Classic Marx Brothers comedy

Rating: 7/10 (14 November 2014)

DUCK SOUP is a riotously funny, anarchic comedy from the Marx Brothers which is a send-up of government and international politics. At 68 minutes, it could hardly be considered long, but if it was much longer I felt it would have worn out its welcome. The Marx Brothers' trademark humor has aged well, but I felt that some of the wordplay was hit or miss. This might be due to the rapidity with which Groucho spits out the lines, because not all of them were funny to me and quite possibly because some of them went over my head. What I felt was the best part of the movie were the physical comedy routines. As such, my favorite parts were a running gag in which Harpo torments a lemonade salesman, a scene involving a mirror and the final act where Groucho changes costumes in every scene. Since the movie is one of the earlier "talkies", the acting is somewhat stiff/stilted (in a cinematic context, but perfectly normal in a theatrical context). Margaret Dumont's Mrs. Teasdale is probably the best example of this, although her character was supposed to be that way. Overall, I thought the movie was very well done, but I got the feeling that the Marx Brothers have done better. This type of comedy mostly works for me, and I look forward to delving further into the Marx Brothers' filmography.