Review of Duck Soup (1933) by Steve N — 31 Mar 2011

I've been curious about the Marx Brothers since seeing a clip of this film in Woody Allen's Hannah and her Sisters. After wading through three previous sub-par efforts, I've finally found one I can honestly say I liked.

The set-up is not dissimilar from other Marx Brothers fare: Groucho is placed in an unlikely position of power while the other brothers orbit around him in ancillary roles. In this case, Groucho assumes the presidency of the tiny nation of Freedonia; what follows is actually some pretty agile political and social commentary that is a bare-knuckle critique of the those that gave the world the First World War.

There are some truly funny bits, including a respectable attempt at the holy grail of screen comedy: the mirror gag. Though it was done first and best by Max Linder, their take on it was entertaining.

Here's hoping future Marx Brothers films build on this trend of increasing quality.