Review of Duck Soup (1933) by Ilsa L — 28 Jul 2013

Hilarious play on words from Groucho and slapstick from Harpo as usual. Like Chaplin's The Great Dictator, real global relations of the 30's and 40's are satirized with fictional countries like Freedonia and Sylvania, but without the deep message.

Leo McCarey directs the Marx Brothers to make possibly their most anarchic picture. There is something about the rough musical numbers and devil-may-care style of narrative that I didn't like as much as their later MGM pictures.

Groucho is Rufus T. Firefly, who takes over Freedonia, drives diplomatic relations to war, and chases after Margaret Dumont's Mrs. Teasdale. Dumont plays it fairly straight, but not as dour as some of her roles opposite Groucho.

Harpo is Pinky, a character who very loosely works as a spy for Trentino (Calhern) of Sylvania. Harpo does a running gag with scissors and the famous mirror scene with Groucho. Chico is Chicolini, another character who broadly might qualify as a spy for Trentino.

Nearly all his scenes are with Groucho or Harpo, but he does no memorable bits himself. Zeppo is Bob Rolland, Firefly's secretary, and straight man. I kind of appreciated that there was no romantic subplot in this one, but then that means there was almost nothing for Zeppo to do.

Groucho changes into numerous military costumes from the previous centuries through the course of the movie, Harpo and Chico change sides, and ultimately it is about the futility of war.