Duck Soup
More About Duck Soup
Overview
DUCK SOUP captures some of the Marx Brothers' zaniest routines and funniest quips, creating a laugh-out-loud spectacle of politics gone haywire. Backed by wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale (regular Marx straightwoman Margaret Dumont), Groucho becomes the leader of Freedonia, quickly frustrating his cabinet and offending the aggressive neighboring country to the point of war. Chico and Harpo, sent by the rival country, spy on Groucho and try to steal his battle plans, but when war does come, loyalties become muddled all around.
Director Leo McCarey gets the most out of the brothers, letting them be their wackiest best in what many critics consider to be the funniest Marx Brothers movie. Groucho plays Rufus T. Firefly, one of his best characters. The one-liners fly through the air like the bombs exploding in the hysterical battle scene. DUCK SOUP is a must-see comedy spectacular; don't blink or you'll miss yet another stinger....
Main Cast & Crew
Leo McCarey - Director
Groucho Marx
Harpo Marx
Chico Marx
Zeppo Marx
Margaret Dumont
Raquel Torres
Louis Calhern
Leonid Kinskey
Charles Middleton
Edgar Kennedy
Details
- Format: DVD (Full Screen)
- Run Time: 72
- Color Format: B&W
- UPC: 025192084614
- Genre: Comedy
- Rating: Not Rated
- Release Date: June 2011
Related Categories:
Movies > Comedies
Related Keywords:
Big Battles
Classic
Politics
Slapstick
Vintage
War
Recommended
Satire
Essential Cinema
Movie Reviews
More Details
Notes:
DUCK SOUP was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1990.
DUCK SOUP is number 5 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Funniest Movies and number 85 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies.
DUCK SOUP was Zeppo Marx's last film role with his brothers.
DUCK SOUP was considered a flop when it first came out.
Reviews:
"...The Marx Brothers created a body of work in which individual films are like slices from the whole, but DUCK SOUP is probably the best..." - 07/09/2000 Chicago Sun-Times, p.5
"...It's a merciless satire on patriotism, politics and the establishment which has lost little of its bite or ability to tickle the ribs....Proof that the brothers are as relevant now as they ever were..." - 02/01/2001 Total Film, p.`108
"...[A] brilliant melange of gags....Harpo's physical clowning has the grace and sleight of hand of a true magician..." - 12/01/2003 Premiere, p.4