 |
| Title: DUCK SOUP Year: 1933 Rating: **** |
Heavily influencing comparably-modern classics from Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLES to Woody Allen's BANANAS (and even Charlie Chaplin's THE GREAT DICTATOR), The Marx Brothers' DUCK SOUP is by far their greatest movie... with a neatly constructed beginning, middle and end where their perfect straight-person Margaret Dumont forces the fictional country of Freedonia to hire Groucho Marx's Rufus T. Firefly to rule the land...
And while quiet/handsome brother Zeppo is ultimately wasted, once again as Groucho's note-scribbling assistant, and Harpo's role seems rather forced, mostly just cutting things with scissors, Chico, who becomes Groucho's more hands-on sidekick, is of almost equal importance to the quip-spouting, mustached leader...
 |
Groucho Marx and Chico Marx in DUCK SOUP
|
Whose constant barbs are hit and miss, especially since there aren't enough reasons for the insults aimed at Dumont's character since... while not being perfect-looking... she's the one who made him president...
And that's where a wonderful villain in sublime actor Louis Calhern comes in... running an opposing country that wants to take over, he's not only far more deserving of insults but he proves a palpable menace for the brothers to have to work hard against, making DUCK SOUP not only a worthwhile political satire (although Groucho's really not that Mussolini-like, as supposedly intended) but a good story as well: the most important element in any comedy film.
 |
| Ducks in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Louis Calhern and Margaret Dumont in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Louis Calhern in DUCK SOUP |
 |
Louis Calhern in DUCK SOUP with Chico and Harpo Marx
|
 |
| Groucho Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx with Zeppo, Chico and Harpo in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx with Zeppo in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx with Chico in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx with Zeppo in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Louis Calhern in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx with Zeppo, Chico and Harpo in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Zeppo Marx, Louis Calhern and Margaret Dumont in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Zeppo Marx and Groucho Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Zeppo Marx and Groucho Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Zeppo Marx and Groucho Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Zeppo Marx and Groucho Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Harpo Marx and Groucho Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
Louis Calhern and Margaret Dumont in DUCK SOUP with Groucho Marx and Raquel Torres
|
 |
| Louis Calhern in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Raquel Torres in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Chico Marx in DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Opening with DUCK SOUP |
 |
| Groucho Marx with Zeppo, Chico and Harpo in DUCK SOUP |
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b...
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr...
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ...
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin...
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ...
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis...
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All...
CADDDYSHACK is best known for the iconic leading actors: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray, but originally the ...
Elizabeth James and Tom Laughlin on equal ground YEAR: 1967 THE BORN LOSERS wasn't supposed to happen but thank God it did since BIL...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.