Duck Soup
Composite Score: 85.1
Starring: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Raquel Torres, and Louis Calhern
Director: Leo McCarey
Writers: Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby
Genres: Comedy, Musical, Satire
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $103,800 worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Duck Soup is the Marx Brothers film about the dictator of the fictional nation of Freedonia and the efforts by a foreign ambassador to thwart his efforts to woo the wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale. The film features all four of the Marx Brothers, with Groucho in the leading role of Rufus T. Firefly, Harpo and Chico as the inept Sylvanian spies Pinky and Chicolini, and Zeppo as Rufus’s secretary Bob Roland, along with Margaret Dumont as Gloria Teasdale, Raquel Torres as the dubious Vera Marcal, and Louis Calhern as the antagonistic Ambassador Trentino. The film is considered a classic comedy, celebrated for its political satire and influence on future filmmakers.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Duck Soup’s biggest issue is that, like the other Marx Brothers films, it’s not actually that funny anymore. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, so let me temper that statement by saying that it’s not actually a funny film. Sure, the bits are funny, and the double entendre and witticisms elicit a chuckle from time to time, but the overarching sense of the film is more of watching an extended Chive TV compilation of bits from the 1930s with the same four comedians all in the same basic setting. It ends up feeling more like a creatively done comedy special than an actual film. Are the bits more timeless than most comedy specials? Probably, but that just means that they’re fairly generic, requiring skill in delivery but not much actual creative timing, though some might argue that the film itself was timely enough to get Mussolini to ban it, so I guess that’s something. For me, though, I would prefer a film whose story comes first and whose jokes come second, allowing the jokes to feel more natural because their setting feels more natural.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The saving grace for Duck Soup is the political commentary that underpins all of its bits, tiring as they may be. The film’s open critique of the influence of wealthy donors on politics, the ineptitude of rulers with absolute power, and the ridiculous conflicts that occur as the result of petty infighting between rulers helps it stand the test of time even if its jokes don’t always land. The story of the film itself might be lacking in overall development of any characters, but the truths that lie underneath the insanity unfolding on-screen cannot be denied. So often, the decisions of national governments are driven by a desire to keep the wealthiest happy, regardless of their decisions’ impact on the rest of the populace. Groucho’s portrayal of Rufus T. Firefly serves as a funny but sobering political caricature of that inept demagogue who maintains popularity through a combination patriotic speeches, which hide more nefarious political goals of suppression and corruption, and support from a few (or just one) uber-wealthy supporters all while being aggressive toward the nation’s allies and mishandling the day-to-day affairs of the government so poorly that, if any crisis were to hit, the country would come utterly apart (dang, I wish I could think of any modern parallels). Even in the midst of its nonstop joking, the film manages to remind us of the potential for truth in comedy.
Duck Soup wins its audience over through a level of political satire that speaks universal truth to the state of world governments hidden under the thick veneer of the Marx Brothers’ typical jokes, which ends up being a winning combination. The jokes might outshine the flimsy story against which they are set, but the satire and its startling poignancy should keep audiences coming back to this film. It is currently available to rent on most streaming services for anyone looking to watch it in the near future.
