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You know that dream where everything is finally going right, and then…BAM!…you’re falling into a black pit, sinking deeper and deeper while racing into the unknown, and, just before you splat into a mess on the ground below…you wake up? The visceral experience is so real that you jerk awake drenched in sweat, screaming, or just terrified. Every muscle in your body tenses up, and breathing becomes akin to having a boulder set atop your chest. The crushing sensation of a nightmare is something that rarely translates to screen. Most directors try, and fail miserably at bringing true terror to the form of film, but Dario Argento achieves this brilliantly in Opera.
Rating: 
Opera is, on the surface, a film about a woman being stalked and made to watch the horrible murders committed to people she cares about and, if that’s what you see when you watch this film, that’s fine. Hell, Opera is an excellent stalker/giallo film. But, what makes this film work is what’s going on underneath the mayhem and carnage (which there’s plenty of). The killer makes Betty (played by a beautiful, Cristina Marsillach) watch as he horribly mutilates people around her. I won’t say how he makes her watch, but it’s very, very unnerving. It seems as though Argento is making a play on horror fans in general. No matter what “We can’t look away”. He nails it home. but, the great thing is, it’s not overdone, ala Michael Bay. Rather, we tend to focus on what we’re seeing in front of us as the subliminal undertones are driven home by whatever weapon the killer decides to use.
One of Argento’s well-rounded skills lays in the camera and lighting departments. The cinematography is top-notch, and the camera becomes another character, often representing a figure moving through the crowd, a heart beating or blurry eyes. The power of the camera is that the audience becomes an active participant in whatever scene we are in (butchery, stalking, sulking, what have you), and it makes whatever happens that much more enjoyable/disgusting. Some of the most breath-taking shots are staged in the most confined spaces with very brutal death sequences. The viewers want to turn away, but just like Betty, we can’t. The camera-work is only heightened by fantastic(al) lighting throughout. Reds, blues, yellows, and greens cast ominous shadows on the cast as they try to piece together whom the murderer is before it’s too late. The red carpet of the opera house seems even more brilliant than normal as a precursor to the blood that is to come, and the green light used (in a breathtaking scene of terror involving Betty, her friend and the killer that may, or may not be in the apartment with them) represents the full extent of the killers envy.
With a name like Opera, you’d expect, at least some music, and it rapidly becomes one of the films core-components. It’s one of the reasons that Betty is being stalked, it’s the cause of death to several victims in the film, and Betty also uses it for other means. The music sets the mood and changes quickly when a murder is about to take place, or it can drop all together, leaving the viewer to sit in uncomfortable silence, not knowing what will happen next.
The staples of horror are all included. The gore is wicked when it happens (The Prowler comes to mind), but it doesn’t happen all that much. Death is spread out throughout the film, but it doesn’t come at a break-neck pace, rather it flows with the story, heightening the dread as the killer gets closer to his ultimate goal. The viewer can’t help but tremble, wondering if Betty will be killed-off “this time”. I say that, because the killer seems to have bigger plans for Betty, but the killer seems just “off” enough that he might slip up. Gore hounds will delight in the gore when it happens. The blood feels vibrant and unnatural, making it that much more unsettling as it slides down victims bodies and surges onto the floor.
Argento, as with every other director, is not without his weaknesses. The dialogue is decent but the overall story leaves much to be desired, as the reasoning for the killers motives are, passing at best. The acting, while sometimes decent, never ascends to Roman Polanski levels, and the ending many viewers will find unsatisfying, as it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and drags the film out of the tension that was built competently beforehand.
Many consider Opera to be the end of Argento’s golden years (to be followed by some horrible films: Trauma, Stendhal Syndrome, Phantom of the Opera), and that may very well be. Was the ending of Opera a precursor to Dario’s future films? You decide. But, we’ll always have Opera, as well as his other masterpieces (Suspiria, Deep Red, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, etc.). With a catalog as wide spread as Dario Argento’s, a safe bet when delving into his filmography would be Opera. Overall, Opera is a solid film, which putters out in the last five minutes, but everything beforehand is so well done that the ending can be forgiven, because it’s one heck of a ride up until then.
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17 responses so far ↓
1
KamuiX
Jun 22, 2008 at 12:51 am -So I pretty much have to disagree with most of the stuff here. This is my least favorite “Golden Age” Argento, and IMO it’s not even AMONG his “Golden Age” films. That ended after Phenomena for me. I found this film to be pretty trying, and I felt as Argento just wasn’t giving much credit to his fanbase’s intelligence. You can guess the killer within the first 5 minutes without any doubt, and the main character acts completely unbelievably. I honestly felt she was mentally challenged at times. Also, the metal music he chose to throw into this film makes me cringe (and I’m a metalhead!)
And to shock you all, I’d take The Stendhal Syndrome over this any day. And probably Trauma too.
2
Mikey B
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:16 am -Yeah I was respecting your opinion until that last sentence. PS Phenomena is overrated in Argento fanbases and even though Deep Red and BwtCP are better written, Opera is far more entertaining then both snore fests.
3
KamuiX
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:23 am -No way!! Deep Red and BwtCP >>>>>>>> Opera. In fact, BwtCP is among the best gialli I’ve ever seen. And snore fests?! For shame!
And Stendhal Syndrome is way underrated. Check around for some reviews, I’m not alone!!
4
Mikey B
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:24 am -Yeah. BwtCP is great if you like to sleep. There’s gialli A BILLION TIMES BETTER!
Um, yeah, the reviews are why I rushed out to see it. And, I fell for it. It makes NO SENSE, it’s poorly done, there’s not ONE good Argento shot in the film. No, it’s not underrated…it’s vastly overrated.
5
KamuiX
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:35 am -I don’t think Stendhal is overrated at all…I’m always having to defend it, most people don’t like it. That film is more Argento than any of his films since Phenomena, even Mother of Tears, in which he was attempting to recapture that early spirit. Stendhal is subversive, and has many thought-provoking themes. Sure, the acting is bizarre, but in what Argento film is the acting ever considered that good?? You should revisit the BU release if you haven’t already, that shitty TROMA DVD is likely to ruin the movie for anyone.
I actually could easily fall asleep on this film…a well plotted film, regardless of the pacing, will surely keep my attention over something that moves at a brisker pace, but has an awful script. You usually have quality taste man, you suck at Argento
Oh, and if you say you liked the ending of this, I’ll have to find the mailman and get my package back
6
Mikey B
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:43 am -If that’s thought provoking, then Opera is mind-blowing. You can watch it simply as a giallo, but it’s so much more. That’s what I said in my review, that the acting was NOT good in Opera.
Trust me. If the film did have a good plot, I wouldn’t fall asleep. Chinatown, ItMfL, casablanca, Harakirir, Seventh Seal (any Bergman) are perfect. BwtCP is NOT well paced, at all. You can think that all you want, but it’s a snoozer.
Did you not read my whole review? That’s twice you’ve missed things I said. I said the ending is horrible. :X
7
KamuiX
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:49 am -Yeah, I read it! You said “many viewers”, you didn’t say you specifically found it horrible. I need things spelled out for me!! I don’t see much more in Opera myself…the only thing I see it as is an exercise in excess from Argento, where he put every last ounce of his being into the style, but the substance is lame. It worked for Suspiria because of the whole esoteric vibe of the film, but for a gialli/murder mystery, where some substance is generally needed, it just doesn’t work.
I can’t believe you don’t like Bird though…I can understand not liking the others (I even admit Deep Red is a little laggy in pace), but even my buddy who hates gialli likes that. He saw it before I did, and when HE said he liked it, I knew it had to deliver the goods. The main reason he liked it so much, and why I do as well, is that it makes perfect sense at the end…everything works, and that’s a rarity. You have to admit that 99% of gialli make NO SENSE on the reveal. Sure, I like trashy gialli as much as the next guy, but I really appreciate Bird for actually having a script that isn’t total nonsense.
8
Mikey B
Jun 22, 2008 at 1:58 am -Opera was a play on horror fans and how we can’t stop watching. How we can be forced to watch something, and then it doesn’t affect us, hence the girl not freakin’ out as much as you would probably like. And, he’s also playing on the eye being the key to the soul (hence the constant shots of eyes). It’s not excess. It has a major point and the beauty is that it stays underneath the film so that he subtly gets his point across. That’s why I love it. It works on two excellent levels.
It’s great that everything works, but I just didn’t care. Nothing makes sense in Opera, and yes, you know who the killer is pretty much right away. But, that’s not why I love Opera. I love Opera is because every is excellent. I don’t look at it as a gialli but as a perfectly paced slasher.
Maybe this will help. I love What Have you Done to Solange? That is a great mystery, well thought out, and a great gialli. But, why do I love it and hate BwtCP? Because of pacing. Pacing is one of the biggest problems I have with film. Yes, a lot of films I love have sllllllllllow pacing, but it works for them. BwtCP doesn’t work for me on that level and therefore I just can’t watch it again, and if I can’t watch it more than once, I can’t appreciate it.
9
KamuiX
Jun 22, 2008 at 2:05 am -Damn, you saw a lot in this…Argento is no Fellini as far as I’m concerned. He knows the art of direction better than most, but when it comes to deep meaning in any of his films, I just don’t see it. He did play this horror fan with Opera though…he wasted 2 hours of my time
The replay factor is definitely something I’m completely different about than most people…I couldn’t care less. I rarely re-watch films unless they’re among my all-time favorites. I re-watch films generally 2-3 years after a first viewing, maybe more, when it will feel fresh again. I’m of the school where life is too short to be re-watching stuff I’ve already seen when there’s so much stuff out there I’ve never seen.
And on that note, I need to watch a new movie instead of spending time on one I’ve already seen!
10
Mikey B
Jun 22, 2008 at 2:09 am -Yeah. I saw a lot in the film. Any good film should have more going on then what’s being shown. All of those films that we agree on have so much more underneath whatever plot line the story is following. I never thought of him as a Fellini or Bergman, but it doesn’t mean that the man can’t show something more than a simple horror film. I don’t think you’re giving Opera enough credit.
I agree that watching new films is definitly key, but I cannot recommend any film that I can’t watch more than once. Opera and Suspiria can be put on any time and I’ll sit and watch. The others listed. Not so much.
Trust me, I watch enough new and repeated films.
11
KamuiX
Jun 22, 2008 at 2:18 am -I personally don’t know if a movie has “replayability” unless I watch it that second time. A prime example is The Sixth Sense, which I loved in a theatre, but when I watched it on DVD, it lost everything, knowing the twist. All of my thoughts on films are generally all about the first impression, as I won’t be watching them again for years unless I love them THAT much (ie a perfectly rated film, or a notch or so lower).
The exceptions are “hard” films, stuff from guys like Lynch and Bergman, which I tend to watch a second time soon after so I can pick up all the nuances and such. But enough about my idiosyncrasies!
12
Mikey B
Jun 22, 2008 at 2:37 am -Eh, I knew the Sixth Sense had no replayability for me as soon as I figured out the twist when it happened in the beginning. :p
We’ll agree to disagree.
13
Drags
Jun 26, 2008 at 7:41 am -Bird + Deep = Sleep? Mike you’re fucking nuts! Shame on you. Two of the greatest Gialli ever, Bird having the slight edge. Ultimately Tenebre pwns them both though.
Opera’s great up till the end, where it fizzles out. Still highly enjoyable, but forever disappointing. And Trauma!? Kamui you’re also fucking nuts! Trauma was a huge disappointment. Easily my least favorite Argento film. Though i’ve still yet to watch Hitchcock, as I fear it will suck too hard.
Stendhal Syndrome is very good (though I prefer Opera), but Sleepless beats them both. No idea where the hatred for the latter originated from, unless the American edit vastly differs from the UK 2 disc.
14
Mikey B
Jun 26, 2008 at 11:05 am -Sorry Drags…Bird and Deep are very well made, but holy crap, they’re way too slow. I need a little more speed in a film like those. Opera speed would have been nice. WHyoudtS? is a perfect example of better pacing. Even though it’s a weaker story, to me, the overall enjoyment is far better.
I’ll watch Sleepless and get back to you. But, really?
15
KamuiX
Jun 26, 2008 at 4:23 pm -C’mon Drags, you’re saying Phantom of the Opera is better than Trauma?! I don’t claim Trauma to be good or anything, it’s just a guilty pleasure of mine. Mostly for getting to see Piper Laurie act crazy some more
16
Drags
Jun 26, 2008 at 9:42 pm -Wow Kamui you fucked me up there, forgotten all about Phantom. That was unforgivable tripe. I actually got some sort of enjoyment out of Trauma, I was really just expecting far more.
Mike I don’t see these as slow, but deliberate. Every movement is crafted perfectly and unfolds accordingly, captured by distinctive camera movements and lighting which dramatically heightens the environment. Personally I find the films exciting. There’s so much tension and exhilaration in his early gialli. This is something he goes for in Opera, and he’s often successful, but I think his choice of soundtrack was a hindering factor.
Yes, Sleepless is fucking awesome.
17
Mikey B
Jun 26, 2008 at 9:52 pm -I love a slow film as much as the next guy, those two films just didn’t work in their pacing for me. I can’t help it.
We’ll see about Sleepless.
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