Truly Dreadful Film

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A high point in the films of the Marx Bros. Maybe their very best film ever... though 'A Night at the Opera' is a very close second place.... Yes, non-stop zaniness and a bare plot of a story, but does that even matter, when you can LYAO just watching this rare gem, any day of the week?! Laughter is medicine, and the Marx Bros. all deserve an honorary PhD. for their comedy antics! God Bless the Clowns! God Bless mother Marx for giving birth to these geniuses of Comedy.... the best ambassadors that America could ever gift to all the world! Maybe if every country shared their comedy with every other country, we would understand each other a bit better? That's my plan for World Peace!

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.

The last of the Marx Bros. movies to feature Zeppo and the last made at Paramount is also my favorite. The brothers would go on to make some more good movies but, in my view, their Paramount films are when they were at their best. The nonstop zaniness and unpredictability of them was unlike anything else in film comedy at the time. This is a hilarious satire with Groucho in arguably his most famous role, Rufus T. Firefly, the newly-appointed leader of the small country of Freedonia who leads his country into war with neighboring Sylvania. The brothers are all terrific with some of their most memorable gags in this one. Margaret Dumont is back after missing two consecutive movies. Her scenes with Groucho are some of the film's highlights. Louis Calhern makes for a fine villain and Raquel Torres is one of the sexiest women from any of the Marx films. Edgar Kennedy is a hoot as a vendor that has trouble with Chico and Harpo. It's directed by Leo McCarey, who went on to win Oscars and direct some classic films with Cary Grant and Bing Crosby. Duck Soup also has probably the highest quality production values of any of the Marx films at Paramount. The sets and costumes are very nice. It's easy to see why this is considered the Marx Brothers' masterpiece. Aside from being funny from start to finish with hilarious songs and many great gags, it has been highly influential over the years on everything from Bugs Bunny to Woody Allen. One of the greatest comedies ever made and certainly one I recommend everyone see at least once.

Lunacy from start to finish. The routines never cease and almost all are belly laughs, at least for us Marxists. There's something of a plot, which happily never gets in the way. It's something about Groucho's country of Freedonia and a rivalry with Calhern's Sylvania. Meanwhile zillionaire matron Dumont is the dubious prize. Naturally, the boys comically foil every plot to snatch her away. Trouble is words don't come close to capturing the non-stop lunacy of the 70-minutes. What's generally overlooked, however, is how well produced the feature is. The royal hall is huge, well decorated, and staffed with armies of costumed extras. Thankfully, Paramount cut few corners and it shows. And catch that mass scene of squirming bodies near the end that borders on a surreal even as the routines continue. Comic highlights include the famous mirror scene, getting hats on straight at the hotdog stand, and Groucho's many throwaway lines. I can just imagine what it was like trying to direct this madness from a director's chair. Whatever they paid McCarey, it wasn't enough.Anyway, the boys are in top form including the uncertain Zeppo before he wisely became a Hollywood talent agent. So, for younger folks, don't miss the well-crafted 1933 craziness. As the goofiness shows, surreal comedy didn't begin with the wacko likes of Bill Murray, Jim Carey, or even The Three Stooges!