Duck Soup poster & wallpaper

Charles Middleton, Chico Marx, Edgar Kennedy

For those who love the Marx Brothers (Animal Crackers, A Night at the Opera), that this movie is side-slappingly funny is a given. For those new to the Marx Brothers, this is the perfect...( read more  read more... ) introduction to Groucho, Chico, and Harpo (and even Zeppo), three of the funniest men to ever grace the screen. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) is the dictator of the small nation Freedonia. The country is a disaster, in financial disrepair, and the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) is its benefactor and the object of Firefly's shrewd affection. When the leader of the neighboring Sylvania decides he's in love with Mrs. Teasdale, Firefly declares war. The movie, from 1933, is tremendously satirical, a play on politics and war. (As Firefly says to a hapless young solider, "You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.") Full of witty lines, great sight gags, and even some snazzy song numbers ("Freedonia's Going to War" is the hilarious declaration of battle), this is surely one of the best--if not the best--the Marx Brothers have to offer. --Jenny Brown

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92% liked it

9,149 ratings

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94% liked it

35 critics

Unrated, 68 min.

Directed by: Leo McCarey

Release Date: November 17, 1933

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DVD Release Date: October 10, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (1,867)

  • DragonEyeMorrison
    March 6, 2009
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Best Marx bros film, both a political satire and a non-stop marathon of slapstick and verbal humour. Rufus T Firefly's lines are hillarious and very quotable.
  • ThePublicEnemy
    December 24, 2008
    ThePublicEnemy
    You wanna see a hilarious movie, then watch this. Yes, its old. And yes, its pretty confusing to understand what its about, but it is thee FUNIEST movie ever! I dont think any comedy in the world could top this movie.
  • DrZeek
    August 10, 2008
    DrZeek
    Rufus T. Firefly: You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.

    Another wonderfully funny Marx Brothers movie.

    Featuring all fou...( read more)r brothers, this time Groucho becomes leader of a country only to provoke another leader into going into war against him.

    Mrs. Teasdale: As chairman of the reception committee, I welcome you with open arms.
    Rufus T. Firefly: Is that so? How late do you stay open?

    Chico and Harpo are also around as spies against Groucho, while Zeppo serves as an assistant to Groucho.

    The plot of course, does not really matter, because its all setup for hilarity coming from Groucho's zingers, the plays on words from Chico, and the physical comedy from Harpo.

    The movie is very funny, with a couple of key sequences that are absolutely hilarious.

    Rufus T. Firefly: Now, what is it that has four pairs of pants, lives in Philadelphia, and it never rains but it pours?
    Chicolini: Atsa good one. I give you three guesses.
    Rufus T. Firefly: Now let me see. Has four pair of pants, lives in Philadelphia... Is it male or female?
    Chicolini: No, I no think so.
    Rufus T. Firefly: Is he dead?
    Chicolini: Who?
    Rufus T. Firefly: I don't know. I give up.
    Chicolini: I give up, too.
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 22, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "I got a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it."

    The Marx Brothers have been fondly remembered for several of their timeless comedy productions. Similar to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, their classic films are overflowing with terrific gags th...( read more)at are still hilarious even during the 21st Century.

    On the topic of the best Marx Brothers picture many will agree that Duck Soup generally comes out on top. I strongly agree. Duck Soup was a massive failure at the box office when first released; despite this, I found the film to be excellent entertainment and one of the best classic comedies in cinematic history.

    Be warned, though, that some might not find 30s humour to their liking. I absolutely adored the gags, but there will be some who disagree.

    The country of Freedonia is in a financial mess. To save the country from bankruptcy a wealthy woman (Dumont) agrees to donate a large sum of money. But in return she requests that Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) takes charge of Freedonia. But mayhem erupts when Firefly takes charge; he is a stubborn, sadistic leader who refuses to play politics by the book.

    To make matters worse, the country doesn't have a strong relationship with their neighbouring country Sylvania. The government of Sylvania decide to send agents in to recover top secret information (i.e. the country's war plans). When relationships worsen between Freedonia and Sylvania, Rufus declares war just for the hell of it.

    Duck Soup is a film filled with plenty of wonderful set pieces. The laughs just never get old. Said laughs are a combination of witty dialogue and wonderful physical humour. My favourite gag of the film will always be the mirror sequence. I died with laughter when I was watching that scene.

    There are several other physical gags that I will always love but don't do much for advancing the plot. Not that I'm complaining, though. What makes this classic a whole lot better than recent comedies by modern comedians is that there was focus and attention on actually developing a discernable plot rather than focusing on the laughs. The Marx Brothers found the perfect balance of developing a good plot as well as a heavy concentration on the great humour. The plot isn't groundbreaking, but at least it's actually present.

    I liked the energetic performances from everyone in the cast. The four Marx Brothers present in the film give it 100% (the final film that featured all four brothers). It's obvious that some of the more complicated gags had to be thoroughly rehearsed. This just goes to show how focused they were in the days preceding a heavy reliance on special effects or cutting corners.

    Groucho was the real stand out for me in the movie. Don't get me wrong - they are all tremendously good - but my favourite was definitely Groucho. He was just so sharp and funny! As a confused politician, he nails it. The gags are staged very well thanks to both the cast and the great directing as well.

    Overall, Duck Soup is a classic and a fantastic movie. It's funny and very entertaining. Proof that 1930's humour is still funny after all these years.
  • dooritor1
    April 20, 2008
    dooritor1
    Humor sets a new level here.
  • cavemanlawyer91
    October 12, 2009
    cavemanlawyer91
    lmao, a tad slow in the beginning but as soon as Harpo and Chico appeared I never stopped laughing. Great flick.
  • jimmelanson1
    October 4, 2009
    jimmelanson1
    An absolutely hilarious classic. The Marx Brothers' best film, and my all-time favorite comedy. I never get tired of watching it. Everybody is at their rapid fire best.
  • ahhh1989
    September 20, 2009
    ahhh1989
    Not my favorite Marx brothers films, but certainly interesting.
  • ElCochran90
    September 11, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Although I've never been particularly an avid fan of the Marx brothers, I accept that their films are funny and quite enjoyable to see. However, Duck Soup tops them all because of its genius. It does not only have unforgettable gags and unbelievably hilarious and absurd moments, ...( read more)but the political and social criticism it contains was very well thought. Whether a person has or not seen a Marx brothers movie before, that person will find this movie brilliant in several aspects.

    Duck Soup tells the story of Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) who is named president of Freedonia, a small country that's going through a very difficult economical situation. Since this moment, crazy jokes and mayhem ensues for everybody. Things get worse once Rufus declares war on its neighbor country Sylvania.

    The musical numbers, although random, were very funny and genius :) Each Marx brother fully got into their own dumb, crazy role. Some sequences are very well constructed, specially for the scenarios, like in the final war sequence.

    Duck Soup clearly demonstrates how dumb, blind and manipulated a particular government may be, and it is geniusly mirrored in a musical number when a court, with soldiers and police forces are imitating the Marx brothers ridiculous dance moves and gestures. I found that very interesting, and brilliant...

    Best film of the Marx brothers definitely. Do not miss this one for anything in the world, since it's a very serious contestant for one of the best American classic comedies of all time.

    87/100
  • criosusa
    September 1, 2009
    criosusa
    You can't forget the classics. the Marx Bros. were as zany as anyone who came before them or after

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Marx Brothers created a body of work in which individual films are like slices from the whole, but Duck Soup (1933) is probably the best. full review

View more Duck Soup reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • alal1989uddin
    July 20, 2007
    alal1989uddin
    Line after line is a classic.

  • ggfgffg
    January 11, 2007
    ggfgffg
    The Marx brothers are absolutely hilarious! This is my favourite movie of theirs by far! It is SO funny!
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Duck Soup Trivia

  • Which comic did a lot of hat-changing towards the end of the classic comedy "Duck Soup"?  Answer »
  • The Marx Brothers were reportedly thrilled when they heard Benito Mussolini banned this film in Italy because he felt it was making fun of him.  Answer »
  • At 10 o'Clock in "Duck Soup" how many times did the clock chime?  Answer »
  • The film DUCK SOUP came out?  Answer »
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