Duck Soup (1933)

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 2019)

Directed by Leo McCarey. Starring Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Zeppo, Raquel Torres, Edgar Kennedy, Charles Middleton, Leonid Kinskey, Edmund Breese.
Inspired irreverence aplenty in the Marx Brothers' last picture with Paramount (before moving to MGM); considered by many to be their finest and most sustained cinematic effort. Groucho is Rufus T. Firefly, dictator of tiny, impoverished nation of Freedonia, dealing with the duplicitous ambassador (Calhern) of neighboring Sylvania and his two bumbling spies (Chico, Harpo), who would be accused of treason for switching sides so often if not for the fact that they don't have a loyal, sensible bone in their bodies. Plentiful unforgettable bits: "This Country's Going to War" musical number, Harpo and Chico torturing the poor lemonade vendor, the mirror scene, etc., to say nothing for Groucho's endless, twisting wisecracks and double entendres, which come so fast they're easy to miss (repeat viewings are a must). Considered today a top-notch political farce in the vein of "Dr. Strangelove," yet the satirical edge is almost "accidental"--the Marx Brothers were just doing whatever they could to get laughs. Zeppo's role is even more insubstantial than usual here--it was his final outing with the team.
94/100