2.5 stars out of 4
Added 5/5/2009
The Bottom Line:
I know it's sacriligious to even hint at this, but I don't think Duck Soup is a very good film: its "anarchy" means it has no real plot, Harpo's antics are no more clever than much of what Jim Carrey does, and even the immortal Groucho delivers his witticisms in a flat and perfunctory manner--it says a lot about the film that its best gag (the mirror scene) was stolen from Charlie Chaplin.
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The Unstoppable Jerks
Added 3/24/2009
I was browsing some lists of Best Comedies of All Time, and this one popped up on more than a several. Since I was a kid, I've always been a big fan of The Three Stooges, but not so much the Marx brothers. I know the Stooges, on the whole, are a dumber, more violent group of comedians, but I also liked them more as people. Of course, they weren't often kind to each other, but they never struck out to offend or hurt, only doing so by their stupid belligerence. I know I'm making a fine point here. I'm just trying to explain why, no matter how much I laugh, I find the Marx brothers to be complete jerks.
The unstoppable jerk is often a staple in entertainment -- just take a look at the work of Jim Carrey or Bugs Bunny or David Letterman -- but this movie is pretty much based on their unstoppable jerk-ness. Groucho portrays Rufus T. Firefly (aka Groucho Marx) as the man chosen to lead the country of Fredonia. Lord knows why. He's late to the induction ceremony, and once there goes about insulting and confusing people. When every line of the script is a joke, you're bound to get some that miss. But there are also quite a few that are absolutely brilliant. Enough to make me pause the movie until I'm laughed out.
As Rufus mis-leads the country, an ambassador of a rival country -- Sylvania -- hires two spies to watch Rufus's every move. The spies, Chico (going by the name of Chicolini) and Harpo. Chico tries a couple of times to actually do the job, but he is often thwarted by Harpo, who is either some kind of malevolent pixie or mildly retarded and unhappy about it. In spite of royally bumbling up their first assignment (they may or may not have followed the wrong guy), the ambassador sends these two back out to get information on him. In the meantime, for no reason whatsoever, they torment a local street vendor.
The plot is secondary anyway. I know. It's like complaining about a lack of a story arc in JACKASS. And if JACKASS is the modern equivalent of the unstoppable jerk genre as pioneered by these guys, well, then I'll take these guys any day.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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What a strange, remarkable, hilarious movie this is....
Added 3/19/2008
Duck Soup (1933) - Leo McCarey
The Marx Brothers are almost totally unique in the history of film, and when I say unique, I'm not even referring to how innovative they are. True, they definitely developed a particular style of comedy that I would say is probably now the dominant form in all of American comedy. How would I characterize it? It's difficult, but it includes a combination of anarchy, irony, and self-awareness. I paraphrase Roger Ebert when he states that you can clearly see what the Marx Bros. influenced, but its difficult to see what influenced them, other than the rich tradition of music hall.
However, again, when I say that they are totally unique, I'm referring to something else. If one notices carefully at all the groups and individuals that the Marx Brothers influenced (Mel Brooks, Monty Python, Airplane, etc.), they'll notice one common trait: Despite the anarchic worlds created in these movies, it's almost always the entire world that is anarchic. Mel Brooks and Monty Python, in particular, are contained in ridiculous worlds that have there own sense of ridiculous logic. The Marx Brothers, on the other hand, are the only anarchic and ridiculous individuals in a relatively normal and sane world (although in Duck Soup sometimes it seems as if the rest of the world is the crazy one, which is hugely ironic in itself). What does this create? Well, in Monty Python and Mel Brooks (again, irregardless of how chaotic they may seem), there is a strange sense of coherency, almost as if we could follow along their logic. This coherency is almost completely nonexistent in the early Marx Brothers films for Paramount (MGM tried to enforce conformity and coherency into the Marx Brothers unfortunately). Thus, the movies, although ridiculously hilarious, are also some of the most bizarre, daring, and yes, experimental films ever created. In fact, I would even claim that its almost avant-garde. No wonder the famous French surrealist and theorist Antonin Artaud, who is insane by all accounts and purposes, felt such a strong connection to the work of the Marx Brothers. Regarding this particularly interesting trait, I would say that W.C. Fields is closest, but his films are incoherent more from the standpoint of plot, but the sense of logic within the world is more relatable. I mean, W.C. Fields never exploded into completely random tangents that made absolutely no sense outside of themselves.
Oh, and I guess I should talk about the actual movie now. Duck Soup is the best the Marx Brothers have to offer because it portrays them at their absolutely most chaotic and funny. Oh, and there is no random instrument playing, which a lot of people like, but I just feel blocks the overall momentum of the films. So yeah, this movie is an all time classic and is filled with all time classic moments and one-liners, so definitely buy it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A Fantastic Movie!
Added 11/25/2007
Okay, comedy is subjective. This is my opinion and you may not share my sense of humour. Let's get that out of the way first. This is a FANTASTIC movie - what's not to love? The motorcycle and sidecar gags alone are worth the price of admission. The peanut and lemonade stands. The horse in bed with Harpo. So much to say about Duck Soup... A wonderful film.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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"Why Don't You Object?"
Added 9/15/2007
Duck Soup is the only Marx Brothers film that is listed on AFI's list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. However, choosing it from the bevy of great films starring the boys must have been difficult, and probably caused a lot of raised eyebrows from fans. This was the first Marx Brothers movie I ever saw, and although it has grown on me, it is not my favorite. Still, as in all Marx Brothers movies, there are some fantastic comic scenes.
Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) is the newly appointed and incompetant leader of Freedonia, a land plagued with threats from neighboring lands. Spies abound (Chico and Harpo Marx), but not without fun. Nothing is taken seriously here, so the story is of little importance.
There are quite a few dry spots in this movie that degrade it a bit, and the technical aspects are not always up to par. The opening musical number is not satirical enough to be considered funny; it almost seems to be taking itself seriously. The later musical bits fare a bit better, but they are not outstanding. Even great scenes like the famous mirror bit lack; there is absolutely no sound in the mirror scene. However, Harpo is outstanding in all that he does here. His antics with Edgar Kennedy are hilarious and make this movie worth watching multiple times.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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2.5 stars out of 4
Added 5/5/2009
The Bottom Line:
I know it's sacriligious to even hint at this, but I don't think Duck Soup is a very good film: its "anarchy" means it has no real plot, Harpo's antics are no more clever than much of what Jim Carrey does, and even the immortal Groucho delivers his witticisms in a flat and perfunctory manner--it says a lot about the film that its best gag (the mirror scene) was stolen from Charlie Chaplin.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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The Unstoppable Jerks
Added 3/24/2009
I was browsing some lists of Best Comedies of All Time, and this one popped up on more than a several. Since I was a kid, I've always been a big fan of The Three Stooges, but not so much the Marx brothers. I know the Stooges, on the whole, are a dumber, more violent group of comedians, but I also liked them more as people. Of course, they weren't often kind to each other, but they never struck out to offend or hurt, only doing so by their stupid belligerence. I know I'm making a fine point here. I'm just trying to explain why, no matter how much I laugh, I find the Marx brothers to be complete jerks.
The unstoppable jerk is often a staple in entertainment -- just take a look at the work of Jim Carrey or Bugs Bunny or David Letterman -- but this movie is pretty much based on their unstoppable jerk-ness. Groucho portrays Rufus T. Firefly (aka Groucho Marx) as the man chosen to lead the country of Fredonia. Lord knows why. He's late to the induction ceremony, and once there goes about insulting and confusing people. When every line of the script is a joke, you're bound to get some that miss. But there are also quite a few that are absolutely brilliant. Enough to make me pause the movie until I'm laughed out.
As Rufus mis-leads the country, an ambassador of a rival country -- Sylvania -- hires two spies to watch Rufus's every move. The spies, Chico (going by the name of Chicolini) and Harpo. Chico tries a couple of times to actually do the job, but he is often thwarted by Harpo, who is either some kind of malevolent pixie or mildly retarded and unhappy about it. In spite of royally bumbling up their first assignment (they may or may not have followed the wrong guy), the ambassador sends these two back out to get information on him. In the meantime, for no reason whatsoever, they torment a local street vendor.
The plot is secondary anyway. I know. It's like complaining about a lack of a story arc in JACKASS. And if JACKASS is the modern equivalent of the unstoppable jerk genre as pioneered by these guys, well, then I'll take these guys any day.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
What a strange, remarkable, hilarious movie this is....
Added 3/19/2008
Duck Soup (1933) - Leo McCarey
The Marx Brothers are almost totally unique in the history of film, and when I say unique, I'm not even referring to how innovative they are. True, they definitely developed a particular style of comedy that I would say is probably now the dominant form in all of American comedy. How would I characterize it? It's difficult, but it includes a combination of anarchy, irony, and self-awareness. I paraphrase Roger Ebert when he states that you can clearly see what the Marx Bros. influenced, but its difficult to see what influenced them, other than the rich tradition of music hall.
However, again, when I say that they are totally unique, I'm referring to something else. If one notices carefully at all the groups and individuals that the Marx Brothers influenced (Mel Brooks, Monty Python, Airplane, etc.), they'll notice one common trait: Despite the anarchic worlds created in these movies, it's almost always the entire world that is anarchic. Mel Brooks and Monty Python, in particular, are contained in ridiculous worlds that have there own sense of ridiculous logic. The Marx Brothers, on the other hand, are the only anarchic and ridiculous individuals in a relatively normal and sane world (although in Duck Soup sometimes it seems as if the rest of the world is the crazy one, which is hugely ironic in itself). What does this create? Well, in Monty Python and Mel Brooks (again, irregardless of how chaotic they may seem), there is a strange sense of coherency, almost as if we could follow along their logic. This coherency is almost completely nonexistent in the early Marx Brothers films for Paramount (MGM tried to enforce conformity and coherency into the Marx Brothers unfortunately). Thus, the movies, although ridiculously hilarious, are also some of the most bizarre, daring, and yes, experimental films ever created. In fact, I would even claim that its almost avant-garde. No wonder the famous French surrealist and theorist Antonin Artaud, who is insane by all accounts and purposes, felt such a strong connection to the work of the Marx Brothers. Regarding this particularly interesting trait, I would say that W.C. Fields is closest, but his films are incoherent more from the standpoint of plot, but the sense of logic within the world is more relatable. I mean, W.C. Fields never exploded into completely random tangents that made absolutely no sense outside of themselves.
Oh, and I guess I should talk about the actual movie now. Duck Soup is the best the Marx Brothers have to offer because it portrays them at their absolutely most chaotic and funny. Oh, and there is no random instrument playing, which a lot of people like, but I just feel blocks the overall momentum of the films. So yeah, this movie is an all time classic and is filled with all time classic moments and one-liners, so definitely buy it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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