89
Duck
Soup
Release date 17th November 1933
Country : USA
Running time : 68 mins
Genre : Comedy
Starring The Marx Brothers
Screenplay by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby
Directed by Leo McCarey
A Paramount Picture
Rufus T Firefly is appointed head of
Freedonia. Sylvania sends spies and tries to get hold of Freedonia's
war plans. Chicolini one of the spies is caught and put on trial before
the country is plunged into war.
The satirical aspects of this film are fascinating : its attacks on the military and government are spot on but it can simply be enjoyed as the best of the Marx Brothers romps, a display of their anarchy in its purest and most cinematic form (if their films can be described as cinematic in any sense?) It was also more popular in its day than is generally acknowledged, you'd certainly expect that such a film with its view of government would be popular in the Depression. Too many highlights to mention but Groucho's material with Margaret Dumont is the best they ever did together, Chicolini's trial is a hoot, there is the wonderful mirror gag (done by many comedians but its definitive performance is here) and the final "battle" scenes : "If you can't send help send two more women, make it three more women !"
This was the Brothers' last film for Paramount. They had disagreed with the studio before and at one point were going to make a film version of the Gershwins' Of Thee I Sing.
Release date 17th November 1933
Country : USA
Running time : 68 mins
Genre : Comedy
Starring The Marx Brothers
Screenplay by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby
Directed by Leo McCarey
A Paramount Picture
The satirical aspects of this film are fascinating : its attacks on the military and government are spot on but it can simply be enjoyed as the best of the Marx Brothers romps, a display of their anarchy in its purest and most cinematic form (if their films can be described as cinematic in any sense?) It was also more popular in its day than is generally acknowledged, you'd certainly expect that such a film with its view of government would be popular in the Depression. Too many highlights to mention but Groucho's material with Margaret Dumont is the best they ever did together, Chicolini's trial is a hoot, there is the wonderful mirror gag (done by many comedians but its definitive performance is here) and the final "battle" scenes : "If you can't send help send two more women, make it three more women !"
This was the Brothers' last film for Paramount. They had disagreed with the studio before and at one point were going to make a film version of the Gershwins' Of Thee I Sing.
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Written content copyright Derek McLellan,2005.
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Duck Soup image from
http://laventur.blogspot.com/
