X
- 1933
- Approved
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 9 m
- 1933
- Approved
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 9 m
Summary Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
Directed By: Leo McCarey
Written By: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman, Nat Perrin
- 1933
- Approved
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 9 m
- 1933
- Approved
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 9 m
Duck Soup
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
Directed By: Leo McCarey
Written By: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman, Nat Perrin
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
93
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
93
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This 70-minute movie is the most startling, breakneck comedy of
the Marx Brothers' career... Next to Chaplin's "The Great Dictator", this
is the purest satire of dictatorship on film. [20 Jan 1996]
A classic of aggressive nonsense. Also, there is something tighter about Duck Soup as compared with their later efforts. It isn't just the absence of an extraneous love story, or the fact that Harpo doesn't play the harp and Chico doesn't "shoot the keys." Nor is it that much of the comedy crosses the magic line from parody into satire. It's a glistening patina of whimsy that rushes through the work, a heightened effervescence. In addition, the film is only 68 minutes long. [16 Dec 2001, p.16]
A masterpiece...DUCK SOUP is perhaps the best, and funniest, depiction of the absurdities of war ever committed to celluloid.
The sheer silliness is inspired.
The Marx Brothers in their greatest movie.
The Marx Brothers at their purest and funniest - no romantic subplot, no musical interludes with Harpo, no distractions from the fun of watching Groucho deflate Margaret Dumont as he becomes dictator of Fredonia and frivolously declares war. Cleverly directed by Leo McCarey, it was the team's least popular 1930s film, perhaps because the tone of non-stop anarchy proved too unsettling to Depression audiences. [10 May 1991, p.65]
A production in which the bludgeon is employed more often than the gimlet. The result is that this production is, for the most part, extremely noisy without being nearly as mirthful as their other films.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 User Ratings
7.6
70% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
24% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 User Ratings
7.6
70% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
24% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Nominations
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
