First time watching "Duck Soup"... (1 Viewer)

[NickSo]

Gonna watch it tonight... am I in for a treat?

I forget where, but recently i heard that the old movie Duck Soup was one of the funniest movies ever. THis piqued my itnerest, i decided to borrow it from the library.

Mind you, me being 18, i dont know much bout any of the 'classics'.

 

[Tory]

It's good, it pokes fun at then popular musicals and the frivolous causes of WWI, too bad it is OOP or I'd buy it, I missed it, too late.

 

[george kaplan]

Yes, it's a great film, the best Marx Brothers IMO. However, don't let your expectations get too high. Even the best of films rarely live up to the hype, and if it turns out not to be your kind of humor, you're likely to think of it more poorly just because of expectations.

If this is your kind of humor, you'll certainly enjoy it. If not, it'll probably still be a worthwhile experience.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Whippersnapper!

You have to get into the times to appreciate the humor. When this film was made it was an art to get sexual double entendres past the censors. Groucho was a master at this, although Harpo's "Paul Revere" number comes in a close second. You get a feeling for the times in another way when the punch line from one of Groucho's jokes is "and that's where Darkies come from."

 

[Steve Christou]

Duck Soup's quite possibly the funniest film ever made if you're a fan.
I love the Marx Bros, my favorite screen comedians by far, and in my opinion this was their greatest most perfect film, no duff musical numbers to interrupt the story. A comedy masterpiece.

'A Night at the Opera' (1935) their most famous film, is hysterically funny too.
Both highly recommended.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Boy, if there's anyone out there who DOESN'T consider Duck Soup to be old... well, that's a stretch! It pains me when someone refers to something like Back to the Future as an old movie, but Soup defines "old"!

 

[george kaplan]

C'mon Colin,

Duck Soup is one of them new-fangled movies with sound!

 

[Seth Paxton]

I actually prefer Animal Crackers, one of the few Marx films in which as much music is comedy as anything, and pre-MGM "buy out" of the Marx Bros as well (which is when they really started getting paired with "mainstream" gimmicks like the song and dance bits and romance issues).

Night at the Opera is the first MGM and still has several classic scenes, but as Steve aludes to this begins a period where the vision of MGM was not the same as that of the Marx Bros (though they appreciated the attention and success during this period).


Give me their early stuff like Duck Soup and Animal Crackers any day.

And as said, on your first pass as a youth you should dial down the expectations. I don't know that you are going to laugh at Duck Soup like its Blazing Saddles or Caddyshack the first time through. As you get used to the different timing and whatnot of films from this era, then you will probably come to enjoy it more.

But then isn't that the sign of a truly great film, good enough to make you revisit it and see it improve each time.

Marx Bros were probably the greatest smartasses of all time, right there with Bill Murray or maybe Bob Hope in their best years.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

I had never seen another Marx brothers' film before, and I thought Duck Soup was hilarious!

"I'll teach you to kick me!"
"Why, I already know how."

"I can see you in the kitchen bending over a hot stove, but I can't see the stove."

 

[NickSo]

just watched it... very amusing... though not a laugh a minute HILARIOUS, some very clever jokes and wordplay in it... Very 'punny' :p)

Better than i was expecting from a film made in the 1930's

Loved the part where the spies were switching hats with the lemonade vendor.

And the 'mirror' part

and when the spy who couldnt talk 'answered' the phone with his horns

"Dollars, Taxes. That's where my uncle is from."

"You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking you're life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are."

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

It is a great film. Glad you seem to have enjoyed it. It is definitely a film that gets better the more you know, so I do recommend that you revisit it every now and then.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Oh - I stand corrected!

 

[Lew Crippen]

You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking you're life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are


I’m glad you enjoyed the movie Nick. As Tory has implied, this is an intensely anti-war movie, though this is a bit buried in the humor. And of course, you can forget about the intent and just sit back for the humor:


Why are we fighting? We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Upstart!

 

[Steve Christou]

[rant]"Go! And never darken my towels again!"[/rant]

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Don't forget Woody Allen's religious epiphany seeing Duck Soup in the film Hannah and Her Sisters......

 

[JoeStemme]

Leo McCarey's classic comedy starring the Marx Brothers remains one of funniest, most freewheeling comedies yet made. The film is only 68 minutes long, but it packed with some of the Marx Brothers' best gags and quips.

The piece de resistance is, of course, the dueling Mirror dance between Groucho and Harpo. Perfection. Despite all this, DUCK SOUP was considered a critical and box office disappointment (not a “disaster” as some have made it out to be). I guess coming out during the Depression made it less amusing to some. But, time has allowed it to take its place in the pantheon of anarchic screen comedy.

Hail Freedonia!

DUCK SOUP is currently available as a streaming rental at all the usual sites. It's on DVD and Blu Ray.


P..S. PBS just ran an entertaining American Mastes episode: Groucho & Cavett. It's available here: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/groucho-cavett-about-the-documentary/23472/