1933 Directed by Leo McCarey
Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
Groucho Marx Harpo Marx Chico Marx Zeppo Marx Margaret Dumont Raquel Torres Louis Calhern Edmund Breese Leonid Kinskey Charles Middleton Edgar Kennedy Edward Arnold Wade Boteler Sidney Bracey E.H. Calvert Davison Clark Louise Closser Hale Carrie Daumery Maude Turner Gordon Florence Wix Joseph Crehan Mario Dominici Edmund Mortimer Charles West Verna Hillie Edward LeSaint George MacQuarrie Frederick Sullivan Eric Mayne Show All…
"Duck Soup" is a comedy machine gun. Its jokes and gags come quickly and constantly in a barrage of rat-a-tat-tat amusement. It is a fully funny, wholly high-energy romp whose only misfire may be that not every bit of wit flows organically from its narrative; but this is a tiny quibble as "Duck Soup" is clearly constructed to be a showcase of Marx Brothers mirth.
A political satire that skewers foreign relations, war, national treasures, and national treasuries, Leo McCarey's "Duck Soup" begins with Groucho Marx's Rufus T. Firefly being named head of the nation of Freedonia. From there, jokes, musical numbers, and mostly solid plotting fly in torrents. The narrative is a sturdy foundation for sturdy comedy.
The timely-even-today…
Has anyone ever sat down and calculated the jokes per minute in this frickin' thing? The joke density has to be high, somewhere around the level of seasons 4-6 Simpsons. I re-watched DUCK SOUP within the last year, and I was still laughing so much today that I felt light headed when the lights came up. The escalating scale of the jokes to that last reel of absolute convention shattering anarchy ... *faints
Half stand-up routine, half variety show, very humorous.
The original songs are quite funny and the rapid fire puns and deadpan jokes are still sharp which is remarkable SEEING HOW THEY ARE OVER 80 YEARS OLD.
I finished watching this and went immediately to my Favourite film by year list for the 30s. Somehow I put The testament of Dr Mabuse ahead of this. At least I did say in the notes that 1933 was a hell of a year and I could have chosen one of ten films.
It is, of course, pretty much perfect. Harpo and Chico and Louis Calhern, Harpo and Chico and the Lemonade seller. The songs, the mirror. Margaret Dumont. Most things Groucho says.
It does that weird cumulative thing that the best comedies do that have you laughing at the memory of having laughed or the suggestion of laughing so that you couldn't for a minute nail down just what…
With commentary from Leonard Maltin and Robert S. Bader. Relaxed and informative, very enjoyable.
First movie of the famous Marx Brothers i watched and now i know why they are so popular and considered masters of their craft,it wasn't a long movie,just 1 Hour and 8 Minutes long but no scarcity of fun was there,Groucho Marx blew me away with his wittiness,My God he was so quick in his answers that it made me just speechless,Harpo Marx was brilliant with his silent comedy,just outstanding,Chico was amazing too,their hat changing and scuffle scene with the lemonade owner was so damn funny,i really don't have any idea how they did it with such perfection,the fourth and the youngest Brother from the fab four comes much later in the movie,when they got together in a frame,it was…
An older black and white comedy relying on word gags ands and physical comedy. The premise of an incompetent leader taking the reins of Freedonia is a great premise and definitely gets its best jokes when the barbs and wit are related to this storyline. However many other physical gags while somewhat entertaining are based upon physical comedy set pieces that just aren�t that interesting to me personally. The joke per minutes on this movie is impressive but often leaves you feeling you�re watching a series of barely interconnect sketches and �bits�. Many of the jokes didn�t land for me and it may just be a mixture of aged humour and my personal sensibilities. Ultimately how high can you rate a comedy when it just didn�t make you laugh all that much?
I appreciate that it was uproarious in its day, but the comedic style has since been lost to the past. It's an hour of dad jokes and groan-inducing slapstick.
"Here are the plans of war. They're as valuable as your life. And that's putting them pretty cheap."
Duck, you sucker! This is the Marx Brothers at their anarchic best. This one gets 5 marks - one for each, plus one for "The fifth Marx", Margaret Dumont.
Unfortunately, the drop from the ingeniously anarchic 'Duck Soup' to the limp anodyne saccharine of 'At the Circus' is precipitous, as it is for all their MGM comedies - with the salient exception of 'A Night at the Opera'.
Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) entices Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) with promises of connubial bliss....
...and then confesses, "All I can offer you is a Rufus over your head".
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