Director: Leo McCarey

Screenwriters: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman, and Nat Perrin

Released By: Paramount Pictures

Starring: The Marx Brothers

Why Now? With all the unrest and problems in the world these days, we could all use a little bit of comedy in our lives to keep us going. For the month of July, I wanted to watch some classic pre-code comedies in the vein of The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, and now seemed to be the perfect opportunity to delve into the films of The Marx Brothers, whom I have seen some clips of, but never sat through a whole film.

Why Duck Soup?  It seems to be the film brought up most often when people mention The Marx Brothers, and I have seen it consistently ranked as one of the best comedies ever. I figured, I might as well see these performers at their best to really get an idea of how good they are, and why they are considered legends. And since it is pre-code, it will be fun to see these brothers go all out with little to no fear of censorship.

What Do I Know about The Marx Brothers?  Not much. Like I previously mentioned, I grew up more familiar with The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, and only know about the Marx Brothers from short clips I’ve seen here and there. Of all the brothers’ stage names, I only know of Groucho Marx because of his iconic look with the thick mustache, glasses, and cigar (didn’t he inspire those novelty glasses with the hanging mustache you can find at the dollar store?).  From what I’ve been exposed to, The Marx Brothers not only have slapstick comedy like the other groups, but also have a lot of smart adult jokes and innuendo that would have probably flown over my head as a child. I’m excited to see what I’ll catch now.

Post-Screening Synopsis:

In the bankrupt nation of Freedonia, a wealthy benefactor (Margaret Dumont) ensures that Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) becomes the country’s president to help it regain its prosperity. Meanwhile, the ambassador (Louis Calhern) of the neighboring country of Sylvania attempts to woo the benefactor away from Firefly, and sends two spies (Harpo and Chico Marx) to infiltrate the wacky man’s administration with the hopes of starting a revolution.

Praise:

I enjoyed the concept and overall story of this film. Using a fictional nation and its politics as a backdrop allowed the filmmakers to come up with some of the wackest concepts and hilarious situations. the large, grandiose, lavish, exaggerated sets help to play up and undermine the central conceit–the country is bankrupt and on the brink of war, yet no one seems to care.

Groucho Marx is magnetic on-screen as Firefly, and was instantly my favorite for his meta, innendo-laced humor, irreverent personality, and his epic ability to expertly roast everyone. Even when the jokes fall flat, he manages to capture the audience’s attention with his sly smile and cigar,  his twinkling eyes behind those large glasses, and that outrageously prominent mustache. He stole the show for me.

Chico Marx is also fun to watch as Chicolini, the Sylvanian spy who doesn’t shut up. His thick  stereotypical Italian accent makes everything he pronounces sound funny coupled with his mannerisms as a lower middle class man who acts like he is reasonable and down-to-earth when he is quite mischievous and wild himself (he reminds me Moe from the Three Stooges). Featuring him as a spy who is supposed to be an expert at what he does, but still gets into countless twisted situations is writing that I really admire.

Comments:

I wonder why this film didn’t stick with me. Other than possible outside factors that may have influenced my viewing, the film didn’t have much that turned me off from fully enjoying it. However, those factors, although few in instances, were prominently featured.

I wish that more of the comedy landed for me, but a lot of it fell flat and forced. The actors’ quick comic timing and physical gags were great, but a lot of the situational  one-liners and punchlines made no sense to me.  It’s possible that they were products of their time, their meanings making more sense back then than now ( including the title “Duck Soup”, which was apparently common slang that meant “an easy task”).

Harpo Marx as the mute prankster/spy Pinky was enjoyable, but many times I felt like his scenes lasted too long. There are a couple of extended sequences where he messes with a lemonade vendor by using slight of hand with the man’s bowler hat, and while it is funny at first, I felt as frustrated with the recurring bit as the vendor trying to grab his hat back. I feel like his type of mime comedy works better in small, cleverly-timed doses.

Zeppo Marx as Lt. Bob Roland, Firefly’s secretary, was fine, but in my opinion, largely forgettable. He seems to be the straight man in this group, and while that may work for a duo like Abbot and Costello, here, next to the three other unique personalities, Zeppo is quickly overshadowed (is this why he isn’t in the Brothers’ later films?).

And the musical numbers. Oof. They were grating to me and slowed down the quick momentum of the film. I cringed a lot and at times desperately reached for the fast forward button. Now I have heard from people I know who have seen it that those numbers were a requirement from Paramount, and were treated as parody in the film, and while that softens my opinion on them, I feel like they just distract from the rest of the story. Maybe if the music was catchy and enjoyable, and paired with the physical comedy better, I would have enjoyed the film more. The thought of listening to the benefactor, Mrs.Teasdale, attempt to sing operatically, makes me bones quiver and want to throw fruit at her to shut up. Thank God I wasn’t alone in that sentiment;).

Verdict:

I think it’s okay. It didn’t grab me like I thought it would, and I fail to yet see why it has received so much more praise and word of mouth than the Brothers’ other releases. I will definitely check it out again down the line, after I’ve seen a few of their other films, to see if my opinion has changed.