Abstract: Bag opening and emptying machine featuring cutter means which cut the L shaped edge formations at the corners of a bag as well as corresponding face portions of the bag, and also featuring a cutter means in the form of a vertically fixed blade array in which a platen presses a bag against blades to urge the bag and contents against and past the blades, thus freeing the contents from restraint by the bag and severing the contents to enable gravity flow. Among the features are empty bag-gripping means preferably mounted on the platen and preferably operable by rotary motion to spear the bags and to remove the bags upon retraction motion of the platen, for later deposit on a conveyor for removal.