"I got a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it."

Rating: 7/10 (25 September 2007)

'Duck Soup' was my first Marx Brothers film, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was slightly disappointed with it. After hearing about its comedic brilliance for the longest of times, it's an unfortunate inevitability that the film failed to reward my heightened expectations. The brothers' final production for Paramount Pictures, 'Duck Soup' was also the last screen appearance for Zeppo Marx, before he left the group to pursue other ventures (including opening a large theatrical agency with fifth brother Gummo). Though only mildly successful on its original release, the film has since grown greatly in stature, and is now considered by many to be one of the greatest comedies in cinema history. Obviously, I don't quite share this sentiment, but I'd nonetheless like to talk about the parts of the film that had me laughing.
The plot for the film, which is basically a very loose narrative serving the sole purpose of connecting all the jokes, concerns the kingdom of Freedonia, newly-headed by Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx). Trentino (Louis Calhern), the ambassador of neighbouring kingdom, Sylvania, wishes to gain control of Freedonia by marrying the wealthy and influential Mrs. Gloria Teasdale (Margaret Dumont). To aid his cause, Trentino hires two spies, Chicolini and Pinky (Chico and Harpo Marx, respectively) to shadow Firefly and report on his movements. After relations between the two nations break down, their disagreements escalate into a fully-fledged war.
Without a doubt, Groucho was my favourite of the quartet. Hidden behind his trademark fake moustache, eyebrows and glasses, his character is the epitome of quick wit, delivering a seemingly endless stream of puns, double entendres and insults. The verbal gags come so thick and fast that, by the time you've registered the punchline and finished laughing, you've already missed the subsequent three jokes. Chico also has his fair share of good lines, and Harpo  the silent member of the crew  has a lot of fun with the physical side of comedy, with the help of a limitless supply of props hidden within his clothing. Perhaps it was just my general ignorance, but it took me a very long time to work out which character was played by Zeppo, usually regarded as the "straight-man" of the group.
The mirror pantomime sequence  first used in Charles Chaplin's 'The Floorwalker'  is a classic gag, and probably my favourite of the lot. Harpo's peculiar habit of using his scissors to snip everything within reach also brought a few solid laughs, not to mention Groucho's energetic delivery of quick-witted wisecracks. However, it all seemed so inconsequential. At the end of the day, once the 68 minutes were over, it didn't seem as though anything had been achieved. I've never really been a huge fan of the so-called "anarchic comedy" genre (for example, 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)' left me completely cold), and so perhaps it's just a matter of personal preference. In spite of this, I did find 'Duck Soup' sufficiently entertaining to warrant another exploration into the films of the Marx Brothers.