Duck Soup

"Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup the rest of your life." That's the explanation that Henry "Groucho" Marx gave for the title of the 1933 Marx Brothers gem.

Duck Soup is about to be 80 years old, yet it's a very refreshing and brilliant film by any standards. It is a testament that sometimes you can make people laugh without sex jokes or puking gags. Not that I have anything against it, but it does get a little old at times, especially if it's used recurrently and unnecessary in some scenes. Duck Soup uses all four Marx Brothers at what they do best to make audiences laugh.

Rufus T. Firefly the newly appointed
President of Freedonia

Groucho stars as Rufus T. Firefly, the recently appointed President of Freedonia, a country in high debt that is also the target of a revolution coming from its neighbor Sylvania, who's ambassador Mr. Trentino intends to marry Mrs. Teasdale, the wealthy socialite who lent $20 million dollars to Freedonia's government under the condition that Firefly was appointed leader. All though the movie Groucho is hillarious with his always on the spot "one-liners" as he tries to cope with an inept cabinet, a secretary of defense who is also a spy that works for Sylvania, a driver who always takes off without his leader, and a secretary who has to mail dentists checks without actually enclosing the check.

In a romantic scene between Firefly and Mrs. Teasdale, Rufus says to his darling: "Married. I can see you right now in the kitchen bending over a hot stove. But I can't see the stove." Another favorite line of mine happens in court when Firefly is interrogating Chiccolini -Fredonia's secretary of defense who also happens to be a spy from Sylvania working for ambassador Trentino-, as he tells to the jury: "Gentlemen, Chiccolini here may look like an idiot, act like an idiot and talk like an idiot. But don't let that fool you...he really is an idiot!"

"Married: I can see you right now in the
kitchen bending over a hot stove.
But I can't see the stove!"

What makes Duck Soup great is the crazy yet sharp script, but more importantly the chemistry between the four brothers and the remaining characters. Yes, there are certain aspects of the movie that look a bit outdated but still the light pace and wonderful direction make up for that; so if you can get past this barrier, you will have a cool time enjoying this piece of art. The musical segments can be a little unexpected, but they were a need back in the 1930s; also, Margaret Dumont, the actress that plays Mrs. Teasdale, also known as the fifth Marx Brother- happened to be a professional opera singer, so it is nice to see her talent on screen.

Humor can take many forms, such as satire, sitcom, direct, impersonations, and of course the vauderville gag. If comedy is your thing, then know this: Duck Soup is a must on the list of any film fan, so do yourself a favor and go get this movie.

The mirror scene