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Topic: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 800 Foot Digest
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Tony Stucchio
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 625
From: New Jersey
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted January 29, 2009 05:56 PM
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 800 Foot Digest
with the Marx Brothers
Released by M-G-M in 2 parts of about 16 minutes each.
Arguably the Brothers best film (or at least 2nd to DUCK SOUP).
A pretty good condensation of the film. You get the feel that you've seen the whole movie -- always the mark of a good digest.
Assuming you are familiar with the feature-length film (90 minutes), you get about 1/3 of it.
Highlights of what you get:
Part I
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1. Part of opening restaurant scene
2. The contract scene ("the party of the first part")
3. Part of "Alone" song.
4. The stateroom scene ( a few minor edits.)
Part II
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1. "Cosi Cosa" song (pretty much complete)
2. Parts of Chico piano solo
3. Parts of Harpo harp solo.
4. Most of hotel room scene (moving furniture from one room to another, with some minor edits.)
5. Part of final "Il Trovatore" scene, with edits. Feels like nothing much is missing, though.
Changes I would have made:
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Part I:
I would have eliminated "Alone" and included the stateroom scene intact.
Part II:
I would have included the entire hotel room scene. Though I actually like "Cosi-Cosa", I would have preferred to eliminate it in favor of complete Chico piano and Harpo harp scenes. I don't think you could eliminate Chico and Harpo music and still feel like you've seen a complete Marx film. The only major comedy scene not represented is Chico's "and that's how we sail across the ocean" scene.
I really don't like edits in the middle of major comedy scenes that I know so well, but overall, this is a great cut-down. Too bad they never did A DAY AT THE RACES.
Print quality -- sharp and bright, but looks like a Universal 8 (a little dupey) rather than theatrical density like a typical Castle release. On my copy, the sound on Part I is ever-so-slightly out-of-sync -- most noticeable during the contract scene. Part II looks like there was some very minor, but noticeable, decomposition in the source neg in some scenes.
Overall, I would give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.
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Tony Stucchio
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 625
From: New Jersey
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted January 30, 2009 05:31 PM
$30 is a little high to pay for one part -- as listed in the eBay auction. I bought mine together, used but in mint condition in the original boxes, nearly 15 years ago, for $50 total. And that was when Super 8 prices were at their peak, I believe. I've since put it on an 800 foot reel. The bonus is that Part II includes the M-G-M lion introduction, as in Part I. I took it out after I joined the reels (obviously you don't want it in the middle) and spliced it onto the beginning of one of my Blackhawk Laurel and Hardy features!
I'm surprised Red Fox never released this full-length with M-G-M/UA, as they did with FRA DIAVOLO. A 3-parter would have been great, too -- that would have been 66% of the picture. But as I said, overall it is very satisfying in its 2 part format.
BTW, Brad -- does your Part I suffer from an out-of-sync sound issue? And does your Part II look like it came from a slightly damaged negative in some of the early scenes in that reel? Not splices, but maybe wear/decomposition?
Also, the clipped dialogue during the contract scene in Part I also occurs on the version I taped from TV a while back.
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