The Zenith of Marxian Hilarity!

Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2011)

Although the fifth Marx Brothers movie did not surpass the ticket sales of "Horse Feathers" when Paramount first released it, "Awful Truth" director Leo McCarey's "Duck Soup" ranks now as the Marx Brothers' best all-time comedy. Indeed, this satirical masterpiece about war proved to be a turning point in the career of the brothers. After "Duck Soup" performed poorly at the box office, Paramount declined to renew its contract with the zany quartet. Straight guy Marx brother Zeppo bailed out of the act to become a talent agent, while the remaining trio—Groucho, Chico, and Harpo--found a new home at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer—with wunderkind producer Irving Thalberg supervising their antics. Basically, Thalberg took the sting out of their chaotic comedy by turning them into comic relief for a young romantic couple in dire romantic straits. Previously, the Brothers had dominated the narratives. Now, they became hosts to less luminaries, and their humor lost its tangy flavor. According to Thalberg, the Marx Brothers not only lacked sympathy but they also alienated female audiences. You won't see Harpo thrusting his thigh into a girl's hands like he did in their Paramount releases. Mind you, the next two Marx Brothers' films--"A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races" are very funny, but neither film is the madcap hilarity of the Paramount Marx Brothers' escapades.
Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby wrote both the hilarious screenplay and the songs. Some of the verbal jousting is classic. At one point during a cabinet meeting, Rufus says that only a four-year old could make sense of some gibberish and then he urges somebody to find him a four-year old. The plot in a nutshell involves the affluent Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) who refuses to lend any more of her millions to the postage-stamp sized bankrupt country of Freedonia unless they appoint Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) as their leader. Groucho is late to his own coronation when Mrs. Teasdale spots him in the ranks. Naturally, Rufus gives Mrs. Teasdale a sarcastic dressing down with puns galore. Meanwhile, the rival European country of Sylvania and its scheming ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern of "The Magnificent Yankee") want to take over the country. Trentino sends in two spies Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx) to dig up incriminating information about Firefly that will sour Mrs. Teasdale on him. The gags are some of the best, particularly the oft-imitated mirror pantomime routine where Groucho and Harpo in sleeping gowns confront each other in an archway and try to fool the other into believing that they are cavorting in front of a mirror. The first scene when Chicolini and Pinky meet Trentino in his office is a laugh riot of puns, one-liners, and sight gags. If you consider yourself a Marx Brothers' fan, you must see this imaginative 68-minute classic. Any seasoned Marx Brothers devotee will spot the absence here of Harpo playing his namesake and Chico on the piano.