SunnyHello
Nice effects though.
AnhartLinkin
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Jenni Devyn
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
moonbus69
A high point in the films of the Marx Bros. Maybe their very best film ever... though 'A Night at the Opera' is a very close second place.... Yes, non-stop zaniness and a bare plot of a story, but does that even matter, when you can LYAO just watching this rare gem, any day of the week?! Laughter is medicine, and the Marx Bros. all deserve an honorary PhD. for their comedy antics! God Bless the Clowns! God Bless mother Marx for giving birth to these geniuses of Comedy.... the best ambassadors that America could ever gift to all the world! Maybe if every country shared their comedy with every other country, we would understand each other a bit better? That's my plan for World Peace!
oOoBarracuda
The method of each Marx Brothers film is the same, yet, each unique and essential to see on its own merit. Even though you know what to expect when you see the four brothers on screen, each film is a riot and a great time on its own. Duck Soup, the 1933 film featuring Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo was a hilarious satirical look at a president/dictator's reign over his nation. It had to be a treat for the great Leo McCarey to direct the brothers in such fantastic performances. No Marx Brothers film is a disappointment, but Duck Soup was a riotous heavy-hitting breakthrough, even for the usual fast- paced comedy I expect from the brothers.Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) new president/dictator of the land of Freedonia, a small country on the brink of economic collapse. Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), a wealthy widow, agrees to donate $20 million dollars to the country if Firefly was appointed dictator/president, a deal too sweet to pass up. Even though Firefly has no idea what he is doing in a leadership capacity, and refuses to do anything, even run meetings by the rules, the country may be in worse shape with him than without him. Whether for love, or money, Firefly becomes preoccupied with trying to win the heart of Mrs. Teasdale, but he is not alone. Also courting the widow is Ambassador Trentino, a wealthy, much more polished, nobleman. Trentino is also the leader of a neighboring country, Sylvania. The two leaders, fueled by their courtship of the same woman, begin to have several quarrels with each other using their country's interests as a guise. When armed conflict ensues, Mrs. Teasdale's house comes under attack, and whoever can save her skin, will be granted her heart. Rapid doesn't even begin to describe how quickly a Marx Brothers film is set up. Anyone with a short attention span would love Marx Brothers comedy, as they are not only quickly set up with jokes firing what seems like every second, but they are hilarious, even 80 years after they were delivered. And really, in cinema history, who is better at delivering such rapid quips than Groucho Marx? Often disregarded because of his signature slapstick style, Groucho is sensational in the quick-humored roles he always played. It is always fun to see him interact with Margaret Dumont as their on- screen chemistry was one of the earliest examples of perfection. The songs in Duck Soup were a wonderful reminder of how musically talented the Marx Brothers were; which is often forgotten because their comedic talents shine so brightly. The bits in Duck Soup were some of the best the foursome ever performed. I am a lover of Monkey Business and A Night at the Opera, but the mirror scene in Duck Soup, with Chico imitating a mirror image of Groucho is enough to secure a place at the top of any favorite Marx Brothers list for Duck Soup. Duck Soup reminds me how great the "unfunny" Marx brother, Zeppo was, and how much I missed him in the later films. He was so much more than a straight man and was never fully utilized to his full potential. Maybe it was his choice to leave the group, or maybe it was mistaken narrow sight of his role in the group, but he remains my favorite Marx Brother for his versatility and musical skill. Delivering a social satire in the way only the Marx Brothers can, reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator for what comic geniuses can get away with saying about society because they do it in a funny way, Duck Soup should be at the top of any list, not just Marx Brothers lists, but rather of standout films from the 1930's.
LeonLouisRicci
This is Considered the Marx Brothers Best Film. That is if A Night at the Opera (1935) isn't. It's Completely Objective (just like all Comedy) and it Matters Not Because Both are Great Films and Great Marxist Entertainment.This One is Lean, Trimmed of All Excess (even Chico's Piano and Harpo's Harp), and Moves at the Speed of a Bullet with No Lag Time. The Movie Never Seems to Drag or Stall and has a Momentum All Its Own and that is, It Never Stops Moving.Someone, Somewhere, Sometime Probably did the Math and Figured Out that Duck Soup has More Laughs Per Minute than Any Other Film Ever Made. If No One Did, They Should, and If It Doesn't, the Math is Wrong, Because This is One Funny Film.The Subject, a Satire of War, is Alone Worth the Price of Admission. One of the Few Musical Interludes is a Swinging, Jazzed Up Minstrel "All God's Chillun Got Guns" (cut in some versions), and Groucho Makes a Joke About a Popular Song of the Time "That's How Darkies Were Born". The Point is, that the Marx Brothers were Never Politically Correct or Reverent and Duck Soup is Full of Their Edgy, Sometimes Nasty Humor. Maybe More than Any of Their Films. It Never Capitulates Like "Opera" for Others to Perform or to Lessen the Bite. So Overall, if One Had to Choose the Best Marx Brothers Movie, the Recommendation is Duck Soup for Everyone.
dougdoepke
Lunacy from start to finish. The routines never cease and almost all are belly laughs, at least for us Marxists. There's something of a plot, which happily never gets in the way. It's something about Groucho's country of Freedonia and a rivalry with Calhern's Sylvania. Meanwhile zillionaire matron Dumont is the dubious prize. Naturally, the boys comically foil every plot to snatch her away. Trouble is words don't come close to capturing the non-stop lunacy of the 70-minutes. What's generally overlooked, however, is how well produced the feature is. The royal hall is huge, well decorated, and staffed with armies of costumed extras. Thankfully, Paramount cut few corners and it shows. And catch that mass scene of squirming bodies near the end that borders on a surreal even as the routines continue. Comic highlights include the famous mirror scene, getting hats on straight at the hotdog stand, and Groucho's many throwaway lines. I can just imagine what it was like trying to direct this madness from a director's chair. Whatever they paid McCarey, it wasn't enough.Anyway, the boys are in top form including the uncertain Zeppo before he wisely became a Hollywood talent agent. So, for younger folks, don't miss the well-crafted 1933 craziness. As the goofiness shows, surreal comedy didn't begin with the wacko likes of Bill Murray, Jim Carey, or even The Three Stooges!
