Enough To Make Anyone A Marxist

Rating: 9/10 (4 December 2007)

When the Marx Brothers decided to leave Paramount, they did in the words of the old expression leave them laughing. In fact with Duck Soup, they left them rolling in the aisles.
Duck Soup is helmed by the greatest director the Brothers ever worked for in their film career, Leo McCarey. He guided this anti-war lampoon of Ruritanian pictures with a sure hand. It's the shortest film the brothers ever did, but there's hardly a minute in it without a gag or three.
I think that Leo McCarey had in mind a satire on the Merry Widow, where if you'll recall the plot has the richest widow in Marovia ready to leave the country bag and baggage for Paris. It's up to Count Danilo to woo her for the country. People have done worse for patriotic motives.
A silent version by Erich Von Stroheim was already made of The Merry Widow and next year Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier would do it for MGM. But here we have Freedonia's richest citizen, Margaret Dumont not willing to underwrite her little country unless she names its prime minister. And of course she names the man wooing her, Groucho Marx.
Of course that foils the plans of Louis Calhern, the ambassador from neighboring Sylvania. War eventually breaks out between the two countries over some absurdities you'll have to see to believe.
Harpo and Chico play a pair of hapless spies who change loyalties at the turn of a dime and seem to wind up doing more good for whoever they're working against at the moment. They even take time to have a battle with poor Edgar Kennedy. Note that scene in the bathtub with Edgar Kennedy and Harpo, it may be Harpo's best moment from their films.
This was Zeppo's last film, he did not make the journey to MGM with his three brothers. I'm not sure too many people noticed because his contribution seem mostly to act as a foil for Groucho's barbs. He became an agent and as a comic he was a good agent.
Duck Soup is only 68 minutes long, but you cannot believe how many laughs you can get in a picture that short.