Duck Soup

1895-1999
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Post by Sonic Youth »

rain Bard wrote:Well, personally I enjoy Horse Feathers more than Duck Soup and the Circus more than City Lights, but I attribute this partly to the viewing conditions under which I've seen them- with comedies like these it can't be stressed enough how important it can be to see them with an audience to enjoy. Having seen Horse Feathers in a revival theatre and the Circus in a classroom setting, filled with young kids, surely enhanced the viewing experience for me.
Exactly. You watch the Marx Brothers alone on a TV, you ain't watching the Marx Bros. Watch it in a theater with a large crowd, and there's nothing more raucous or crazy. When I was a kid, I saw a double feature of "A Day at the Races" and "At the Circus". It wasn't my first Marx Brothers experience by any means - I was already a big fan - but it was my first time watching those two. The entire audience was in hysterics, and I had a great time. Even with "At the Circus" which is considered one of their weaker films. And it is. Not a great film, but the humor and chaos still came across. It's one of my fondest movie-going experiences.

Marx Bros. films, particularly the early ones, are direct offshoots of vaudeville made for the benefit of audiences who didn't live in big cities and it was a way to capture these antics on a permanent record. These movies weren't made for any grand purpose other than to make audiences laugh. And the films are paced as a vaudeville revue, taking a few seconds for the audience to regain composure from their laughter. Which is why an audience is crucial for the viewing experience.

It also helps to have a feel for Jewish humor.
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Post by OscarGuy »

I guess my problem was that it was humor for the sake of humor. There was virtually no plot. The Netflix sleeve said it was a political satire, but I couldn't see anything truly political in it.

I didn't hate City Lights. Actually, I guess Chaplin isn't so bad for me. I actually like that his films had social messages and actually seemed to be about something, but when he spent 20 minutes on a joke, it got quickly tedious.

And the only thing in the entire film of Duck Soup that I enjoyed was Harpo, although some of his antics got old. Groucho was funny only in his method of delivery, but perhaps it's because their routines have become so cliche that I can't help but see how cheeesy the entire affair is. Add to that the multitude of times I've seen the "mirror" routine done in the past, it may just be something I don't think is funny based on that.
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Post by Big Magilla »

True enough. I first saw all the Chaplin films except The Circus in a revival theatre in the 70s. City Lights was probably the first and it remains my favorite.

I don't recall seeing any of the Marx Bros. films in theatres, but I grew up on Groucho's You Bet Your Life TV show so I was used to his verbal sparring long before I witnessed his pratfalls. My favorite Marx Bros. film had always been A Night at the Opera until I watched Duck Soup with my three nephews who really didn't want to watch an old balck and white movie. The youngest, who is 11 now, coudld have been anywhere from 6 to 8 when I showed him this, especially loved the film. He still laughs whenever I mention the title, remembering the mirror scene and the fact that there was no duck soup in Duck Soup - everything else, but no duck soup!
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Post by rain Bard »

Well, personally I enjoy Horse Feathers more than Duck Soup and the Circus more than City Lights, but I attribute this partly to the viewing conditions under which I've seen them- with comedies like these it can't be stressed enough how important it can be to see them with an audience to enjoy. Having seen Horse Feathers in a revival theatre and the Circus in a classroom setting, filled with young kids, surely enhanced the viewing experience for me.
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Post by Heksagon »

Well, I'm looking at your post with a "huh". The film is great, one of my favourite comedies.
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Post by Big Magilla »

I woudln't lump The Three Stooges in with Chaplin and The Marx Brothers. The Three Stooges could be funny in a course kind of way, but they were strictly a low rent phenomenon.

Chaplin aspired to great art, which made him seem a bit pretentious at times - Monseiur Verdoux, Limelight and his later work being prime examples, but City Lights alone would justify his position in the pantheon.

The Marx Brothers tickled the funny bone with their verbal sparring as well as the sheer unlikelhood of the situations they foudn themselves in. Duck Soup is an extremely sily movie. You have to be in a very serene or silly place to enjoy it. If you have the weight of the world on your shoulders when viewing it you're probably not going to find it funny. If you want something to take your midn offf things it's better to go with A Night at the Opera or At the Circus, two screwball comedies that seem more plausible at least on the surface. Anonymous is right, the mirror scene in Duck Soup is one of, if not THE, most hilarious sequnece ever captured on film - but you have to be in the mood.
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Post by OscarGuy »

Honestly, I looked at it with a "huh". Not funny. I also don't think Chaplin's funny.

There may have been a couple of funny moments, but I didn't really laugh at all (same with City Lights).
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Post by anonymous1980 »

Ummm...it's ONLY one of the funniest movies ever made?

Why, the mirror scene alone is pure comedy brilliance. I laugh every time I see it.
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Post by OscarGuy »

I guess I'll never understand the fascination with Chaplin, the Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers. While there are some clever little puns and creative rhyming, this has to be one of the biggest "huh"s I've ever sat through. How this has become such a cultural touchstone, I don't quite get. There may be a few things that have influenced generations, but really, I would have to say the influence is minimal (at least from what I've seen).

And what the hell does the title have to do with the film? Nothing. I can't see a single thing. The acting (outside of the comedy team) was abominable.

What is it about this movie that makes it a classic and so well beloved as to even make the AFI's 100 list...
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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