This is about as far as you can get from The Godfather but it may
have one thing in common - not enough female fans. I think that a lot of
women hear Marx Brothers and think guy thing like The Three Stooges.
But the Marx Brothers had an intelligence behind their low brow humor
that the Stooges never did. Certainly everyone should see at least one
Marx Brothers movie so you can judge for yourself and my personal
recommendation is Duck Soup. Some Film experts prefer the better
plotted and written movies that they made under the tutelage of Irving
Thalberg at MGM, but I still think that plot is as superfluous to a Marx
Brothers movie as it is to an Astaire and Rogers musical. We really
only care about the jokes, and Duck Soup is as chock full of one liners
and sight gags as any movie you'll ever see.
Still,
the plot, such as it is, is particularly timely in its anti-war message.
The tiny European nation of Fredonia is rescued from bankruptcy by
wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale (played by the perennial Groucho foil
Margaret Dumont). Her loan, however, is conditional on Rufus T.
Firefly's (Groucho) being made President. Firefly is clearly mad, and
immediately gets into a fight with the ambassador from neighboring
Sylvania over the affections of Mrs. Teasdale. Their fight quickly
escalates into war!
Francois Truffaut once said that Duck Soup was the best anti-war film ever because it refuses to take
war seriously. I personally agree and I agree that movies and other
cultural phenomena can have an enormous effect on people's view of any
subject. But politics aside, this is mostly just hilarious nonsense.
Harpo is at his slapstick best. Groucho does some hilarious songs and
has numerous lines that can bring real laughter, not just wry smiles. Check it out
ladies I promise it's worth it.
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