Actually, Feathers reduces the roster even more than in its predecessor. I like the emphasis on a fairly small cast. In general, the positives I saw with Monkey Business continue in Feathers. Those elements consistently ground the movies to a halt and offered nothing of value. That was never true for Harpo’s strumming. Actually, Chico’s performances occasionally fit into the movies, as they sometimes connected to the action acceptably well.
#Horsefeathers marx brothers movie#
Apparently every Marx movie included those segments, and they never worked. Unfortunately, Feathers doesn’t lack the usual piano piece from Chico and the pretentious harp solo from Harpo. We do get a couple tunes, but they pass quickly and don’t cause the movie to sag too badly. Happily, it also avoids most of the musical numbers that marred the earliest flicks. The movie features some of the Brothers’ best-known bits, such as the famous “swordfish” routine. While Feathers doesn’t live up to its immediate predecessor, it still remains pretty satisfying. Feathers lacks the tightness of Monkey, and it reverts to the use of the Brothers in character during Monkey, they essentially played themselves, albeit in their caricatured way. That’s a good thing, for their first two movies included far too much material that dealt with extraneous and dull characters. The climactic scene depends on the gridiron setting, but otherwise those elements could get the boot and no one would ever notice.įeathers continues the trend seen in Monkey Business in that it focuses more on the Brothers than anything else. Feathers indulges in its plot only sporadically, as it uses the football backdrop only when it feels like it. Like virtually all Marx movies, the story acts as little more than a springboard for comic routines. That synopsis makes Feathers sound a lot more plot-focused than it actually is. The rest of the movie follows the issues connected to the teams and climaxes with the big game. More complications occur when we learn that Frank’s lover Connie Bailey (Thelma Todd) works for Jennings and dallies with Frank just to snoop on the Huxley team. Wagstaff mistakes Baravelli and Pinky for the football players and recruits them. Soon we meet Baravelli the iceman (Chico Marx) and Pinky the dogcatcher (Harpo Marx) at the speakeasy. Unfortunately, gangster Jennings (David Landau) beats him to the punch and recruits the players for rival Darwin College. Frank tells Quincy to recruit two players from a speakeasy. Frank wants Quincy to improve the team to bolster the college. Frank is fooling around with a “college widow”, an affair that bugs Quincy and causes him to neglect his studies.įrank tells his dad that Huxley’s had a new president every year since 1888, and they also haven’t won a football game since then. His son Frank (Zeppo Marx) is also a student at Huxley apparently he’s been there for 12 years. Set at Huxley College, Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx) takes over as the school’s president. Higher education gets the Marx Brothers treatment in 1932’s Horse Feathers. Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (December 30, 2004) Sony 36" WEGA KV-36FS12 Monitor Sony DA333ES Processor/Receiver Panasonic CV-50 DVD Player using component outputs Michael Green Revolution Cinema 6i Speakers (all five) Sony SA-WM40 Subwoofer. 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!Īvailable Only as Part of The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection. JohnstoneĬelebrate the 75th anniversary of the greatest comedy act in history with The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection. Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Thelma Todd, David Landauīert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S.J. Review Archive: # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main Horse Feathers: The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (1932)