Musashi94 Fueled by some truly inspired gags and absolutely biting satire, Duck Soup is the Marx Brothers' best work and one of the greatest comedies of all time. The plot sees Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) become leader of the vaguely European nation of Freedonia as he plunges his country into war with the neighboring Sylvania – for no good reason – while being menaced by a pair of Sylvanian spies (Harpo Marx and Chico Marx).As with most Marx Brothers films, the plot is pretty much an excuse for gags, one-liners and satirical observations on human society; however, this particular story gives the brothers a treasure trove of material from which to draw on. Although some of their other films can feel a bit padded, Duck Soup never feels overlong, in large part thanks to the fact that every scene is so chock full of rich comedic material.A lot of the credit for this goes to the film's director, Leo McCarey. Although just a hired hand for Paramount comedy shorts at the time, he would go on to direct classics like Make Way for Tomorrow and An Affair to Remember. His skill as a director helps to keep the pacing brisk while also helping to get the best out of each of the brothers. McCarey is also responsible for the iconic mirror scene, which has been oft-imitated but never equaled.One of the Marx Brothers biggest strengths is the variety of their style of humor. In comedic terms, there's a little something for everyone. Groucho with his urbane wit, Harpo for slapstick and Chico playing dim-witted tricksters. Zeppo (in his final film appearance) is also present in his usual straight-man role. Each of the brothers is arguably at their best in Duck Soup leading to hilarious set-pieces such as the legendary mirror scene to the absurdist battle scenes at the climax, with Groucho wearing a different – and ridiculous – military uniform each time the camera cuts away complete with some absolutely savage take downs of war, patriotism and the concept of heroism.If the mark of greatness for a comedy lies in its ability to make practically anyone laugh, Duck Soup stands in my mind as one of the absolute greatest comedies of all time. Filled with wit and general hilarity, it remains one of the crown jewels of comic filmmaking.

richspenc Oh, the golden age of Hollywood. A time for best classic films. Judy Garland, Esther Williams, Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Gene Kelly, and Fred Astair gave us the best musicals. Humphry Bogart, Vivien Leigh, Betty Davis, Clark Gable, Ingred Bergman, and Katherine Hepburn gave us the best dramas. W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx brothers gave us the best comedy. All of it from a bygone era, so special and wonderful. They just don't make em like they used to anymore. Any of it. "Duck soup" is another great Marx brothers comedy, just like "A night at the opera", " Animal crackers", and "A day at the races". I don't want to add too many spoilers here. This film gave us the famous mirror scene, the grand entrance opening, and many other scenes and funny lines from them all, especially Groucho. This was another Marx brothers film that made me laugh so much my sides hurt. So funny. So great. Like I said before, they don't make em like they used to anymore.

SimonJack The Marx Brothers were among the best comedy entertainers of their time and beyond. They were gifted musicians as well as comedians. Their comedy included dialog with one-liners and zingers, zany antics, slapstick and acrobatics. Some of their movies are among the funniest and best comedies of all time. Many sources regard "Duck Soup" as their best film. I don't, and here's why. This film was still early in their movie careers and strikes me as raw and unpolished. It has many lines and routines that seem right out of vaudeville. Indeed, the long scenes with the peanut vending come from a vaudeville act that the brothers recreate in a couple of movies. There's nothing wrong with the variety performances of vaudeville, except that today they are old hat and just not as funny. And many of the one- liners are so old that they too lack humor today. The long scenes of costumed players singing the Freedonia anthem lose their humor after the first one or two. "Duck Soup" seems to me to be a succession of skits held together by the thinnest of plots. Plots aren't necessary for great comedy, but then the comedy must be able to stand on its own. I just don't think "Duck Soup" has the comedy that does that. One last thing that bothers me about this film is the insult in some of Groucho's lines. It goes overboard here. As an aside, this is one of the few of the brothers' big films in which they don't perform musically. Their musical talents were surely of professional level and when they played in their other films, they added a little something to the story – and even to the mayhem at times. I rate "A Night at the Opera" as the best Marx Brothers film, and one of the greatest comedies of all time. Close behind it is "A Day at the Races." Those films differ considerably from "Duck Soup" in that they have interesting serious plots that make for much more laughter with the zany scenes. And, they have much better developed dialog with witty lines and wonderful zingers. In the place of silliness (slaps in the face, verbal insults, etc.) that pepper "Duck Soup," those films spend a little time with plot involving other actors. That makes the comedy all the more hilarious in the scenes that follow. "Duck Soup" may be the silliest movie the Marx Brothers made. But it's not the funniest by a long shot. Nor is it their best, in my view.

brchthethird DUCK SOUP is a riotously funny, anarchic comedy from the Marx Brothers which is a send-up of government and international politics. At 68 minutes, it could hardly be considered long, but if it was much longer I felt it would have worn out its welcome. The Marx Brothers' trademark humor has aged well, but I felt that some of the wordplay was hit or miss. This might be due to the rapidity with which Groucho spits out the lines, because not all of them were funny to me and quite possibly because some of them went over my head. What I felt was the best part of the movie were the physical comedy routines. As such, my favorite parts were a running gag in which Harpo torments a lemonade salesman, a scene involving a mirror and the final act where Groucho changes costumes in every scene. Since the movie is one of the earlier "talkies", the acting is somewhat stiff/stilted (in a cinematic context, but perfectly normal in a theatrical context). Margaret Dumont's Mrs. Teasdale is probably the best example of this, although her character was supposed to be that way. Overall, I thought the movie was very well done, but I got the feeling that the Marx Brothers have done better. This type of comedy mostly works for me, and I look forward to delving further into the Marx Brothers' filmography.