cult film freak: ZEPPO/MARX BROTHERS BATTLE LOUIS CALHERN IN 'DUCK SOUP'

Title: DUCK SOUP Year: 1933 Rating: ****

Heavily influencing comparably-modern classics from Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLES to Woody Allen's BANANAS (and even Charlie Chaplin's THE GREAT DICTATOR), The Marx Brothers' DUCK SOUP is by far their greatest movie... with a neatly constructed beginning, middle and end where their perfect straight-person Margaret Dumont forces the fictional country of Freedonia to hire Groucho Marx's Rufus T. Firefly to rule the land...

And while quiet/handsome brother Zeppo is ultimately wasted, once again as Groucho's note-scribbling assistant, and Harpo's role seems rather forced, mostly just cutting things with scissors, Chico, who becomes Groucho's more hands-on sidekick, is of almost equal importance to the quip-spouting, mustached leader...

Groucho Marx and Chico Marx in DUCK SOUP

Whose constant barbs are hit and miss, especially since there aren't enough reasons for the insults aimed at Dumont's character since... while not being perfect-looking... she's the one who made him president...

And that's where a wonderful villain in sublime actor Louis Calhern comes in... running an opposing country that wants to take over, he's not only far more deserving of insults but he proves a palpable menace for the brothers to have to work hard against, making DUCK SOUP not only a worthwhile political satire (although Groucho's really not that Mussolini-like, as supposedly intended) but a good story as well: the most important element in any comedy film.