W2TCH

Duck Soup (1933)

1933 • 1h 8m • Comedy, War • NR
On September 27, 2026
#9543▲ 7445
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CinemaSerf on Duck Soup

6/10 · Mar 6, 2026

I suspect I'm one of very few who won’t be charmed by this film, as the Marx Brothers’ brand of humor simply didn’t resonate with me, and watching it didn’t alter that feeling. The story unfolds in the small country of “Freedonia,” which desperately requires $20 million to prevent financial collapse. They might obtain the funds from a wealthy patron, "Mrs. Teasdale" (Margaret Dumont), but only if they appoint "Firefly" (Groucho) as their Prime Minister. Naturally, he’s completely out of his depth, yet she is attracted to him, so he's tasked with leading—or perhaps destroying—this nation while the scheming ambassador “Trentino” (Louis Calhern) from neighboring “Sylvania” prepares an invasion. "Firefly," however, isn’t traveling solo; he has the impish "Pinky" (Harpo) and "Chicolini" (Chico) along for the ride, who contribute their own brand of chaos with a local lemonade vendor (Edgar Kennedy). The presentation now occasionally evoked thoughts of “A Woman Commands” (1932), but with an added layer – if that’s the right term – of meticulously planned and performed slapstick routines that I unfortunately didn't find amusing as they unfold in segments for roughly an hour. Zeppo attempts a more conventional role, though his "Bob" character hardly appears, and Raquel Torres adds some alluring beauty as the scheming “Vera,” but again, her appearances are fleeting, leaving this largely to Groucho, whose supposed satire I had difficulty connecting with. Truthfully, I didn’t think it was anything remarkable.

Source on TMDB