On The Marx Brothers (with reviews of Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera)

I do not like the Marx Brothers. I don't have any bad feelings towards them personally, it's just that if I had an hour or two of free time that I wanted to enjoy, watching a Marx Brothers movie would be pretty near the bottom of my list of things to do.

I remember watching a Marx Bros. movie or two with my brother when we were kids; out dad used to rent them for us. (Our dad was also a fan of the Three Stooges; I think it's just a result of growing up in a different era.) And I remember not being too impressed, but I'd always chalked that up to the fact that as a kid I basically rejected anything black and white. However, having recently seen two Marx Brothers films I can confidently say that I am just not a Marx Brothers fan.

That's not to say that there aren't things I find funny in their movies. When the entire dialogue of the movie consists of a flurry of zingers, odds are that one or two are going to hit the mark. However, too many of the jokes are just too dated; a lot of Groucho's jokes, in particular, have to do with women and ideas of womanhood that don't really resonate today. Also, a lot of the jokes use dated vocabulary; I don't mind this at all, really--in fact, I love it--but it usually means it takes a couple extra seconds to process what's being said. Given the fast-paced nature of Marx Bros. movies, you don't usually have the luxury of a few extra seconds.

Fortunately, there are plenty of sight gags and physical comedy to keep you occupied even if you don't get the one-liners. Unfortunately, most of that stuff isn't all that funny to me. Partly, this could be an effect of the success of the Marx Brothers. For instance, the famous mirror scene from Duck Soup, where Groucho and Harpo (in disguise as Groucho) mimic each other in various hilarious ways, has been replicated countless times. Most recently, I think I saw it on an episode of SNL. Also, the old "cut some dude's tie off" routine (which, for all I know, predates the Marx Brothers), pops up in The Wire, a Capital One commercial with Alec Baldwin, and countless other places I'm sure.

At least they knew how to keep movies short back then. At 92 minutes, A Night at the Opera practically feels like an epic. I think I fell asleep. I'm sure at some point I'll re-watch it, since I'll feel guilty about not liking it, but at least I won't waste too much time on it.

Duck Soup (1933)

Terry's Grade: B-

Groucho is some sort of charlatan who convinces a wealthy woman from some obscure, made-up European country ("Freedonia") to appoint him leader. Chico and Harpo are a duo of spies sent to infiltrate Groucho's government. They try to steal Freedonia's secret war plans, which results in Harpo dressed up in disguise as Groucho in his pajamas (complete with a pointy nightcap), sneaking around the lady's mansion. Eventually he runs into the real Groucho, and the mirror scene ensues. Later, they all go to war. Not that any of that really matters, it's just an excuse for jokes. There are songs, too. I liked this better than Opera, maybe because it's shorter, maybe because it's a little zanier.

 

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Terry's Grade: C

Admittedly, I think I fell asleep at some point during this movie. The basic plot is that Groucho overhears someone talking about how much some famous opera singer is going to be paid, then he mistakenly signs a contract with a different singer, thinking he's the famous one. Chico plays the lesser singer's manager, and Harpo plays a "dresser," basically a costume assistant. The scene with the drafting of the contract is kind of funny, if a bit too long:

Somehow, they all end up on a steamer. There is a classic scene where dozens of people end up crammed into Groucho's cabin:

Eventually they do end up at the opera, and chaos ensues (you know, backdrops going up and down, people swinging from the rafters). That kind of comedy doesn't really do it for me. My recommendation is to watch a few clips on YouTube of the most famous scenes, and save yourself the trouble of watching the whole film.