29 July 2011

Duck Soap


Another Marx film and it's not about Karl.

In this film Groucho plays the character (of weak character?) Rufus T. Firefly, a man not taking life so seriously but yet being appointed president and even dictator over a country called Freedonia.
This country is bankrupt and the wealthy Mrs Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), having tried to save it with her money, has now had enough.
Of course things don't get better when Groucho and his brothers Chico and Harpo appear, instead the country becomes engaged in war against the neighbouring country Sylvania.
This war more or less caused by some stupid quarrels between Firefly and that countries 'foreign minister' if remembering correctly, where they constantly misunderstand each other or maybe not.

As always there are a lot of running out and in through doors or the brothers doing other bizarre things but it must be said that the one always lifting the jokes above the ordinary gags is Groucho. Without him it wouldn't always hold the high standard they actually reach - sometimes.
The absurdities are of course the best part and not least is this visible after launching the war between the two countries and here Groucho excels.

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