#The marx brothers duck soup series#

Firefly agrees to the plan, but after a series of personal insults exchanged between Firefly and Trentino, the plan backfires when Firefly slaps Trentino instead of being slapped by him. A short time later, Firefly's secretary, Bob Roland, tells Firefly he suspects Trentino's motives and he advises him to get rid of the thin-skinned Trentino by insulting him. Teasdale as he tries to dig up dirt on Firefly by sending in spies Chicolini and Pinky.Р”Р„fter failing to collect any useful information against Firefly, Chicolini and Pinky are able to infiltrate the government when Chicolini is appointed Secretary of War after Firefly notices him selling peanuts outside his window. Sylvanian ambassador Trentino tries to foment a revolution and court Mrs. Meanwhile, the neighboring country of Sylvania is scheming to annex Freedonia. Firefly be appointed leader of the small, financially struggling nation of Freedonia before she will continue to provide much-needed financial aid. In 1990, the United States Library of Congress deemed Duck Soup 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Duck Soup is now widely considered among many critics and fans to be a masterpiece of comedy as well as the Marx Brothers' finest film. While contemporaneous critics of Duck Soup felt it did not quite rise to the level of its predecessors, critical opinion has evolved and the film has since achieved the status of a classic. After the film fulfilled their five-picture obligation to the studio, the Marxes and Paramount agreed to part ways. Bitter contract disputes, including a threatened boycott by the Marxes soured their negotiations with Paramount just as Duck Soup went into production. The film opened to mixed reviews, although this by itself did not end the group's association with Paramount. Relations between Groucho and the Sylvanian ambassador deteriorate during the film, and they go to war at the conclusion.Р”В¬ompared to the Marx Brothers' previous films, Duck Soup was a box office disappointment, though not entirely a 'flop' as is sometimes reported. Groucho plays the newly installed president of the mythical country of Freedonia, and Zeppo is his secretary, while Harpo and Chico are spies for the rival country of Sylvania. It was the last Marx Brothers film to feature Zeppo and the last of five Marx Brothers movies released by Paramount Pictures. Released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on November 17, 1933, it starred the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo) and also featured Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Raquel Torres and Edgar Kennedy. And remember, while youРІР‚в„ўre out there risking your life and limb through shout and shell, weРІР‚в„ўll be in here thinking what a sucker you are.РІР‚Сњ The world can be so dark that laughter is the only option.Duck Soup is a 1933 pre-Code comedy film written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, with additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin, directed by Leo McCarey. It is down to the grinning hooligan persona they concoct, as if nothing in the world matters.Р”Р„s one dopey brother is sent to press the lines of a besieged building, GrouchoРІР‚в„ўs rabbit mouthed Firefly sends him on his way in typical fashion: РІР‚СљYouРІР‚в„ўre a brave man. Strangelove and betters ChaplinРІР‚в„ўs haughty The Great Dictator for caustic verve. And here was the second triumph of Duck Soup, although they denied it, it remains one of the most incisive anti-war satires ever made, a film that rivals Dr. It was the only time they teamed up with legendary director Leo McCarey, who tidied up their lose edges and encouraged them to seek loftier targets to spoil. What raises this particular episode of their mania above all others, is twofold.

The film reaches a state of frenzy that is almost ecstatic as Rufus T Firefly, Groucho at is most snappily assured with those hydraulic eyebrows permanently banked at sarcastic, determines to send his new plaything, the nation of Freedonia, off to war with its neighbour.Р”Р„fter all, their ambassador had called him an, РІР‚Сљupstart!РІР‚Сњ Any slower and the cracks would show, their policy is that if you tell it fast enough it will always be funny. The genius of the Brothers infectious routines, a febrile mix of deranged slapstick (none of ChaplinРІР‚в„ўs arty body-balletic, thank you) and the snap and sting of GrouchoРІР‚в„ўs wordplay (РІР‚СљRemember, you're fighting for this woman's honour, which is probably more than she ever didРІР‚Сњ), is the pace at which it spills forth. Arguably, alongside A Day At The Races, the Marx Brothers zenith, this brief satire-in-extremis packs more into its 68 minute examination of international politicking than subsequent comedies do with another hour.