Opera (1987)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (screenplay)
Dario Argento (story)

Release Date:

19 December 1987 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

obsession. murder. madness.

Plot:

A young opperata is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Psychopath | Killing | Cult Director | Female Rear Nudity

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cristina Marsillach	...	Betty
Ian Charleson	...	Marco
Urbano Barberini	...	Inspector Alan Santini
Daria Nicolodi	...	Mira
Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni	...	Giulia
Antonella Vitale	...	Marion
William McNamara	...	Stefano
Barbara Cupisti	...	Signora Albertini
Antonino Iuorio	...	Baddini (as Antonio Juorio)
Carola Stagnaro	...	Alma's mother
Francesca Cassola	...	Alma
Maurizio Garrone	...	Maurizio, the raven trainer
Cristina Giachino	...	Maria, the assistant director
György Gyõriványi	...	Miro
Bjorn Hammer	...	Cop #1

Also Known As:

Terror at the Opera (USA)

Runtime:

107 min | USA:88 min (edited version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | USA:R (heavily cut) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Germany:18 (TV premiere) (1992) (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (video rating) (1988) (heavily cut) | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

ADC Films

Trivia:

Vanessa Redgrave was attached to star, but dropped out shortly before production began.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the killer's POV shot entering the costume workshop, the camera and camera dolly are seen in a mirror on the right.

Quotes:

Betty: I am nothing like my mother. Nothing like her!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gawi (2000)

Soundtrack:

Opera Theme

OPERA (1987)

Yesterday, I watched a recording of Dario Argento's OPERA (1987) taken from Anchor Bay's R1 DVD, and I must say I agree with many of you here that the film was pretty good (if a bit heavy on flamboyant camera moves) for the first 90 minutes - but then went completely bonkers towards the end. The ending is mystifying, to say the least (the bug-loving scene most of all), and horribly executed to boot! The heavy-metal soundbites were a pain too; actually, I felt that the entire music score was relatively subpar for an Argento film. As usual, the hideous dubbing was another major drawback.

There seems to be some disagreement about Cristina Marsillach's contribution: for me, she's very nearly Argento's best leading lady, quite in the same class as Jessica Harper in SUSPIRIA (1976) and Jennifer Connelly in PHENOMENA (1984).

The hectic backstage activity and the masked killer reminded me a lot of Mario Bava's BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964), though comparisons with that landmark film only helps to bring out more OPERA's shortcomings. The elaborately staged murders were rather hit-or-miss as well: the butchering of the stage manager and Daria Nicolodi's legendary death scene, at least, were classic Argento. The big scene with the ravens, ingenious in itself, was too protracted for maximum impact.

All in all, it's not one of Argento's best but then, apart from DEEP RED (1975) and SUSPIRIA, all his films leave a lot to be desired – though I'm sure everyone here has his or her own personal favorite.