Duck Soup (1933)'s comments - page 2

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Rene Narciso

Many classic comedies have aged a little bit, particularly the ones that are so referenced and copied. But this one is not just funny, it also feels pretty fresh, almost 80 years later.

6 years ago

A necessary introduction to the Marx Brothers, the peculiarly-named Duck Soup shows the trio (sorry Zeppo, we hardly notice you, straight man that you are) at their rapid-fire best. Together, they pretty much represent the three main branches of comedy: Groucho is a wise-cracking verbal pun artist, Chico's funny is based on the character he plays in various routines, and though Harpo is mute, it would be wrong to say he represents slapstick because they're all proficient in that. Rather, he's an absurd cartoon character walking among us; anything can happen when he's in the room. In the world of Marx Bros., they are agents of chaos, always useless or even destructive in their jobs, but no one else really seems to notice the absurdity. In Duck Soup, Groucho is made president of a country called Freedonia, while the other two are spies working for Sylvania, all of them inept. If it's the golden standard of their films, it's that it's extremely pacey, has lots of background gags to catch on subsequent viewings, has better songs, and manages at least some political satire.

6 years 3 months ago