Post by StevePulaski on May 18, 2012 22:21:37 GMT -5
The Marx Brothers.
Rating: ★★★★
With all this talk of Sacha Baron Cohen's newly released The Dictator, let us not forget the uproariously funny, cynical, yet cheery and effervescent Marx Brothers comedy, Duck Soup, from 1933. Here we have a delightful satire on politics and government, including some of the sharpest, wittiest, and most original social commentary on political issues to ever be done unintentionally.
That's right. Groucho Marx, Rufus T. Firefly in the film, has stated himself that the heavy aspect of government and dictatorship was purely unintentional. Him and his three brothers were just "Jews trying to get laughs" and nothing more. They have succeeded in making one of the brightest and funniest comedies I have yet to see. The story focuses on the small and corrupt country of Freedonia, which has recently been taken over by Firefly and his blatant incompetence. His use of one-liners, pathetic pickup lines, and corny puns make him horrifically unfit for the job, yet he is so irresistibly likable even in his "meanest" state.
What easily prevents Duck Soup from reaching a state of impotence or heavy-handedness is its use of lively slapstick comedy, mainly utilized by Harpo Marx, who plays one of the men sent to spy on Firefly named Pinky. He, by far, earns the most laughs in the picture, including a side-splitting scene involving a street cart and a huge pitcher of lemonade. Each of the brothers have their own hilarious series of facial expressions and each never seem to be bleeding with or dry on material. They have all been blessed with work so frantically written and beautifully imagined.
Duck Soup marks the final Marx Brothers film to be released under Paramount. When it opened to less than stellar numbers at the box office, mainly because The Great Depression was looming and people did not want to see the government portrayed as if they were basking in their idiocy, the brothers were dropped and signed with MGM, where their films became more story-based and less anarchic and gleefully liberating.
Why is it "Required Viewing?": I can't remember the last time I saw satire portrayed in such a fearless way, especially for a film over seventy years old. I feel too many people, especially teenagers, will write this off as being "old" and "gay," when it has more life and passion than half the comedies released today. This is smart satire at its very finest, incorporating four brilliantly capable men whose careers have been erected off of senseless banter and gleeful portrayals of lunacy. To me, that is definitely required viewing.
My original four star review of Duck Soup, stevethemovieman.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=perfect&action=display&thread=2916
