The Opera! (2024) Movie Drinking Game
Take a Drink: for each new song, of course
Take a Drink: for each new god or metaphysical concept in human form
Take a Drink: for each obstacle
Do a Shot: don’t look back!
By: Henry J. Fromage (Two Beers) –
While it’s been around for 17 years, this is just the 3rd officially recognized as a competitive festival for the Rome Film Festival. It’s clear, though, that it’s already drawing some interesting talent and premieres even past the September scrum of international festivals, and The Opera! is a good example.
The Opera! tells the classical Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, although notably it is not an adaptation of one of the 18 operas that have been made from this material. Instead it forges its own path to become a celebration of the artform itself.
A Toast
One of the first title cards you’ll see is for Dolce and Gabbana, and it doesn’t take long to understand their interest in this project. This is one stylish film (which I’m sure they assisted in couture-wise) from top to bottom. Directors Paolo Gep Cucco and Davide Livermore make an audacious feature debut that is always a feast for the eyes and ears.
There’s a vivacious almost musical theater spirit throughout as well which the diverse cast of recognizable European film faces and clear musical prodigies buy into, full of dramatic acting, humorous choreography, and quality opera, of course. You’ll recognize more than one aria along the way to realizing that they intend to just give us them all, and it’s more coherent than it should be. It may be a greatest hits-type approach to opera, but the way the songs fit together with the story shows the universality of these songs and the human emotions they speak to.
A special final shoutout to Vincent Cassel, who is great as our Styx ferryman/taxi driver, and I dug the twist in the end that ties everything together.
Beer Two
While technology has admittedly come a long way since then, there’s still an uncanniness to the Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow green screen approach that all of the digital splendor here doesn’t completely overcome.
Also, there are a few seemingly original songs interspersed that are not so great, although the one they come back to for the finale did grow on me, lyrics-excepted.
Verdict
The Opera! is a stylish ode to the artform itself, weaving together a classical myth and some of the greatest arias into a enthusiastic whole.
