Duck Soup is a 1933 Marx Brothers anarchic comedy film in which Groucho Marx plays Rufus T. Firefly, the dictator of the small country of Freedonia, who finds himself on the verge of war with the neighboring country of Sylvania. It also stars Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Raquel Torres , and Louis Calhern.
The movie was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman (additional dialogue), and Nat Perrin and directed by Leo McCarey. Neither Harpo's harp nor Chico's piano are used in the film. This was the last Marx Brothers movie to feature Zeppo. It was not a box-office hit upon its initial release, as it left most audiences confused and frustrated. The movie has been reevaluated over time and is now seen as a classic satire of war. One production number ridicules war by comparing nationalism to a minstrel show.
The film is consistently on the Internet Movie Database's list of top 250 films, was #85 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies and #5 on its 100 Years, 100 Laughs, and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Famous scenes
In the "mirror scene," Harpo, dressed as Groucho, pretends to be Groucho's reflection in a missing mirror, matching and mocking his every move. Eventually, Chico, also disguised as Groucho, collides with both of them. This scene has been duplicated in many different films and genres.
In another famous scene the Marx Brothers poke fun at the Hays Code by showing a woman's bedroom and then showing a woman's shoes on the floor, a man's shoes and horseshoes. Harpo is sleeping in the bed with a horse.
Quotations
- Asked to explain the title, Groucho said, "Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup for the rest of your life."
- Groucho to Vera Marquez (Raquel Torres): "I could dance with you until the cows came home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows until you came home."
- Groucho to Bob Rolland: "Clear? Huh! Why a four-year-old child could understand this report. Run out and find me a four-year-old child. I can't make head or tail out of it."
- Groucho to Trentino (Louis Calhern): "Why, my ancestors would rise from their graves, and I'd only have to bury them again."
- Groucho to Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont): "I'll see you at the theater tonight. I'll hold your seat till you get there. After that, you're on your own."
- Groucho to Harpo: "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."
External links
Duck Soup was also the name of a 1927 Laurel and Hardy film.
Duck soup, or Czarnina, is a traditional Easter dish. It is prepared from duck, duck blood, and cream, flavored often with salt, cloves, celery, allspice, sugar, lemon juice, pepper, and vinegar. Sometimes fruits, such as prunes and raisins, are added.