Product Description

Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the greatest comedy act in history with The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection. This essential DVD set features the legendary four Marx Brothers in five of their most acclaimed and best loved films - Duck Soup, Horse Feathers, Monkey Business, Animal Crackers and The Cocoanuts - the only five movies ever made with all four brothers together: Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #489 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-09
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 403 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
There will be a debate of which 2004 DVD collection of Marx Brothers films was better. This Universal release of the better known Paramount-produced films are the only ones starring all four brothers: Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo. The Warner collection contains less-vital films, but is loaded with extras and commentaries. The Universal collection contains only 20 minutes of interviews from NBC's Today Show--interesting but short--with Harpo, Groucho, and Harpo's son Bill from the '60s and '70s. All of the films in this collection were released on DVD by Image Entertainment in 2000 and the prints look the same, which isn't necessarily bad; one just wishes a major restoration had been undertaken.

The films--packaged handsomely with a booklet--are essential Marx Brothers, their first five films made from 1929 to 1933. The least timeless is their first, The Cocoanuts, based on their Broadway hit. The film--one of the first full talkies--takes place in a hotel with owner Groucho out to grab every dollar. Animal Crackers is the brothers' first classic, a lickety-split comedy about an art theft being investigated by Groucho's alter-image, Captain Spaulding. For introducing youngsters to the work of Marx, Monkey Business is the best way. The shenanigans start right at the start as the brothers stowaway on a luxury liner. It's their first film that wasn't based on a play, as they endeavored to find new material. Horse Feathers gave them more fertile ground plus a sure-fire Hollywood director at the helm (Norman McLeoad). Their fantasia of college life includes the riotous football-game finale. Music, always a key part of their plays and films is given more weight here and includes Groucho's theme, "I'm Against It." Music is again key as the musicals of the era are spoofed in the brothers' undisputed masterpiece, Duck Soup. From a land called Fredonia, Groucho plays a slapdash ruler who rewrites the rules of governing, leading to a most memorable war with Sylvania (so war gets lampooned. too). Duck Soup also boasts the most famous Marx brothers sketch: Groucho trying to fool his mirror. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Collection of Comedy Classics
The history of the Marx Brothers is divided into two periods: the early films that included Zeppo and the later ones without him. While this later period offered a couple classics (A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races), it is the earlier movies that are generally recognized as the Brothers at their peak. The Silver Screen Collection collects all five of these movies.

Of the four brothers, two are more-or-less the stars: Groucho stands out the most as the master of verbal comedy, while the mute Harpo is skilled at physical comedy. Chico is somewhere in the middle, typically acting as a partner-in-crime with Harpo, while Groucho usually assumes a leadership position, but he represents more anarchy than real authority. Zeppo is, let's face it, the boring one, reasonably talented, but he is the straight man and his few solo scenes are not the highlights of the films. And, of course, there is the "fifth Marx Brother": not Gummo but Margaret Dumont, who played the society dame who is Groucho's constant foil; Dumont is in three of the five movies (and would appear in later movies too).

The Cocoanuts is their first film and the weakest in this set. Made in 1929, it suffers from the technical difficulties of the early talkies and also has a certain staginess (which makes sense, since it is an adaptation of a play). As with most Marx Brothers movies, there is little in the way of real plot, just enough to tie the comedy (and musical) bits together. What story there is follows Groucho as he tries to keep his hotel from failing. Despite the flaws, this is still an entertaining movie, brightened by the wonderful comedy of Groucho, Chico and Harpo.

Chronologically next is Animal Crackers which has Groucho as a big game hunter returning from safari and being feted at a weekend party. There are some shenanigans regarding a stolen painting and two forgeries. Following this is Monkey Business, which has the brothers stowing away on a cruise ship and getting tangled up with gangsters and a kidnapping.

Horse Feathers has Groucho running a college; to keep the school going means winning the big football game. This being a Marx Brothers movie, you know the game is going to have more antics than legitimate plays. Finally, Duck Soup - regarded by many as their best movie, though it was initially a commercial and critical failure - has Groucho running the European(?) nation of Freedonia, and Harpo and Chico as a pair of spies from a rival country. Despite (or because of) Groucho's best efforts, things will descend into war, but in the Marx Brothers's world, things are never quiet on the Western (or any other) front.

This is all four-or-five star material. For the fan who just wants to watch the movies, this is great stuff, but if you want any substantial extras, you won't find them. While a sixth disc does offer some archival Today show footage, this totals less than half an hour. But even if the cake has little icing, it is still delicious and even three-quarters of a century later, hasn't gotten the least bit stale.

comedy at its best
What can you say about this best comedy series ever made.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to see Classic Movies
that involve a great script, great actors and superb direction.
I own every one of their movies, and it doesn't get better than this.

Great Collection
If you love the Marx Brothers this is a great collection for you. Not only does it have some of the best of their movies it also has a booklet with interesting information. This is also good for people who don't really know the genius of the Marx Brothers...it has a great sample of their movies to hook anyone.