Duck Soup (B+ or 3/4 stars)
The title of this comedy, 'Duck Soup' (directed by Leo McCarey), refers to an interview Groucho Marx about a certain recipe: "Take 2 turkeys, 1 goose, a potato & a few carrots, but no duck, & mix them together. After tasting this ... you'll want to duck soup forever". Backed by wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont, so funny), she will not donate $20,000,000 unless nutty upstart Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) becomes the progressive leader of the {fictional} country of Freedonia - a nation on the verge of bankruptcy & political unrest. At his inauguration, Firefly arrives late & makes a grand entrance by sliding down a fireman's pole. He then insults Mrs. Teasdale + everyone he is introduced to; then gleefully sings a song about how he intends to eliminate dissent because it is a free nation.
The crowd enjoys him despite his incompetency, crookedness, & goal to be a dictator. Neighboring country Sylvania has an ambassador named Trentino (Louis Calhern), who schemes to take over Freedonia by either marrying Mrs. Teasdale or ousting Firefly. When Firefly prevents him from marrying Teasdale, the ambassador sends his sexy Latin girlfriend (Raquel Torres) to compromise him & 2 bumbling spies, Pinky (Harpo Marx) & Chicolini (Chico Marx), to get some dirt on him. Firefly responds by making Chicolini Secretary of War & Pinky his chauffeur. Chicolini keeps his day job as a peanut vendor, which results in an outlandish vaudevillian skit with a lemonade vendor over hats. Firefly calls for war on Sylvania when he is insulted that he was called an 'upstart' by Trentino. Comic mayhem ensues as the 2 Nations verge on war.
Made during the Great Depression, this political & anti-war satire tackles war movie heroics, pointless warfare, nutty dictatorships of Hitler & Mussolini, societal mores, religion, & even the judicial system. It blasts away at just about everyone; no one goes untouched {using sight gags, slapstick & quips along the way}. In particular, the film mocks patriotism & religion; 2 things ripe for taking jabs at. The satire expectedly rattled the White House. FDR struggled against The Great Depression & Hitler, so he was surely in no mood for such biting humor directed at our government.
One of the funniest routines is a well-executed mirror sequence with Groucho, Chico & Harpo all looking like identical Grouchos. The whacky dialogue I enjoyed the most takes place during Firefly's 1st Cabinet meeting when he is handed the Treasury Department's report. Firefly is asked if he finds said report to be 'clear'. Firefly says, "Clear? Huh! Why 4 yr. old child could understand this report". He then tells his secretary (Zeppo Marx) to "Run out & find me a 4 yr. old child. I can't make head or tail out of it" -- Lol. The Marx Bros. convey comic anarchy so very well. Comedic chaos, really.
Ya know, there's just something to be said about sitting back & enjoying a good, clean comedy that may be a bit spiky ... but not exactly mean-spirited. It's a rarity these days to find a comedy that isn't raunchy or crude. So we have to turn back the hands of time to 1933 to get one. You don't see a movie like 'Duck Soup' for the plot -- it's about the hysterical gags. And it's quite the feat to so ably combine physical comedy with the political commentary. Now, 'Duck Soup' doesn't quite live up to the hype as one of the best comedies of all-time, for me. Once can say that the film is little more than 69 min. of random jokes & sketches. The musical numbers go on too long. And everything is funny, if not wildly funny. Still, it's definitely worth seeing.
The crowd enjoys him despite his incompetency, crookedness, & goal to be a dictator. Neighboring country Sylvania has an ambassador named Trentino (Louis Calhern), who schemes to take over Freedonia by either marrying Mrs. Teasdale or ousting Firefly. When Firefly prevents him from marrying Teasdale, the ambassador sends his sexy Latin girlfriend (Raquel Torres) to compromise him & 2 bumbling spies, Pinky (Harpo Marx) & Chicolini (Chico Marx), to get some dirt on him. Firefly responds by making Chicolini Secretary of War & Pinky his chauffeur. Chicolini keeps his day job as a peanut vendor, which results in an outlandish vaudevillian skit with a lemonade vendor over hats. Firefly calls for war on Sylvania when he is insulted that he was called an 'upstart' by Trentino. Comic mayhem ensues as the 2 Nations verge on war.
Made during the Great Depression, this political & anti-war satire tackles war movie heroics, pointless warfare, nutty dictatorships of Hitler & Mussolini, societal mores, religion, & even the judicial system. It blasts away at just about everyone; no one goes untouched {using sight gags, slapstick & quips along the way}. In particular, the film mocks patriotism & religion; 2 things ripe for taking jabs at. The satire expectedly rattled the White House. FDR struggled against The Great Depression & Hitler, so he was surely in no mood for such biting humor directed at our government.
One of the funniest routines is a well-executed mirror sequence with Groucho, Chico & Harpo all looking like identical Grouchos. The whacky dialogue I enjoyed the most takes place during Firefly's 1st Cabinet meeting when he is handed the Treasury Department's report. Firefly is asked if he finds said report to be 'clear'. Firefly says, "Clear? Huh! Why 4 yr. old child could understand this report". He then tells his secretary (Zeppo Marx) to "Run out & find me a 4 yr. old child. I can't make head or tail out of it" -- Lol. The Marx Bros. convey comic anarchy so very well. Comedic chaos, really.
Ya know, there's just something to be said about sitting back & enjoying a good, clean comedy that may be a bit spiky ... but not exactly mean-spirited. It's a rarity these days to find a comedy that isn't raunchy or crude. So we have to turn back the hands of time to 1933 to get one. You don't see a movie like 'Duck Soup' for the plot -- it's about the hysterical gags. And it's quite the feat to so ably combine physical comedy with the political commentary. Now, 'Duck Soup' doesn't quite live up to the hype as one of the best comedies of all-time, for me. Once can say that the film is little more than 69 min. of random jokes & sketches. The musical numbers go on too long. And everything is funny, if not wildly funny. Still, it's definitely worth seeing.