Duck Soup [DVD]

The last of the Marx Brother Paramount pictures and probably their best. The Paramount movies were wild and loose in comparison to their later work at MGM. I like to think they were more like what you might have gotten if you went to see the Marx Brothers on stage. The plot is nothing more than a framework to attempt to confine the brothers to some vague idea of reality. Groucho is merciless, Chico slyly ignorant and Harpo is anarchy in a trench coat. Margaret Dumont is the worlds greatest straight lady inundated by insults. Edgar Kennedy plays her male equivalent under the onslaught of Harpo and Chico. This is fun enough to shake you out of your doldrums and see the absurdity of the whole universe.

The last Marx Brothers Paramount feature before they got fired and moved to MGM. I vaguely remember the backstory being that this film bombed, thus why the boys were terminated. Why the hell it bombed, I have no idea--this may be their funniest Paramount. The story is simple enough; a fictional country ousts their leader in order to appoint Groucho as the head man in charge, leading to a war & the intro of Chico and Harpo; and I guess Zeppo was there, too.Too many funny lines and scenes to cover--Be sure to wash your neck, peanuts, Harpo jumping into the lemonade, the running gag with the sidecar, and the war at the end, especially Harpo grabbing Margaret Dumont's ass. And, Harpo's brief encounter with Edgar Kennedy's wife.The rest of the Marx Brothers career at MGM is debatable, but they got off to a great start with "A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races."

One of the 5 or 10 funniest movies ever made. This flick is the entire Marx Brothers. See it and you know their genius. Also Leo McCarey (along with the writers) who was the greatest director they ever worked with. It's the only time they ever worked with him. "Duck Soup" interestingly was the Brothers first financial loss. Thus they hooked up with Irving Thalberg at MGM who knew how to gentrify the Marx Brothers into mainstream box office. Their next two films "Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races" are funny enough and made big money. But Thalberg died suddenly and the creative support was gone. The rest of their work is forgettable. "Duck Soup" is a subversively mad-capped one-two punch and raised middle finger to the political / economic structure that created the World War. (That's 1914 to 1945 - it was really one war with a 20 year intermission.) The head long anarchy of the Marx Brothers peaked with this awesome comedy. It is their masterpiece.

El Classico right here. This movie is le bomb diggity. Watching this brings me back to the good old days, when Meemaw would bust out her nine-gauge and blast one of them critters right there on the pond. Roofus would then bound in after the dead duck and haul it in, but Meemaw would always fire a shot into the air to make sure he didn't eat it. Then one time Meemaw got confused, and lord knows why Roofus went running into the pond, and Meemaw shot his sorry little behind. I ain't never forgived her for that.Back to our regularly scheduled review.This movie really is a timeless classic. It starts off a bit slow with the introductions, but quickly picks up to have you roaring with laughter. You will shed tears, and you may experience stitches in your sides.

This 1933 movie is one of the best comedies ever made, using the typical Marx Brothers' formula of continuing antics. The title Duck Soup appears to have nothing to do with the rest of the movie.It takes place in Freedonia, a small hilly country with an old castle, somewhat like Liechtenstein. The country is in trouble and Groucho is called upon to save it as its new leader. Its enemy is neighboring Sylvania, a similar country. Harpo and Chico are Sylvanian spies sent to spy on Groucho but after a while it is hard to tell what side they are on. Groucho then manages to start a war between the two countries.This movie contains the famous mirror scene, probably the most memorable comedy scene of all time. It also contains Chico's one-liner about taxes and Texas, dollars and Dallas, probably the most memorable comedy line of all time. A surprise is the provocatively revealing dress worn by Raquel Torres, much better than anything worn by Lady Gaga today.

This is a classic masterpiece. The Marx Brothers take aim at just about every ridiculous institution there is, while giving the audience great schtick. You'll laugh out loud. The musical numbers are beyond ridiculous and you can see where Mel Brookes got his inspiration. I highly recommend watching this movie.

I'm a Marx Brothers zealot who goes against the grain - I put this in their second tier. Which means it's still leagues beyond anyone else. The musical-comedy trappings of Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera created a little human interest which actually helped the Marxes. Duck Soup is hilarious but shows the effect of Conscious Brilliance Syndrome: We Must Be As Satiric and Funny Every Second As Possible. In 1933 the anti-war satire was familiar to people, in the disillusionment that followed World War I. Today it seems a little forced. Nevertheless I love it. The situation is right in the Marx's wheelhouse - Groucho as the president of Freedonia, Chico and Harpo as the spies sent to get the goods on him. Some of their best scenes are here and the picture quality is fine.

In a recent review, I described A Night At The Opera as my favourite Marx Brothers film, but recognised that Duck Soup had huge support. I've just watched Duck Soup and changed my mind. It is even funnier than A Night At The Opera and, in its portrayal of corrupt governance, has a touch more depth as well.

In my opinion, the best of the early Marx Brothers films. It's the usual mix of Groucho's wisecracks, Harpo's physical comedy and Chicco's cheek plus moments that remind me of Monty Python. Add to that a send up of politicians (nothing really changes - listen to the lyrics of Groucho's song 'Land of the Free') all at a frenetic pace and you have something that will cheer you up no end. It has been edited roughly so sometimes the storyline is a bit jumpy but if you just concentrate on the comedy, it doesn't seem to matter.

Few things date more quickly than popular comedy.I expect that this black and white1933 “classic comedy” and “biting political satire”, according to the DVD case, seemed funny many decades ago, but it has lost a lot of its appeal now.Despite the title, this film has little to do with Ducks or Soup.Groucho Marx becomes President of an imaginary country called Freedonia. His brothers Harpo, Chico and, the one nobody remembers, Zeppo Marx all become involved in some way or other (their even less well known brother Gummo Marx is not in the film at all). The actor Louis Calhern whose performances I liked in ‘We’re Not Married’ and ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ also appears.The Freedonians sing a cheerful musical number about how great it is that they are going to war with a neighbouring country [I think this is meant to be the ‘biting political satire’ that the DVD description promised] but find themselves ill prepared for the conflict. Eventually the Marx brothers save the day by pelting the enemy leader with food until he surrenders [I think this is meant to be the ‘classic comedy’ we were promised.]In a way I am glad I watched much of this film, although I skipped some scenes in the middle. I knew the Marx Brothers were famous and the image of the leading brother Groucho Marx with his moustache, cigar and grin still has cultural resonance, but I had never seen any of their work. Now at least I know what people are talking about when they mention them.According to Wikipedia the Marx Brothers “are widely considered by critics, scholars, and fans to be among the greatest and most influential comedians of the 20th century” and this film ‘Duck Soup’ is among their most famous, but I wonder how much of that is down to people feeling that they ought to like this because other critics say they do.While I did not hate this film, I am in no hurry to see more Marx Brothers’ films.

This brilliant satire has stood the test of time exceptionally well. So much of the humour is relevant today. Groucho Marx clearly believed that leaders of capitalistic are by and large not tuned into the real world. However, the irony is, that Grouchos character, the incredibly funny Rufus T Firefly is himself clearly a couple of sandwiches short of the proverbial picnic! So many wonderful scenes in this masterpiece. The mirror scene just about tops them all. What a film! My only criticism is that we don't get to see Harpo playing the harp beautifully, or Chico playing wonderfully on the piano. Many critics felt that the musical interludes of Harpo and Chico kind of spoiled the pace of the films. My opinion differs. I believe the musical interludes provided the viewer with a chance to catch breath. Grouchos quick fire retorts and observations on life take (and took), some digesting. This is why repeated viewings of their films gives new experience to the viewer. Each gag can take on a different meaning entirely. If only they made movies like this today! Alas, I think political correctedness would censure some of the satire. A final word has to be said for the wonderful Margaret Dumont. What a foil to Groucho! And how she kept a straight face at times defies belief. I say to anyone who has not seen this film, or those unfamiliar with the Marx brothers, buy this film. You will not regret it. Never, ever fails to put a smile on my face, English and strait laced or not.

This film was made the same years Hitler came to power, 1933.Four Jewish Brothers (The Marx Bros) star in this satire on politics,and 83 years later, it is still funny and relevant.The reason I tell you the Marx Bros were Jewish, is because thereis an old jewish saying that says, "Humour is to be human". I don'tthink Hitler had much in the way of "funny bones", and after all theseyears, it is The Marx Brothers who are still loved, and the ideas andpolitics of fascism, are hated. What I am getting at, is Duck Soupwill live on forever, and whenever a tin-pot dictator wants to starta war, we have this movie to remind us how ridicules war is...

Duck Soup is a classic Marx Brothers movie and one of their biggest successes. I believe the most cleverest scene to be the pretend mirror scene where Chico copies Groucho superbly well as if the mirror really was there. Comedy genius. Hilarious humour from one of the best comedy teams of all time. Well recommended.