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Duck Soup 1933 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Leo McCary
NR, 70 min. |
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Starring: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Raquel Torres, Louis Calhern
Producer: Herman J. Mankiewicz
Screenplay: Bert Kalmar, Nat Perrin, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman
Cinematography: Henry Sharp
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Released: 11.17.33 |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Duck Soup was the Marx brothers' last film together at Paramount before moving to the more prestigous MGM, and it was
also the last film for the youngest of the brothers - Zeppo Marx. Although it was a critical and commercial failure at the time,
it gained a loyal following in subsequent generations and became a classic in most peoples' eyes. Stocked full of irreverance
towards government, patriotism, and cynicism, Duck Soup was actually banned from a few countries in the 1930's.
It is considered the Marx Brothers' best film (although some would argue A Night at the Opera is superior) because of its tightly-directed
script that parodies its subjects at a near frantic pace. It doesn't let up for even a second during its 70-minute running time, and
leaves your head spinning with a multitude of gags to digest.
Groucho Marx plays a newly-appointed president, Rufus T. Firefly, of a small European country named Freedonia. His irreverance for even the
opening ceremony of his own presidency foreshadows the film's many one-liners and gags. Sylvania, a neighboring country,
is at odds with Freedonia on several issues, and their leader (Louis Calhern) schemes against them. Firefly is advised by
his chief benefactor (Margaret Dumont) and his two spies (Harpo and Chico Marx). His careless manuevering and general
incompetence as Freedonia's president leads to war with Sylvania. It doesn't help matters that his two spies are wreaking havoc
at every turn. The film makes fun of war, as evidenced by a classic scene where Firefly offers Zeppo Marx money to keep
quiet about his accidental shooting of his own troops.
There are so many gags in this film, that it's hard to keep up with them all - it takes several viewings to catch all the underlying
messages. Groucho's one-liners are classic, but at times can become over-bearing with their continual bombardment on the
audience. There are also several classic moments in the film, including the famous "mirror" scene, where Groucho and Harpo
(who is disguised as Groucho) mimic each others movements to near perfection. I can't imagine how many takes it took to
get that scene right, but it's pretty impressive.
Despite its failures at the time, it's hard to believe that Duck Soup received no Academy Award nominations. In fact, it
received no critical acclaim of any kind until 1990, when the National Film Preservation Board awarded it with the National Film
Registry award. But the film has recently garnered more respect, as evidenced by being named to AFI's Top 100 list a few years
ago. The Marx Brothers' comedic form is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy their pranks and zaniness, Duck Soup is
one unforgettable film.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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