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THE EPITAPH VOL. 71
THE MARX BROTHERS EDITION!
THE COCOANUTS (1929) - ANIMAL CRACKERS (1931) - MONKEY BUSINESS (1931) - HORSE FEATHERS (1932) - DUCK SOUP (1933)
When I was a kid watching TV in the 80's there were reruns of comedy classics like The Three Stooges, Abbot and Costello, and The Mark B rothers. Of the three The Marx Brothers were my least favorite, I still liked 'em well enough, but their brand of absurdist humor was a bit to fast-paced for me, I was a dumb kid, and I was more drawn to the low-brow exploits of The Three Stooges and Abbot and Costello. Particularly the latter because they had encounters with Universal's famous monsters Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man, and I was a monster-kid so it was natural that I gravitated towards that element of it.
It wasn't until I was a bit older that I appreciated what The Marx Brothers brought to the table, and that probably had a lot to do with watching M*A*S*H* wherein the main character Hawkeye was a huge Grouch Marx fan and would often dress-up or do lines from the movies, which I found quite funny, and that opened the door a bit for me to appreciate the The Marx Brothers – Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo more than I previously had. Groucho is a fast-talking absurdist, Harpo is the silent imp who occasionally plays the harp, Chico is the Italian con-man who can play a mean piano, and Zeppo is more or less the affable handsome love interest, more relegated to the background that the three eldest brothers. You don't really watch a Marx Brothers flicks for the elaborate plots, you watch to see these guys do their vaudevillian acts and to get your comedy rocks off, the story surrounding them is . As I said, as a kid I was not a huge fan, I found it hard to follow the stories, but I now better now, the stories don't really matter. While it's Groucho's endlessly quotable acerbic one-liners I most remember upon rewatch the one gag that always makes me giggle for some reason is Harpo's leg routine where he unexpectedly hooks his leg onto someone arms or legs, it always cracks me up. Also, the way he would chase the skirts around would most likely get him cancelled today, but the same could eb said for most comedy routines pre-2000!
Label: UPHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 94 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2,0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HF Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Irving Berlin
Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
The legendary Marx Brothers -- Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo -- made their motion picture debut in the outrageously funny adaptation of their Broadway play The Cocoanuts. Groucho portrays the owner of the Hotel de Cocoanut who tries to fleece everyone from innocent bellboys and bellgirls to wealthy society matron Mrs. Potter (Margaret Dumont). Chico and Harpo play resort hotel con men who arrive with empty suitcases they plan to fill by robbing guests. Featuring elaborate musical productions with music by Academy Award winner Irving Berlin, this comedy treasure includes some of the Marx Brothers' best stage routines, such as Groucho's land auction, the excruciatingly funny 'viaduct' dialogue and Polly Potter's engagement party.
Special Features:
ANIMAL CRACKERS (1931)
MONKEY BUSINESS (1931)
HORSE FEATHERS (1932)
DUCK SOUP (1933)
The legendary Marx Brothers -- Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo -- made their motion picture debut in the outrageously funny adaptation of their Broadway play The Cocoanuts. Groucho portrays the owner of the Hotel de Cocoanut who tries to fleece everyone from innocent bellboys and bellgirls to wealthy society matron Mrs. Potter (Margaret Dumont). Chico and Harpo play resort hotel con men who arrive with empty suitcases they plan to fill by robbing guests. Featuring elaborate musical productions with music by Academy Award winner Irving Berlin, this comedy treasure includes some of the Marx Brothers' best stage routines, such as Groucho's land auction, the excruciatingly funny 'viaduct' dialogue and Polly Potter's engagement party.
Special Features:
- The Marx Brothers: Hollywood's Kings of Chaos (1:19:57)
- Audio Commentary with Film Scholar Anthony Slide
Label: UPHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: G
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2,0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Victor Herman
Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
Filled with comedy sketches, musical numbers and plenty of gags, Animal Crackers is often regarded as the Marx Brothers' most quoted film for its witty and unforgettable dialogue. Groucho stars as Captain Spaulding, a famed African explorer who is being honored at a high society party at the estate of Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont). Mayhem and chaos ensue after a valuable painting disappears and Spaulding, along with the Professor (Harpo), Signore Emanuel Ravelli (Chico) and Horatio (Zeppo) "help" search for it. Highlighted by musical performances including "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" (which would later become the theme song to Groucho's popular TV series You Bet Your Life)
Special Features:
- The Marx Brothers: Hollywood's Kings of Chaos (1:19:57)
- Audio Commentary with Film Historian Jeffrey Vance
Label: UPHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 78 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2,0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Norman Z. Mcleod
Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
The iconic Marx Brothers -- Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo -- head for the high seas in the outrageously funny Monkey Business. While hiding from the authorities on a luxury cruise ship, a quartet of stowaways inadvertently find themselves posing as bodyguards to rival gangsters. Complete lunacy ensues as the brothers get mixed up in a kidnapping and must save the day. Featuring some of the legendary comedy team's wackiest scenes ever, including all four brothers each trying to pass themselves off as real-life actor Maurice Chevalier, this unforgettable film earned a place on the AFI's 100 Years 100 Laughs list.
Special Features:
- The Marx Brothers: Hollywood's Kings of Chaos (1:19:57)
- Audio Commentary with Marx Bros. Historian/Author Robert S. Bader and Bill Marx (Son of Harpo Marx)
Label: UPHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 67 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2,0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
The four Marx Brothers -- Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo -- are at the top of their game in the uproarious parody of college life, Horse Feathers. As president of Huxley College, the fun-loving Professor Wagstaff (Groucho) attempts to help his son (Zeppo) finally graduate after 12 years by arranging to "buy" professional football players for an upcoming big game against rival Darwin University. The plan takes an unexpected twist, however, when a bootlegger (Chico) and a dogcatcher (Harpo) are mistaken for the athletes and accidentally hired instead. Featuring their trademark insanity, including a climatic football sequence that has to be seen to be believed, this quintessential Marx Brothers' comedy earned a place on the AFI's 100 Years 100 Laughs list.
Special Features:
- The Marx Brothers: Hollywood's Kings of Chaos (1:19:57)
- Audio Commentary with Film Critic F.X. Feeney
Label: UPHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 69 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2,0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Leo McCarey
Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Edgar Kennedy, Raquel Torres
Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo Marx are at their very best in the political satire Duck Soup which is often regarded as the comedy legends' funniest and most popular film. After being appointed dictator of Freedonia, Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) proceeds to bring the mythical nation to a halt by showing up late and insulting everyone at his inauguration. Hoping to oust the unfit new leader, two spies (Harpo and Chico) are sent from the neighboring Sylvania. Soon enough, war is declared between the two nations with outrageous results. Recognized on the AFI's 100 Years 100 Laughs list and selected for the National Film Registry, this comedy classic features some of the most hilarious sequences every filmed, including the famous mirror sequence and final battle scene, and remains as entertaining and relevant today as it did when it was first released in 1933.
Special Features:
- The Marx Brothers: Hollywood's Kings of Chaos (1:19:57)
- Audio Commentary with Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin and Marx Bros. Historian/Author Robert S. Bader
Audio/Video: The transfers looks the same as was released with the The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection set. THat said, the restorations look solid and hold-up well. I would recommend a modicum of warning that these are not pristine restorations and do have flawless PQ, but they are markedly improved over how I saw these on TV as a kid! The Cocoanuts is the worst faring of the five, but even then I had no issues with image quality, these films are over 90 years old and the restoration and repair done to mitigate speckles, scratches, tears and bleaches white is nothing short of herculean. There are spots where you can tell there's some heavy digital filtration that scrubs grain, but this looks to be done on scene specific basis and does not totally wipe the organic grain levels, but there are spots. So, the image is not perfection but it is quite pleasing. I will also throw this embarrassing personal tidbit out there, for all the years I saw The Marx Brothers on fuzzy TV as a kid I never realized that Groucho's trademark moustache was greasepaint! It's only now through the miracle of HD that I know this! Audio on all five films comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles. Like the video the audio does showcase some source related imperfections like minor hiss, pops and clicks, which are mitigated to a degree by restoration efforts, which I appreciate.
Onto the extras, each film gets it's own audio commentary with The Cocoanuts getting a commentary from Film Scholr Anthony Slide, Animals Crackers features Film Historian Jeffrey Vance, Monkey Business features Marx Bros. Historian/Author Robert S. Bader and Bill Marx (Son of Harpo Marx), Horse Feathers features Film Crtic F.X. Fenney, and Duck Soup gets one with Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin and Marx Bros. Historian/Author Robert S. Bader. Each of the five release also has the feature-length The Marx Brothers: Hollywood's Kings of Chaos documentary that is quite a wonderful watch, running 70-minutes it tells the fascinating tale of the Mark Brothers vaudeville and Broadway years and their stunning turns as film stars. The only disc extras not carried over from the The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection 5-film set are the booklet and the 14-minutes of Inside the NBC Vault - The Today Show Interviews
with Harpo, Groucho, and Harpo's son William Marx. I also like having these in individual releases with the original movie poster artworks
