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Reviews
Horse Feathers (1932)
The Musicals return ..
Oh why did such things as long musical numbers and plot have to come back to the Marx Brothers. Unfortunately I can remember most of the storyline in this film which means there can only be a few funny moments in it. This is a wonderful movie though for current or graduated college students to laugh at. I think all us have had those bearded professors looking down on us in some sort of class room. We all secretly wish that Groucho could have taken control and would tear down the university so we could sleep in the classrooms. Instead of giving the much needed freedom that the Marx brothers deserve they were instead limited by a ridiculous plot about a football game. They had more than enough material to just have Harpo as a fellow professor or student mean while Chico could be the music student or band director. My first reaction is to blame Zeppo for having his stupid love affair killing the fun but I know that isn't fair for me to do. Instead all I can say is it seems they tried to force to much to quickly.
Animal Crackers (1930)
The best there ever was...
Although I am slightly conflicted between this or a Night At the Opera this one wins every time. Its not restricted by plot or musical numbers or even having a conclusion. No instead the Marx brothers are exactly where they don't belong, high society, which is why it's the best place for them to be funny. The film beginnings with what later became Groucho Marx's anthem (Hooray for Captain Spaulding) and the Craziness goes from there. Whether it's Groucho insulting everyone in sight or whether its Harpo chasing every woman in close perimeter. No lovers leading the story, just the Marx Brothers doing what they do best, upsetting the high society establishment. The musical is even funny and is only contained to Chico playing two songs. The best scene I think that can sum up not only this movie but the great mix of wit and physical comedy can be found in the card playing scene with Margaret Dumont, Chico, and Harpo. At first, the scene is entirely physical comedy almost mimicking that of three stooges, but when they sit down to play cards the quick wit of the Marx Brothers is quickly shown and if you're not paying attention you will have to watch the scene several times to understand everything that's going on.
The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)
A wonderful summary
Even though I had seen 90% of the Marx Brother's films before watching this it was still great to watch. This was first video showed in my Cinema studies class covering the life and works of the Marx Brothers. I was pleasantly surprised to see that instead of addressing the brothers as a whole each brother was described in detail both on camera and off. This is an amazing documentary that clearly shows how the Marx Brothers affected other great comedians such as Woody Allen and Dick Cavett, as well as the impact they have had on a variety of generations. If you ever wanted to know what kind of fast pace intelligent humor you were getting into this would make a great introduction.