Duck Soup

The invented country of Freedonia is on the edge of bankruptcy, and its wealthy patron will only put up the money if Rufus T. Firefly is made president. Neighbouring Sylvania sends two spies to provoke a war. Diplomatic tension turns quickly into a trial and then into an entirely anarchic war. Leo McCarey directed. Groucho plays Firefly, with Harpo and Chico as the spies. It is the Marx Brothers' last film at Paramount and the last in which Zeppo appears with his brothers. Its most cited passage is the mirror scene: Harpo, disguised as Firefly, matches his every movement exactly where the broken mirror should be. The idea was not new; Harold Lloyd and Max Linder had used similar routines in the 1910s and 1920s. The film disappointed on release. Contemporary critics did not like it, and audiences in the middle of the Depression were uneasy with its cynicism. Mussolini banned it in Italy, which the brothers took as a compliment. The verdict reversed decades later. Duck Soup is now counted among the greatest comedies and entered the National Film Registry in 1990. Who it is for: viewers who like wordplay, speed and comedy that mocks authority. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a coherent story. The film sets plot aside on purpose and jumps from scene to scene.