“Duck Soup”

Critical Analysis: Music and Mirrors

What makes an action funny? Is it because there is a major consequence if a person messes up?

Is it because the person has been hurt and not seriously? Or is it just the ridiculousness of the

situation? These are questions that come up when anyone discusses humor. What exactly makes

a situation funny is actually a combination of many factors. The truth is always easily mocked,

which is why some comedy acts are so amusing. The Marx Brothers are very capable of doing

Everyone has seen the big fuss that is put together whenever a visiting dignitary visits the United

States. It is always so formal and stiff. The Marx Brothers turn this whole affair on its head.

First, they mock the entrance of the man of honor. In real life the person is on time and makes a

stately entrance. Although there is fanfare to welcome Groucho, the man himself is late. He

enters, via fireman's pole, and asks what's going on. Then he proceeds to insult everyone there.

Usually a real president makes some long-winded speech about how he is going to turn the

country around, and rattles off a list of everything he's going to do. Groucho breaks into song

about how he's going to completely make everyone's lives miserable. Everyone agrees to what

Groucho's planning to do by singing back the lines he just said. This is a great way of poking fun

at the government, since half the time it really can't keep every promise it makes.

The musical numbers in Duck Soup are not only mocking the government, national anthems and

war, but movie musicals. There are two big musical numbers. All of scenes are well coordinated,

but have so many site gags in them (Pinky cutting the feathers off of hats) that they are visually

silly. On top of that they are promoting the wrong morals, war and corruption in the government,

On top of the ridiculous musical numbers there are the site gags that are extremely hilarious. The

first scene filled with tons of site gags is the meeting between Trentino and his two spies. First

the spies don't take anything seriously. They sit in the same seat as their boss. They play a very

quick game of baseball with half a cigar.

This scene is also a spoof on spy movies themselves. The main spy, Chicolini, starts to report

what he has learned about Firefly. He gives the report in a completely serious voice, just like a

spy should, but all he has to report is that he went to baseball games and followed the wrong

man. Also Chicolini was given a picture of Firefly so he would know whom he was following. A

real spy would be able to find who he was looking for with just that. But Chicolini lost it soon

In the meantime Pinky is keeping up the visual gags through this whole conversation. Uses a

blowtorch to light a cigar, gluing Trentino to various objects and chasing after the pretty

secretary. He also has a tendency to cut any thing he can with his large pair of scissors. When a

message comes, Pinky looks at it and then rips it up, since destroying important messages is a

spy's job. However Pinky's not tearing up the message to keep the information secret, but out of

The most famous scene of the entire movie is the mirror scene. A funny scene because of its

complexity and ridiculousness. Chicolini and Pinky are both dressed up as Firefly. Firefly has

come across what was once a mirror, and when he looks at it he sees his reflection. Only it's the

dressed up Pinky. Firefly tries to make his "reflection" mess up. He proceeds to do several odd

acts, such as dancing back and forth, jumping up and down and tricks with a hat. At one point he

even switches places with Pinky. The fake "image" is able to keep up; even producing the same

hat as Firefly, even though Firefly saw Pinky holding a different one.

The Marx Brothers also make fun of the way the court system and announcements of war were

done. Chicolini has been caught and is now accused of being a traitor. Since Chicolini can't seem

to defend himself adequately, Firefly decides to become Chicolini's lawyer. No one objects to the

ruler of a country defending the person who was spying for the rival country. The court

continues and Firefly just makes fun of Chicolini the whole time, not offering any real evidence

why the court should let Chicolini go.

Then news comes that the rival country is declaring war on Freedonia. A grave situation,

something everyone should dread. So how do you greet this type of news? Why break out into

song and celebrate that the countries going to war. Why not, completely serious situations need

elaborate dance numbers and happy people singing. While people are dancing and singing,

Pinky's back with those scissors again. This time he's clipping the plumes off the over decorated

The war is fought, and it seems like Freedonia is losing. Pinky goes out into the battlefield to

recruit more soldiers. It's the most logical place to look, where else would you find people

willing to fight; they're doing it already. There is also the quick change in uniforms; at one point

Firefly is even fighting in his underwear. A closer look at the hats Firefly uses reveals they're

different hats from all the wars that America fought in.

The truth is always the easiest thing to mock. No one like long boring receptions, or tiresome

presidential speeches. The Marx Brothers took what is boring or very serious and turned it into

humorous skits. Add in people breaking out into song at the most inappropriate moments and

you have the makings of a funny musical. Site gags that leave the audience wondering at how

they could coordinate something that funny helps add to the silliness of the movie. The Marx

Brothers were master comedians and were able to pull all this off and make a masterful comedy.