My Second Serving of Duck Soup

I watched Duck Soup again recently and have a wildly different opinion. I saw the lines as inspired and witty, in fact i laughed in every scene and at 98% of what the Marx Bros said/did (the other 2% i was shewing people away from my room). I found the songs, while not cute and catchy to be very funny (especially the first song that Groucho sings).

Now i didn't feel thirsty, but i must say that i only ever feel thirsty while i watch musical comedies, while this was musical it's far more comedy than musical and i suppose that my feelings prior to watching it had an effect on my viewing skills, (hence why i always watch things twice). I have written the film down to buy, along with several other Marx Bros films that i think i shall enjoy (and even if i don't i can just keep them in my movie cabinet to look good). It's such a shame the this was Zeppo's last film his brothers, despite his small role in it i liked seeing him there for some reason. *Sigh* Groucho, Harpo, Chico and sometimes Zeppo will always be how people say who was in the Marx's Bros films.

While i still don't believe it was a masterful comedy (although i can see why many people say otherwise) i think if i watch again i will enjoy it even more. This is the kind of movie i like, the kind that i can watch over again and enjoy even more. Very few films make me feel like this. I think i enjoyed it more the second time because i watched it alone, the first time i watched it with my dad who talks through movies and doesn't 'get' certain styles of comedy. So i suppose i didn't 'get' it at first because he caused me to miss bits of it.

I don't think i would recommend it to any of my friends since they think that Disaster Movie was funny so clearly have bad senses when it comes to good comedy movies, so no i wouldn't recommend it to them, but to other people who are way different to them. Anyway i enjoyed it much more the second time and am sure that if i see it a third time (i have to take it back to the rental shop tomorrow) it'll be a joy to watch.

"I'll see you at the opera tonight, i'll hold your seat till you get there. After you get there you're on your own" Rufus T. Firefly

Duck Soup (1933)

i watched this Marx Bros classic with high hopes of it being one of the best comedies i'd ever seen. It is expectations like that usually let me down the most in the end. And this time was no different. Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo are all fine in it (although Zeppo seems like has no idea what he's doing), but somehow it wasn't that great. I like satires on war and government but the film seems dated, maybe it's just the 1930s lingo.

The plot is that Rufus T firefly has been brought in to help the country of Freedonia with it's troubles with Sylvania and Mrs Teasdale is with him all the way. I'm not sure it's a plot but i usually don't care about plot, some of my favourite movies have stupid (see: Carefree [1938]) or non existent plots.

When i watch a good comedy i feel the need to drink a lot of water (to keep hydration levels up so i can laugh more) but in this i did not feel thirsty. In fact i watched the 1st half of Gone With The Wind almost straight after this and i felt the need for water more than i did for this (i'll review GWTW once i finish the 2nd half). I'm not saying it wasn't funny, i'm just saying that it wasn't as funny as it made itself out to be.

The musical numbers are hardly memorable and are actually very annoying and weak, the cast weren't bad singers, Groucho's song 'Lydia the tattooed lady' is very memorable and catchy, but thats in another film, not this one. The songs in this are no good and should have ended up on the cutting room floor.

The infamous mirror scene provided a good laugh as did the war scenes and the first meeting between Rufus T Firefly (Groucho, who is a joy to watch when he insult people) and Mrs Teasdale (Margaret Dumont). I suppose the Marx Bros were a sort of 'when it rains it pours' kind of team, either they were drop dead hilarious or stupid. This movie had equal moments of both. I'd still see it again because i happen to think that it was quite an acceptable movie that demands multiple viewings so as to pick up things one may have missed, usually these kinds of films make it on to my favourites list (see: West Side Story, Romy and Michele's HS reunion, The Wizard Of oz). So i will certainly watch again just make sure.

I suppose it wasn't necessarily that the movie was bad- i can think of worse films- but it's the fact it has garnered a reputation that it is a masterful comedy, well it's not. But again: it is not a bad comedy.

"Married. I can see you right now in the kitchen bending over a hot stove. only i can't see the stove" Rufus T Firefly (Groucho Marx) Duck Soup.