Opera Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Opera Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 11, 2018

Dario Argento certainly doesn’t have the career today that he once had in the past, and the line of quality tends to be drawn at 1987’s “Opera,” which represents a final push of youthful exuberance when it comes to staging ghastly acts of violence as stylishly and surreal-like as possible. “Opera” is one of Argento’s better pictures, partially because it plays directly to his artistic interests, mixing the theatricality of stage performance with the grim appetites of giallo filmmaking, coming up with a slightly deflated but fascinating horror endeavor that comes alive whenever the helmer frees himself from narrative rule and explodes with evil and animal wrangling. Perhaps in the grand scheme of a career that produced “Suspiria,” “Deep Red,” and “Tenebrae,” Argento’s push to make a winded tale of insanity isn’t going to penetrate deep enough, but visual delights remain, with Argento working up the energy to supply a proper jolt of the macabre and the exaggerated.

After a car accident manages to sideline a cantankerous diva, an already troubled production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” is in need of a replacement, calling on understudy Betty (Cristina Marsillach) to come in and cover the role. Already on edge about the work and her voice, Betty’s troubles increase tenfold by the presence of a masked killer who ties up the young woman, taping needles under her eyes as a way of forcing her to watch the madman slaughter innocents in front of her. Losing touch with reality as she scrambles for safety, Betty finds comfort in stage manager Stefano (William McNamara), director Marco (Ian Charleston), and agent Mira (Daria Nicolodi), trying to keep herself together to deliver the performance of a lifetime as the cops hunt for the murderer, who remains in the shadows, closer to Betty than she realizes.

“Opera” is a story about a killer on the loose, but Argento only pays periodic attention to the grisly details of the crime. He’s more interested in the staging of “Macbeth,” and how such hectic activity adds to Betty’s unraveling, with the singer more consumed with outside validation of her talents than the stack of bodies piling up in front of her. The stage is where the helmer’s heart resides, and “Opera” emerges as a highly theatrical effort, using fluid, winding camerawork and extreme personalities to trigger the central drama, generally trading the supernatural for the egotistical, with the killer and the singer sharing in similar interest in self, giving the material some bite as it details the inner working of the production, which not only has to deal with a change in leads, but raven wrangling is a major headache, finding the background birds adding to Argento’s obsession with screen chaos.

As with any Argento effort, the big draw is the art of the kill, as Betty is forced to watch a select few be massacred right in front of her, fighting the urge to blink as needles are stuck under her eyelids. The torture device is rather silly in design (Betty can obviously blink without cutting herself), but as a grim idea, it’s marvelous, adding creepy intensity to the murder sequences, which also enjoy the director’s flair for widescreen style and color. “Opera” looks terrific, handling “Macbeth” mishaps fluidly and serial killer threat with intensity, delivering all the cinematographic gymnastics required to catch the genre spirit. Storytelling isn’t much of a concern for Argento (it rarely is), but his gonzo interests remain flared up, enjoying one last romp armed with a reasonable budget and creative freedom, clearly relishing his time experimenting with operatic extremes.

Opera Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Listed as a "Brand new 2016 2K scan with over 45 hours of extensive color correction done in the states," "Opera" arrives on Blu-ray promising something special for fans used to previous DVD and international releases. The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation achieves a compelling sharpness for the 1987 movie, capturing Argento's interest in screen precision with excellent clarity, keeping frame information easily explored. Facial particulars are inviting, and textures remain on ornate costuming and set decoration. Opera hall distances are secured, along with stage environments. Hues are lively and rich, supporting the helmer's fascination with extreme color, delivering bright primaries with specialized lighting, and blood reds stay potent. Greenery is exceptional during the Switzerland finale. Delineation is acceptable, preserving dark encounters and raven movement. Source is in good shape, but a few scratches are spotted, along with single-frame blemishes. Mild banding is present.

Opera Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default track on "Opera" is a 5.1 DTS-HD MA English mix, listed as "Brand new," endeavoring to open up the sonic reach of the film, which enjoys a myriad of music and sound effects to engage the listener. As with most Italian horror productions, the dubbing is terrible, and quality isn't a priority. "Opera" provides a slight echo to its dialogue exchanges, making everything sound like it was recorded in a gymnasium, which makes sense for cavernous performance halls and rooms with marble walls, but the issue carries throughout the entire listening experience, making the performances sound distant, occasionally threatened by background bustle. This could very well be an inherent issue, perhaps longstanding with this title, but adding a surround element only exacerbates the reverberation. Music fares a little better, with fullness to opera performances and some punch to the heavy metal soundtrack selections. Sound effects are sharp.

Opera Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (21:41, HD) with Dario Argento (recorded in 2016) finds the director in an upbeat mood, labeling "Opera" as one of his best films. The helmer recounts production inspiration, with Argento looking to bring a sense of Verdi's "Macbeth" to the screen, though with a lot more ravens, which were difficult to control, with one bird even biting Argento's lip. The feature's technical achievements are examined, including elaborate cinematography needs, including a camera rig built inside an opera house that simulated raven flight (BTS footage is supplied to show how this was done). Argento shares his musical influences at the time, his difficult relationship with star Cristina Marsillach, and how certain special effects were pulled off.

• Interview (16:44, HD) with William McNamara covers his entry into the world of "Opera," with the actor cast simply for his good looks, dividing time between Argento's set and a television miniseries filming nearby. The actor shares some choice moments from his time with Argento, and reveals how Vanessa Redgrave was hired for a week of work, only to be never called to the set during this period of time, exiting the production with her full salary. McNamara seems taken aback by the staying power of "Opera," mentioning how the movie bought him an audition for Quentin Tarantino. There's also plenty of candor reserved for the Italian filmmaking process, with the producers working hard to avoid paying McNamara, hoping to win him over with Italian cuisine instead.

• And a U.S. Theatrical Trailer (1:48, HD), International Trailer (1:50, HD), and Italian Trailer (1:28, HD) are included.

Opera Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Opera" isn't a tightly wound effort, perhaps a bit too easily distracted at times, especially with endless shots of squawking ravens. However, there's energy in the essentials, watching a black-gloved killer stalk his victims, finding strange ways to take lives. Argento adds to the unrest with a bizarre soundtrack of opera selections, atmospheric instrumentals, and heavy metal headbangers, often boosting the feature's slack pace with dynamic music. The endeavor delivers a hearty Argento mood that barely clings to coherence, but at least it feels contained and inspired at times, and while the helmer would go on to make many more pictures, remaining in the genre, he could never manage to match the sporadic fury of "Opera" and its often feral release of cinematic wiggles.