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Duck Soup

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Duck Soup (1933)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:33

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.9/10

Runtime: 72 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: DUCK SOUP captures some of the Marx Brothers' zaniest routines and funniest quips, creating a laugh-out-loud spectacle of politics gone haywire. Backed by wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale (regular Marx... DUCK SOUP captures some of the Marx Brothers' zaniest routines and funniest quips, creating a laugh-out-loud spectacle of politics gone haywire. Backed by wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale (regular Marx straightwoman Margaret Dumont), Groucho becomes the leader of Freedonia, quickly frustrating his cabinet and offending the aggressive neighboring country to the point of war. Chico and Harpo, sent by the rival country, spy on Groucho and try to steal his battle plans, but when war does come, loyalties become muddled all around. Director Leo McCarey gets the most out of the brothers, letting them be their wackiest best in what many critics consider to be the funniest Marx Brothers movie. Groucho plays Rufus T. Firefly, one of his best characters. The one-liners fly through the air like the bombs exploding in the hysterical battle scene. DUCK SOUP is a must-see comedy spectacular; don't blink or you'll miss yet another stinger.... [More]

Starring: Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Groucho Marx

Starring: Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Chico Marx, Raquel Torres, Edgar Kennedy

Director: Leo McCarey

Director: Leo McCarey
Screenwriter: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman, Nat Perrin
Composer: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 21, 1998

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Duck Soup

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A masterpiece. Fast-moving, irreverent, almost anarchic in style, Duck Soup is considered by many to be the Marx Brothers's greatest achievement...

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Comic anarchy at its very best. This one just keeps getting better.

comment Comment
04/18/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Presents Groucho at his best.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/20/01
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Watch for the famous "mirror scene" in which Harpo--dressed as Groucho--matches Groucho's every movement in a non-existent mirror--pure comic genius.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/27/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The Marx Brothers' best movie...

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/27/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A comic masterpiece that improves with each viewing.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
02/13/01
David Parkinson
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine

The Marx Brothers high water mark in film.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
07/04/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

It also includes what is perhaps the Brothers' funniest scene ever: an immaculately timed and performed sequence with a broken mirror in which Groucho, Chico and Harpo look absolutely identical. A masterpiece.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
03/18/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Unpredictable, hilarious, and completely deranged. Duck Soup is without doubt the distillation of everything that the Marx Brothers claimed as their own.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/01/04
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC

Duck Soup is the closest thing to pure anarchy on film.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/25/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
11/14/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Duck Soup should make practically everybody laugh.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/27/07
Joe Bigelow
Joe Bigelow
Variety

The magnificent Marx Brothers at their funniest and most chaotic.

comment Comment
07/30/05
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

The Marx Bros. and Leo McCarey at their peak.

comment Comment
11/05/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Funny classic comedy.

comment Comment
09/02/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

No review available.

comment Comment
01/27/05
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

The film's humor might be broad and low, but sometimes a bludgeon is just funnier than a gimlet.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
11/20/04
Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
 
 
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