Remarkably clever movie

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2011)

What makes this movie a classic? Because it is a challenging movie to watch. It has broad slapstick, it has bad puns, delivered purposely as bad puns, and it has comedy. It also has some of the most clever dialog ever written at its core. That is what makes this movie so challenging to watch, it asks your brain to operate on so many different levels. This is why many of the reviewers note that it takes a few viewings to really comprehend the depth and pace of this movie.
It is interesting to note that the movie was a collection of gags and bits delivered on the live stage and brought to the screen. Live, the performers have the ability to pace the comedy to allow the audience time to catch their breath. You can see this movie has this component in it - anticipating the theater audience's reaction and speeding up or slowing down the movie's rhythm. It is brilliant.
Finally, this movie is a classic because in the context of its time, this was probably as radical and far thinking a movie as was ever made. Slapstick and anarchy can be delivered within any plot or theme, in "Airplane" it was a disaster movie for instance. But here, the back drop of a nation's bankruptcy, ineffectual leaders, aggressors and appeasers, Duck Soup gives its dose of anarchy at the heart of government.