Blu-ray Review: Opera

Opera is an absolutely delicious, intriguing and beautifully shot horror-thriller from writer and director Dario Argento. Released theatrically in 1987, it now is getting a special Blu-ray release. The film tells the tale of a young opera singer who suddenly gets her big break, finding herself in the role of Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s opera.  But before she can enjoy her success, people around her begin getting murdered, and she is made to watch.

The film opens with the final rehearsal for an unusual production of Verdi’s Macbeth, but the woman playing Lady Macbeth is upset by the presence of a raven on stage. This scene is presented in an interesting way. We hear the actor complaining about the production, about how the bird hates her and is deliberately ruining her performance, but we see the theatre and the action from her perspective. So the other actors and musicians and crew members are looking directly at us. It’s unsettling and effective, almost aligning us with this unseen character, while also distancing us from her, since she remains just a voice. An interesting effect is created because we don’t want to be aligned with her; we want to escape from her perspective, just as she wants to get away from the production. Then, as she rushes out of the theatre, we see her hit by a car. But it’s done in a wide shot from a distance, so we never really get a good look at her.

That leads to Betty (Cristina Marsillach), the understudy for the role, getting a call from a mysterious man who tells her tonight she’ll make her debut as Lady Macbeth. When her agent enters to confirm the news, Betty protests that she’s too young for the part and is afraid she won’t be able to reach some of the notes required. And she says, “Macbeth brings bad luck.” This film does play with that idea of the curse of Macbeth, something that will be familiar to all theatre people. On opening night, one of the theatre employees is killed, causing a stage light to fall and interrupt the performance. The director then tells Betty, “I know we’ve had some trouble, but you know it’s got nothing to do with Macbeth.” Whether it has to do with the choice of play or not, the trouble has just begun. There are some intense scenes, like when Betty is tied up, the killer using a terrifying little contraption to hold her eyes open so she is forced to watch him murder her lover. And the scene with her agent in Betty’s apartment is likewise intense.

The film is full of intriguing shots, camera movements and unusual perspectives, all of which work to keep us on edge and make us unsure of whom to trust. In addition to the actor’s perspective in the opening scene, we get the killer’s perspective, and even a bird’s perspective, the latter in a wild shot as the bird flies around inside the theatre. The birds play an unusual and important role in the story, at one point unlocking their own cage and attacking an intruder who enters the props and costumes storage area of the theatre. There is also a somewhat humorous shot of the woman who was to play Lady Macbeth watching the live broadcast of the performance from home. All we see of her is her leg in a cast, as a man tells her not to be childish. And at times we get glimpses of erotic images, such as a woman’s hands being tied, she seemingly a willing participant as she holds her hands still for him rather than struggling. These add to the strange, beautiful, dreamlike quality of the movie. But it all fits together.

Music also plays an important role in this film. Obviously, we get portions of the music from the opera. But another moment I love is the sudden contrast in music when the stage manager is murdered. A loud rock song plays, in jarring contrast to the music that’s come before and the beautiful, ethereal music that plays afterward. This is an excellent and enjoyable film, one of Argento’s best.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains a couple of special features. The first, Blood Red Curtain, is an interview with Dario Argento about the film. He begins by saying, “It is a film that I love, and I put it first place among my favorite films.” Argento is a fan of opera, and actually was able to stage Verdi’s Macbeth years after this film (and this special feature treats us to a couple of still images from that production). He talks about the troubles of working with ravens, including that one bit him in the face. He also talks about some of the camera moves, as well as the music. This feature is approximately twenty-two minutes.

The second special feature is an interview with actor William McNamara, who tells the story about getting the role in the film, and about working on two projects at once. He talks about his death scene. But the most interesting anecdote he tells is in regards to that opening scene, offering the explanation for why it was shot the way it was. Wild! This feature is approximately seventeen minutes.

There are also three trailers for the film, the first of which has the film titled Terror At The Opera.

Opera is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray on January 23, 2018 through Scorpion Releasing.