Duck Soup (1933)

 Leo McCarey's "Duck Soup"


"Duck Soup" is the very first Marx Brothers film I've ever seen. My verdict is the same verdict many other people throughout history have felt: they are very funny. This might sound incredibly simple, but I don't have much vocabulary to explain its rhythms, gags, and comedy. I found myself laughing the whole way through. 

In the film, Groucho Marx plays the newly installed president of the fictional country of Freedonia. Zeppo Marx plays his secretary and Chico and Harpo are spies for the neighboring country of Sylvania. Relations between Groucho and the Sylvanian ambassador deteriorate, eventually leading to war between the two countries.

My one note about the film is that every creative or thematic choice goes by the wayside in order to serve the comedy of the Marx Brothers. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the comedy that Marx Brothers are producing is some of the most iconic and ingenious comedy of the 20th century. That being said, the film is nothing more than that: a Marx Brothers' comedy. Leo McCarey does not have to do much directional creativity. The political themes are not delved in too much. Romanticism is not present. However, a film doesn't have to be any of these things. A film can simply be a laugh-out-loud experience that caters exclusively to its comedy. And "Duck Soup" does precisely that to a degree that renders it a classic American comedy. 

That being said, there are political undertones that can be pulled from the story's themes. Groucho is elected the new president of Freedonia by the financial backing of the country's wealthiest citizen, played by Margaret Dumont. Groucho proceeds to act in the typical Marx fashion and turn the position into a total joke. Many believed at the time that such a farcical portrayal was pointed at the European countries that were going through uproarious leadership changes at the time. Most notably, Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. In fact, Mussolini even banned the film from playing in Italy. 

Overall, I did not find that much political satire present in "Duck Soup," despite what many critics believe. I believe that would not be in the best interest of the Marx Brothers artistic style, which, as I said previously, caters exclusively to the comedy. But since it does cater exclusively to the comedy, "Duck Soup's" comedy is second-to-none. 



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