 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Duck Soup
- Review Date: August 2, 2007
- NR
- Genre: Classic
- 1933
Common Sense Media says
Nonstop classic Marx Bros. mayhem kids will love.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the Marx Brothers in this movie are the epitome of anarchy. They're rude, insulting, pranksterish, and loyal to nobody. Later, tamer features would usually cast them in some good-guy role, their destructive mayhem having a secret agenda to help out a pretty girl in distress or the like, but not in this movie. Parents who think the Three Stooges are a bad influence may feel the same applies here. Also, the opening-credit image of live ducks floating in a pot with a fire under it is a little disturbing.
What's the story?
DUCK SOUP is set in a mythical country called Fredonia, a place so poor that its financial existence depends on the charity of rich widow Gloria Teasdale (Margaret Dumont). She's smitten with the disreputable Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx), and on her orders he's put in charge of the government. Never mind that Groucho still insults Gloria (and everybody else) with his rapid-fire verbiage ("You know you haven't stopped talking since I got here; you must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle!"). The ambassador of the neighboring country of Sylvania wants to take over Fredonia, preferably without bloodshed, by marrying Gloria. His inept spies Chicolini (Chico) and Pinky (Harpo) try to follow Firefly, but nothing much comes of the scheme -- even when Firefly spontaneously hires Chicolini as his new Secretary of War. Instead the temperamental Firefly leads Fredonia into war against Sylvania in a crazy climax with stock-footage of wildlife and all logic going out the window.
Is it any good?
Duck Soup is considered a masterwork of comedy, and yet it was not a success in the 1930s. In fact, there was some doubt that the Marx Brothers would do another movie ever again after this Paramount release laid an egg at the box office. It was indeed the last time that Zeppo Marx, usually a straight man, appeared onscreen with the troupe. From here onward, the brothers were a threesome. It wasn't until the more anarchy-happy '60s that Duck Soup was appreciated as a bonafide comedy classic. In practically all their other movies, the brothers had to share screen time with snail-paced musical interludes or love stories that had little to do with their wild comedy. Not here.
Allegedly real-life dictator of Italy Benito Mussolini took Duck Soup as a personal insult and banned the movie. Whether there's a serious point being made in all the foolishness is pretty questionable. Just laugh and enjoy -- and if some of the gung-ho military madness and government misfits on screen remind you and your kids of people in today's newspaper headlines, that's something to discuss.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how a movie this hilarious could have failed at the box office when it opened in the '30s. Other, more popular Marx Brothers movies had boring musical numbers and straight-faced romantic subplots to interrupt the comedy. Should that have been done here? What kinds of comedies that you see today are like Duck Soup, or is this brand of comedy unique?
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AGE
great first B&W film to share with kids..
the younger kids will love harpo and the tweens will love groucho being a smart alec. plus, it's only an hour long, so that helps them get over the whole black-and-white of it all ...
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AGE
Great Family Fun
My son (9) and I just watched 4 Marx Bros movies on TCM. He is now a confirmed fan. He enjoyed the comedy and was amazed at the musical skills of Harpo (harp) and Zeppo /(piano). Also thinks Groucho is 'cheeky'.
Lovely old fashioned family fun.
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AGE
great for all ages.
My grandfather showed me the marx brothers movies and i loved them right away, they are amazingly funny. Duck Soup is a good movie cuz it has a lot of Zeppo, and he isnt in a lot of the other movies.
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| Studio: | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| Director: | Leo McCarey |
| Cast: | Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Margaret Dumont |
| Genre: | Classic |
| Run time: | 68 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 17, 1933 |
| DVD release date: | January 28, 1998 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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