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Duck Soup, made in 1933, is possibly the best Marx Brothers movie of all. It features Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo Marx along with Margaret Dumont.
The fictitious country of Freedonia is in turmoil with striking workers, an ineffective government, and imminent financial disaster. The country’s patron is
Mrs. Teasdale (Dumont), and she convinces the government to install Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) as Dictator in exchange for more operating cash.
One of Firefly’s first acts as Dictator is to dissolve the government and appoint Chico and Harpo as ministers. Little does Firefly know, but Chico and Harpo are spies for the Diplomatic Envoy to the neighboring country of Sylvania.
The fun begins when the Envoy declares his love for Mrs. Teasdale, or should I say Mrs. Teasdale’s money. Firefly, not wishing to lose his benefactress, declares war on Sylvania. In a musical number reminiscent of a Busby Berkley extravaganza, Firefly galvanizes the country into taking up arms by singing “Freedonia is going to war!”
Tremendously satirical, the movie is a play on politics and war. It’s full of witty lines, great sight gags, and unending entertainment.
