The Stooges were ok, but their gags are all surface and driven by anger towards others, while HarpoвЂ™s willfully silent mischief is all about pure self-pleasure.

Harpo is driven by his desires, which sets his physical comedy apart from, say The Three Stooges. He gets enormous joy from knocking things out of peoplesвЂ™ hands or lighting a manвЂ™s hat on fire. He carries a huge pair of scissors which he uses every chance he gets to cut off someoneвЂ™s clothes, tie, cigar, sausage, whatever. Harpo is constantly functioning on a different level than the characters around him, ignoring threats and panic and instead entertaining himself with weird games and tricks. In the cases of Groucho and Chico, this reading works well enough, indeed, though I suspect that Zizek is being more than a little playful with his interpretation, but in the instance of Harpo I believe this provides a real insight into the character. By this reading, Groucho=superego, Chico=ego and Harpo=id. I recently watched The PervertвЂ™s Guide to Cinema, a documentary in which critic and philosopher Slavoj Zizek suggests a psychoanalytic reading of the Marx BrothersвЂ™ films which suggests the three brothers represent FreudвЂ™s famous psychic construct. This time, however, it was HarpoвЂ™s silent, absurdist physical gags that held me in absolute fascination. In past viewings of Duck Soup and the Marx BrothersвЂ™ other films, IвЂ™ve been so enamored (and perhaps overwhelmed) by GrouchoвЂ™s enormous presence that I failed to take much notice of what the other brothers were doing. Of course the details are irrelevant (Hey, thatвЂ™sвЂ™a the answer!) as the plot serves only as a forum for gags mostly targeting political incompetence and the folly of war.

The spies, Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx) are among cinemaвЂ™s most incompetent spies. Meanwhile Trentino (Louis Calhern) an ambassador for Sylvania hires two spies to dig up information about Firefly. Teasdale out of her late husbandвЂ™s fortune than he is in running the country.

Firefly has no concept of politics and is more interested in swindling Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) inexplicably recommends Firefly as the nationвЂ™s new leader. The nation of Freedonia is abysmal economic shape and Mrs. The marriage of jokes and physical comedy, as is always the case with The Marx Brothers, makes for a hypnotizing combination. GrouchoвЂ™s incredible rapid-fire dialogue is famously sharp and layered, and his innuendo-laden chatter is perfect for a satirical portrayal of a slimy, immoral and oblivious dictator. Firefly (Groucho Marx) sets a pace for Duck Soup that doesnвЂ™t let up for the entire film. вЂњYou know, you ainвЂ™t stopped talkinвЂ™ since I got here? You mustвЂ™a been vaccinated with a phonograph needleвЂќ Starring: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern

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