DUCK SOUP (1933)

Entrance

See ya!

Potty

Title: Duck Soup
Year: 1933
Director: Leo McCarey
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Arrow Academy

Notes: Ah DUCK SOUP. Until about a month ago it was the only Marx Brothers film I'd ever seen and that was at least ten years ago. At the time, I think I was terrifically impressed but also perhaps a bit bemused. I hadn't seen films like this before. Now I've seen all five Marx Brothers films in Arrow's Paramount collection and can consider the fifth in the context of the previous four.

This is clearly their most impressive film to date. The short runtime means it flies by with no slacking or padding. Despite this, we have to wait six minutes for Groucho's elaborate entrance but it's worth it for the comic payoff.

The gags come thick and fast as is to be expected but it's interesting to note that the setting of the allegorically named country of Freedonia and subsequent events mean the Marx Brothers come dangerously close to political satire for the first time. I welcome this - it's good for the film to have a point that often seems absent in their earlier efforts.

A few more things to note. The clowning by Chico and Harpo is better than ever here. And Chico(lini)'s wordplay reaches it's zenith of awfulness / brilliance. Basically everything seems to come together perfectly in this film. Great fun.