Duck Soup

"I'll see my lawyer about this as soon as he graduates from law school!" Brilliant. Just brilliant. I can't believe it took me so long to finally get around and watch one of the Marx Brothers films. But man, I can imagine this was a pain to film, and there had to be so many takes to perfect the comedy and timing. There was a part in the movie where a prop chair fell on Groucho Marx's head during a chaotic scene, and I could tell it was not planned at all. Thankfully, the results made for one classic comedy.

How can a movie this old still make me laugh? There are no awkward jokes about penises homosexuality or taking a dump. How is this funny? Sometimes lessons can be learned from an 80 year old film. The Marx Brothers were comic geniuses. There timing and interactions are masterful. Though their bits are often manic you've got to watch closely. The things they say require a sharp ear. You may not get all of the jokes because times have changed but you'll laugh anyway. Get past the fact that this is black and white or that's it's old and you will see cartoon characters come to life. "Duck Soup" is a wonderful military satire. Groucho and Chico really shine here. The conversations that they have are hilarious. I'll admit to my belief that Harpo is always a little creepy but his physicality here is amazing. Check out the classic "mirror" scene staged by Harpo and Groucho for a perfect example.