Uncut NIGHT AT THE OPERA print found in Hungarian Film Archives?
August 2nd, 2008 by Scott Marks
Forget about the uncut Ambersons and Metropolis. Find me a print of A Night at the Opera that doesn’t have that huge, hairy splice after the director’s credit and I will die a happy man.
I’ve seen A Night at the Opera more times than most San Diegans have rain. Name it — 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, 1.33:1 and even a couple of 1.85:1 screenings (the theatres didn’t own the proper lenses) — and I’ve seen it. No matter what the format, the filthy splice is eternal! It’s a form of madness, yet over the years, the jump cut to “Your man has not arrived yet?” is as much a part of the piece as Sam’s wooden direction. In spite of my adoration, it’s not even my favorite of the bunch. The Brothers’ final three for Paramount far outclass anything Thalberg did to for the boys.
Any Marx Bros. film, even Go West, is to be cherished and ardently inspected as many times as possible. When John Dacapias sent me this link to the indispensable NitraveVille , I prit’ near had a conniption fit.
A 21-year-old student by the name of Thomas Racz is credited with finding the print. According to the article, originally published on Marx Brothers.org, “Racz in Hungary has done it again,” yet a Google search turned up a few stories about his recent discovery and little more. Here is Mr. Racz’s own account of his recent archaeological dig:
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Tags: a night at the opera, Chico Marx, Film Preservation, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, hungarian film archive, hungary, Racz Tamas, the marx bros., The Marx Brothers, Thomas Racz, uncut print of a night at the operaFiled Under News