Duck Soup (DVD)

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room The Marx Brothers are absolutely screen legends, and possibly their best known and most beloved film is Duck Soup, a rousing comedy from 1933 that has stood the test of time rather well, for it still demonstrates now as it did then the quick-fire wit of the brother, with a decidedly political slant on things. The film revolves around Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) an old woman who insists that Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) be appointed the new leader of Freedonia, a tiny and rather poor country, before she will levy further financial aid. While this is going on, however, a neighbouring c ...  Read the complete review

The Marx Brothers films can be clearly divided up into two eras. There is the Paramount era and then there is the MGM/United Artists era. The most famous films of the Paramount Pictures series all seem to have an animalistic title and the MGM/United Artists era mainly have "At" in the title. Marx fans are divided over which era was best. Personally I have favourites in both eras for different reasons, but Duck Soup stands out as Marx Brothers' finest work. Duck Soup obviously comes from the Paramount era. In fact, it was the last they made for Paramount due a variety of problems back stage. Amazingly it didn't do as well at the box office as the ...  Read the complete review

Duck Soup is a classic Marx Brothers comedy from 1933 directed by Leo McCarey. Although the film was not widely acclaimed or a roaring success at the time it has subsequently established itself as arguably their very best picture and one of the greatest - and most enjoyable - comedies ever made, rated fifth on the all time comedy list by the American Film Institute. Duck Soup is set in the mythical republic of Freedonia - a struggling state which has a fierce rivalry with the nearby country of Sylvania. Mrs Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), the richest woman in Freedonia, agrees to loan the country 20 million dollars but only on condition that Rufus T Firefly (Groucho Marx) is ...  Read the complete review