one the greatest comedies of all time

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2006)

I'm surprised to read some of the comments about this film. I've been watching Duck Soup since I was a child and still regard it as a true classic. It doesn't have to appreciated by considering it in the context of it's time, it's just a brilliantly funny film. It's also one the most savage political satires ever made. Consider the the court room scene where some of America's most patriotic songs are ridiculed, for example "...all gods children got guns....". Groucho also delivers some of his greatest one liners, for example when Mrs Teasdale tells him "it's a gala day for you" he replies "a gal a day's enough for man I don't think I could take any more". He also sings a fantastic political satire in his first scene including the line " if any form of pleasure is exhibited, report to me and it will be prohibited, I'll put my foot down so shall it be, this is the land of the free". Harpo also puts in some fantastic physical humour and great comedy interactions with Chico. This is a true classic and as clichéd as it is to say it it's hard to imagine the world without the influence of Duck Soup and all the other classic Marx Brothers films.