The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup)

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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

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!

Customer Reviews:

The Best of the Best Comedy EVER.......2007-09-03

These five Marx brothers movies are their most famous and absolutely the funniest. The mirror scene in Duck Soup is a classic. This new generation(maybe the last three generations:teens, twenties, and thirties somethings) need to watch these. Well worth the money: 5 movies for $40 and some change. Many other comedy shows on TV just were weak copy cats. Lucille Ball did the mirror scene on her show and the Marx brothers appeared there to show their support. Harpo's silence is outstanding. Chico's play on words, and Groucho invented innuendo. There is another set of seven movies but only three are worth seeing. But this box set of five, set the standard for zanyness and great skits within skits. Now that I am older I think they are even funnier and my teens and twenty something children watch them all the time.

Marx Brothers.......2007-08-28

Still entertaining - Groucho was a master of innuendo - Harpo a wonderful musician, Chico a fine musical technician. The group worked well together on the screen and I never tire of their antics.

5 for the movies/2 for the package and extras.......2007-08-11

The first five Marx Brothers movies are classics but unfortunately the box and the very few extras on here are pretty forgettable. This was a quick release to cash in on the rerelease of The Warner Brothers box set of the Marx Brothers later movies(IE A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races and so on). That box set has the later movies with great extras, bonus features and is packaged better. The other box set also has cleaned up prints. Still, if you don't have these movies, pick this up. Made in Mexico.

Marx.......2007-07-02

These movies prove that you dont have to get hit to be funny. I always love to see Grucho on the screen. He talks so fast and his sexual innuendos are so funny that I cant believe they never got banned. Harpo and Chico always do a good job together. Zeppo...anyways, the only downside to the set is the speical features. The bonus disc is a joke. The transfer of the films to me seems fine, maybe because ive watched so many comedys from that era. I know some people complained about it. These movies are well worth buying but dont expect anyone to get hit with a hammer.

Marx Brothers Collection.......2007-06-21

Still one of the funniest vaudeville acts ever to grace stage, television, or silver screen, The Marx Brothers pioneered an antic, anarchic style of gut-busting entertainment that left audiences of the 1930s howling with delight. Even today, the hilarious mix of song-and-dance routines like "The Monkey Doodle-Do" and "Shirt Song"--accompanied, of course, by Harpo's harp, Groucho's guitar, and Chico's expert ivory-tinkling--combined with the sheer nuthouse fervor of their adventures simply dazzle. In fact, "Duck Soup" was a political farce so extreme that Mussolini banned it . This "Silver Screen" set collects the Brothers' early, outré Paramount outings, the only films where all four funnymen appeared together. Will social satire ever be this goofy again?

Average customer rating:

It's enough to make me pull myself to pieces !!!
Only the Marx Brothers Hold Up.
Quotable Insanity
The Marx Brothers At Their Zaniest
Great!

Horse Feathers
Starring: Groucho Marx , Harpo Marx , Chico Marx , Zeppo Marx , and Thelma Todd
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305080410
Release Date: 1998-08-05

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Imagine Groucho as the president of a college and Harpo and Chico as football players. It doesn't get much wackier than this. Horse feathers, indeed. Groucho is hilarious to watch as a hip professor. He's at his most rebellious singing "Whatever it is, I'm against it." Thelma Todd does some of her best vamping to help fix the big football game, which Harpo and Chico are supposed to throw. Naturally, the brothers have other ideas. For sheer laughter, this has to rate almost as high as Duck Soup, with the memorable speakeasy sequence, and the funniest football finale of all time, complete with banana peels and a chariot. --Bill Desowitz

Description

The quintessential Marx Brothers comedy. Groucho, Harpo, Chico and yes, Zeppo, are at their manic peak in this uproariously anarchic parody of college life.

Customer Reviews:

It's enough to make me pull myself to pieces !!!.......2007-08-18

Horse Feathers stars the four Marx Brothers; and they carry this film like the champs they still remain. Thelma Todd plays the college widow with sophistication; her sense of timing during the comedy scenes equals that of the four Marx Brothers. The plot moves along at a good pace and there are plenty of laughs for everyone.

The action begins with Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx) becoming president of Huxley College. Wagstaff disapproves of his son running around with the college widow Mrs. Bailey (Thelma Todd); and unbeknownst to anyone Mrs. Bailey is in cahoots with her real boyfriend Mr. Jennings (David Landau) and Darwin University. Jennings wants to get the football signals from Huxley University so that once again Huxley will lose a college football game; that way Jennings's bet that Darwin will win the football game will pay off handsomely.

Of course, from there on in it's anybody's guess what happens next. Will Wagstaff ever find out the real reason Connie Bailey is after him AND his son? Will Wagstaff be able to correct his mistake when he finds out he recruited the wrong two men to win the football game? Sure, he recruited two men--Pinky (Harpo Marx) and Baravelli (Chico Marx), but he was supposed to recruit two other young brutes. The young brutes play for the opposing Darwin University team to get the team to victory and let Jennings win his bet. How will Huxley University win the game after Pinky and Baravelli are taken hostage by the two brutes sent into the Darwin team to help fix the game?

There is something potentially controversial thing about this film. Paramount was apparently desperate to have singing and dancing in it. Therefore you get several song and dance numbers that push the limits; poor Wagstaff (Groucho) has to sing a song as the movie opens. It's a very funny song; but Groucho Marx couldn't sing. Baravelli has a short musical number with the widow Bailey at the piano and Pinky (Harpo) magically finds a harp sitting conveniently just outside the widow Bailey's window so he can serenade her. In addition, you need to suspend belief somewhat because Zeppo plays Wagstaff's son, even though in real life Zeppo Marx was only 11 years younger than his brother Groucho. Sigh. They do try hard and it's a very funny movie so I'll overlook these issues and give the movie five stars anyway. I laughed a lot!

Overall, this movie is a must have for Marx Brothers fans; and anyone who likes screwball comedies from the 1930s will cherish this one for years to come. If anyone says you should skip this movie, ignore their advice!

Enjoy!

Only the Marx Brothers Hold Up. .......2007-02-26

I've never been a Three Stooges guy, and, frankly, I think most of the stuff from the twenties and thirties, humor wise, is utterly dated today--except for the Marx Brothers. Groucho et al remain horn and painted moustache above their peers with the only type of shtick that consistently holds up in our new century. Horse Feathers, like Duck Soup, is timeless due to the volcanic creativity of its dialogue. Groucho's cranial word play is an asset which he brings into his every scene appearance. Yes, Chico and Harpo are quite good, but Groucho is absolutely exquisite. I was surprised by how many times I laughed aloud during these seventy minutes. The spin on college and football, while rather superficial, remain fresh on the ear. Hopefully, young people can be persuaded to give these old masters a chance; they'll be extremely pleased should they do so.

Quotable Insanity.......2006-10-01

All four Marx Brothers star in this hilarious movie set at a college. Groucho becomes the president of a college and everything goes haywire. His son Zeppo is seeing the "college widow" (Thelma Todd), so pop takes it upon himself to romance her himself to steal her away from his son! Also, he goes to a speakeasy to enlist the help of two men to make the football team better than any other. Instead, he enlists Chico and Harpo which wreaks havoc on the school. Goodbye books, goodbye plot, goodbye sanity; the Marx Brothers are here!

This movie is a laugh a minute, and even if you're not a fan of black and white movies, you'll love this film. It is filled with puns, wit, visual humor, fast pacing, random events, and fun. It's got something for everyone, and everyone must see this movie.

The Marx Brothers At Their Zaniest.......2006-04-24

To anyone who has never seen a Marx Brothers film, it's hard to describe. "Horse Feathers" just may be the wackiest, corniest, dumbest, funniest and just plain craziest movie you've ever seen. It could be any one of those adjectives. In my opinion, it's all of them. It's my favorite film of these guys.

Perhaps no film has so many of the above-listed descriptions, in spades, as this one does. It just leaves you shaking your head. Some of the lines in here are some of the best I've ever heard and some of the scenes and jokes are the dumbest I've ever seen. One thing for sure: they come at you at a machine-gun pace. You barely have time to digest what you just saw and heard and there's another joke coming at you. You can barely keep up with it all. The football scenes at the end of the film are the most outrageous I have ever seen. They, like much of the movie, have to be seen to be believed. Yes, the latter is a little too ridiculous but, hey, that''s the Marx Brothers.

The only breaks from the non-stop jokes comes when one of the brothers decides to sing a song or play the piano or harp. Those tunes are so-so. The long harp solo by Harpo is too long. I read once where the brothers were opposed to having that in this movie...and they were proved right; it didn't fit. Other than that, this is 67 minutes of pure insanity.

Great!.......2005-07-10

Here is one of my favorite Marx brothers movies. This time Groucho plays professor Wagstaff. He shaves just seconds before he lectures, and, well, like in every other Marx brothers movie, even though he's put in an important position requiring lots of responsibility, he just goofs off and horses around.

Groucho says one of my favorite puns ever in this movie. While speaking about geography, he mentions the Alps and says, "The Lord Alps those who Alps themselves." D-ohhhhh.

This movie reminds me of when the 3 Stooges played football, except the Marx Brothers are even more chaotic about it. Despite professor wagstaff not being a player in any way, shape, or form, with no uniform on, he waltzes on the field and knocks people down. Harpo drives a horse and cart onto the field too. It's madness.

This is a great family film. It's funny, it's zany, and it's appropriate.

The Marx Brothers Box: Animal Crackers/ Duck Soup/Horse Feathers

Average customer rating:

Must Have Classics For Any Marx Fan!
Captain Spaulding Saves the Day!!!
DO NOT BUY!
The Marx Brothers Strike Back
A must for true Marx Brothers Fans

The Marx Brothers Box: Animal Crackers/ Duck Soup/Horse Feathers
Starring: Groucho Marx , Harpo Marx , Chico Marx , Zeppo Marx , and Lillian Roth
Director: Victor Heerman , Leo McCarey , and Norman Z. McLeod
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00001O2GJ
Release Date: 1999-10-12

Description

Animal Crackers (1930, 97 min.) - In their second film, those madcap masters of mayhem, the Marx Brothers, are at it again in a zany laughfest. When a valuable painting turns up missing at a party, the Marx boys are right in the middle of it all, gumming up the works at every turn. As pseudo-adventurer Captain Spaulding, Groucho shoots an elephant in his pajamas and sings his classic song "Hooray for Captain Spaulding." "Horse Feathers" (1932, 67 min.) - The quintessential Marx Brothers comedy. The four brothers are at their manic peak in this uproariously anarchic parody of college life, including the funniest football game in the history of film. Also starring the luminescent Thelma Todd. And remember, the secret password is "swordfish." "Duck Soup" (1933, 68 min.) - The Marx Brothers are at their hilarious best in this insanely political satire. Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo too set international relations on its ear--and puts the audience in stitches--with their rapid-fire wit and comedic hijinks. English:Mono.

Customer Reviews:

Must Have Classics For Any Marx Fan!.......2006-02-19

I absolutely love my set, contrary to other reviews i've read on here, the quality is great, sound quality is great, and overall i am extremely satisfied with the price as these are hard to find on DVD. This is a must-have for any Marx Brothers Fan!

Captain Spaulding Saves the Day!!!.......2003-11-06

I was lucky enough to get these DVDs during the monkey business stating that these films were being re-released. And the price went down from $700 to $200-$300. Still pretty expensive, but well worth it for any true Marx Brother's fan. They're only being released in the non-USA (PAL) version. And I think many (including myself) were confused by the new 5 DVD set that's coming out in Nov. I was hoping that this set would include 5 of their movies, but it's just a documentary type film (one that I'm eager to see). To sum this all up, I give this DVD set 10 stars....5 more than the amazon rating system allows.

DO NOT BUY!.......2003-10-15

As usual, you have some people trying to rip you off here, charging $305 for 3 DVDs. And they probably call themselves fans of American comedy. Ha!

There's a 5 DVD "Marx Bros Collection" coming out in November 03, and the price will be about $25. So preorder it, and spend the other $280 on your kids!

The Marx Brothers Strike Back.......2002-07-19

Groucho and his brothers serve up yet another couple of classics. Animal Crackers is a terrific movie, but Duck Soup will always be my favorite of the two. Each of the Marxes has their own unique style and personality on the silver screen, and they all blend together for a wholly entertaining mix. If you want slapstick, you'd better stick to the The Three Stooges. However, I highly recommend these videos to anyone who enjoys wordplay and intelligent comedy.

A must for true Marx Brothers Fans.......2001-11-17

This is a high quality copy of three Max Brothers classics. A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races would have properly complete the collection but they were from a different studio. At the time of my purchase neither was available on DVD. These are great movies for the hollidays for those people who are tired of Christmas Story or It a wonderful life.

Horse Feathers [Chico Marx and Zeppo Marx]

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Horse Feathers [Chico Marx and Zeppo Marx]

ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000EWHSJK

Product Description

One of the Marx Brother's greatest, most zany films, with numerous one-liners. Groucho is Professor Wagstaff, president of Huxley College, who mistakenly hires Chico, the local speakeasy bootlegger and iceman, and his assistant Harpo, a dogcatcher, as professional football players, so Huxley College can beat their rivals at Darwin.

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