A Night at the Opera is a 1935 screwball comedy film starring the Marx Brothers - Groucho, Chico, Harpo - and directed by Sam Wood. The film follows two lovers, the wealthy and flamboyant Mrs. Claypool and her young tenor, Ricardo Baroni, who try to maintain their romance despite the disapproval of Mrs. Claypool's controlling business partner, Herman Gottlieb.
The Marx Brothers play three stowaways, Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho), Fiorello (Chico), and Tomasso (Harpo), who help the lovers outwit Gottlieb and the opera company's snobbish leader, Rodolfo Lassparri. Otis schemes and connives to get Ricardo center-stage at the Opera, while Fiorello and Tomasso use their resourcefulness and charm to cause chaos back stage, sabotaging Lassparri's performance.
In classic Marx Brothers' fashion, the film is filled with zany gags, witty one-liners, musical interludes, and memorable scenes, such as the famous crowded cabin scene and the crowded stateroom scene, where the three Marx Brothers maximize the use of minimal space to create a hilariously chaotic scene.
Despite initial studio concerns about the film's plotline, A Night at the Opera was both a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the Marx Brothers' most popular and enduring films. It is recognized as a masterpiece of comedic timing and improvisation, and has been named by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 greatest American comedy films of all time.