chico, and Harpo attack prestige from different comic directions.

Major award wins

No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.

Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

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