Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) is named head of Freedonia after a wealthy widow named Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) refuses to loan the government any more of her money unless it is so. Meanwhile, Ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern) plots to woo Mrs. Teasdale for her money and hires spies Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx) to dig up dirt on Firefly. This is the only part of the plot that makes any sense. Everything else is just an excuse for the Marx Brothers to be the Marx Brothers.
Part of the problem of being an innovator is that if you don't see the original first, it looks derivative because of all the imitations it spawned. This movie was made in 1933 and a lot of the gags were completely novel. But watching it for the first time in 2020, it seems very old hat. The dialogue is still super crisp and witty but the physical comedy just wasn't doing it for me and the musical number slides into minstrel-esque. Not a good look but a product of its time. It's currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment