Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

"Small things sometimes tell large story.", 18 July 2007

Gravelle (Boris Karloff), a former opera singer who is accused of killing his wife and her lover, is an amnesia victim living in a sanitarium. A newspaper story on the opera sparks some memory in his brain and he escapes to get his revenge on those who did him wrong. A murder at the opera house appears to be the handiwork of Gravelle. But Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is not so sure. Can Chan put a stop to the murders and find Gravelle before anyone else dies?

Charlie Chan at the Opera is a very nice installment in the Chan series. And by all rights it should considering it's probably the "biggest" Chan film that Fox made. The movie is entertaining from beginning to end with very few dull moments. Even the opera scenes, which have importance to the plot, don't put a drag on the movie like they could have. Oland is in fine form as Chan and never played the character any better. And it's an incredible joy for me to see two of my favorites, Oland and Karloff, on the screen at the same time. It's heady stuff! The supporting cast is strong with William Demarest making the perfect foil for Oland. Also, the sets go a long way to making this one a winner. The backstage of an opera house has always been a good setting for a mystery.

Until I did some reading recently on the internet, I honestly had no idea that so many people considered Charlie Chan at the Opera to be one of the best of the series. While it's got a lot going for it, I can't rank it quite that highly. My biggest problem (and I'm sure I'll get killed for this) with the movie is the plot. I find the mystery elements of Charlie Chan at the Opera to be lacking. The resolution to the mystery seems to rely as much on "dumb luck" (for the lack of a better phrase) and other strange circumstances than it does on actual detection. But this is really all so insignificant when your having this much fun with a movie!

7/10