Wednesday 12 March 2014

Duck Soup

Today I watched my first Marx Brothers movie - Duck Soup. I got to watch it on the big screen too. It was a strange experience.

I found the movie very funny. And punny. The puns came so fast that it was hard to keep up. Almost wished for subtitles, but then I figured it would be even harder to read that fast and not miss the riot on-screen.

The strange part of the experience had to do with my fellow audience members. For one, they weren't laughing during a lot of scenes and lines that I thought were hilarious. When they did laugh, some of them laughed way too hard. Like they were determined to find whatever they were laughing at funny. It was weird. Never have I felt more out of sync at a show of any kind.

Anyway, back to the Marx Brothers. Groucho was brilliant. People who say I talk to fast ought to hear this guy go. And unlike me, he is terribly witty. Harpo's pantomime act was ridiculously funny. I'm usually not a big fan of slapstick, but his antics completely won me over. And the timing! Now I get why these guys are comedy legends. Chico didn't make as strong as impression on me, though I did enjoy his trial scene, and Zeppo was essentially just the straight guy with not much of a part to play.

I really have to watch this movie again, at home, where I can pause and rewind and watch slowly so as to properly absorb the incredible amount of funny these guys managed to cram into a movie that is just a little over an hour long.

Here's one of the funniest scenes from the movie.



People were laughing at this scene, but they actually quieted down at the part where the two guys circles each other and switch places! That was the part that tickled me the most and had me laughing out really loud. 'Twas most disconcerting to hear my own laugh contrasted with the relative silence of the rest of the hall.

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