Review of Animal Crackers (1930) by Ricardo O — 26 Mar 2011

"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know.".

Although this was their second film, this was where the Marx Bros. really got started in film. It's often considered their best but to me it is probably the weakest of their classic six films. It has many moments that are really funny with some of the gags ranking as their best but they are just a little too anarchic in this early picture. The director of the film I'm sure really didn't have much to do but yell action and cut and let the brothers run amuck. But this was the way the Marx Brothers were; they were zany and absolutely absurd from one moment to another. Because the camerawork is so still it's basically like we're seeing their act onstage. The sound of course isn't that great but one can't complain too much as sound still had plenty of bugs to fix as we were just getting into the sound era at this point. I feel the length of the film is just a tad too long for all the zaniness of the brothers; a few cuts would have probably made it a little more enjoyable and getting rid of some of the jokes that didn't work. Nevertheless it is still a very funny movie with the Marx Brothers right in their element. If you're a fan of theirs, it's a must-see, but if you've never seen them or are accustomed to their type of comedy I'd start with the easier to digest and much more enjoyable A Night At the Opera. They obviously went on to make better films but this is worth watching just because it's where they really started. Plus it contains what may be the greatest line in any of their movies. 8/10.