A Night at the Opera
and Animal Crackers.
Two movies from the Marx brothers today. Animal Crackers: Zeppo is truly, truly useless. The rest of the movie was also not very funny, and Groucho's one-liners especially disappointing. I could have watched the whole movie without cracking a smile, if it weren't for the Harpo antics. Whether it's comedy or music, it makes me so happy to watch Harpo.
I decided that my second-favorite after Harpo is Chico. Groucho only comes in third; he's witty, but the humor is just too self-contained.
A Night at the Opera: rightly praised as their best. I still think Horse Feathers was funnier, and my personal favorite, but Opera was the tightest and most traditional in terms of structure; the most normal romantic comedy. This is a good thing. Avant garde might be considered respectable, but I think the Marx brothers flops like Animal Crackers prove that things stop making sense after a certain point, and that's just a short step from being not funny. Communication is two or more minds coming together on some level - some COMPREHENSIBLE level.
The musical sequences were lovely, which definitely puts Opera on the most normative plane. I missed some classic Marx brothers features: Harpo's thigh-grabbing, Groucho and Chico's nonsequitur banter, the girl-chasing. In general, more physical comedy and more Harpo. These things were absolutely uproarious! Which is what compels me to keep coming back to these movies even when I think the plot is usually crap. Getting rid of some of the classics makes the plot more streamlined - and better overall - but it was a sacrifice worth some regret.
But, I'm happier for having seen these movies.
Two movies from the Marx brothers today. Animal Crackers: Zeppo is truly, truly useless. The rest of the movie was also not very funny, and Groucho's one-liners especially disappointing. I could have watched the whole movie without cracking a smile, if it weren't for the Harpo antics. Whether it's comedy or music, it makes me so happy to watch Harpo.
I decided that my second-favorite after Harpo is Chico. Groucho only comes in third; he's witty, but the humor is just too self-contained.
A Night at the Opera: rightly praised as their best. I still think Horse Feathers was funnier, and my personal favorite, but Opera was the tightest and most traditional in terms of structure; the most normal romantic comedy. This is a good thing. Avant garde might be considered respectable, but I think the Marx brothers flops like Animal Crackers prove that things stop making sense after a certain point, and that's just a short step from being not funny. Communication is two or more minds coming together on some level - some COMPREHENSIBLE level.
The musical sequences were lovely, which definitely puts Opera on the most normative plane. I missed some classic Marx brothers features: Harpo's thigh-grabbing, Groucho and Chico's nonsequitur banter, the girl-chasing. In general, more physical comedy and more Harpo. These things were absolutely uproarious! Which is what compels me to keep coming back to these movies even when I think the plot is usually crap. Getting rid of some of the classics makes the plot more streamlined - and better overall - but it was a sacrifice worth some regret.
But, I'm happier for having seen these movies.
posted by Rex at 12:51 AM
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