Part of the “Celles qui chantent” project, commissioned by the Paris National Opera, which includes another three shorts directed by Karim Moussaoui, Julie Deliquet and Jafar Panahi, “A Night at the Opera” is a meticulous research work by Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa through several film archives on the notorious galas held at the Palais Garnier during the 1950s and 1960s, regularly attended by hundreds of prominent artistic figures (Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas, Charlie Chaplin, Jean Cocteau), as well as European royalty. With a funny approach, and a tip of the hat to the 1935 homonymous feature by the Marx Brothers, “A Night at the Opera” is a historical narrative that takes on the splendor and the opulence of the operatic register, scored by a thorough soundtrack that includes Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Callas, Richard Strauss and John Strauss II. Loznitsa is a regular presence at Curtas, where he has presented about a dozen movies, also directed the short “The Miracle of Saint Anthony” (2012) for the Estaleiro project. (PC)