The Marx Brothers Collection (A Night at The Opera/A Day at The Races/A Night in Casablanca/Room Service/At the Circus/Go West/The Big Store)
Director: William A. Seiter, Archie Mayo, Charles ReisnerStudio: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Format: Black & White, NTSC
DVD Release: May 4th 2004
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DVD Review
When it comes to long-awaited treats like The Marx Brothers Collection, you can never get too much of a good thing. These seven comedies can't compare to the sheer lunacy of the five classics (The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup) that the Marx Bros. made for Paramount between 1929 and 1933 (available in The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection), but when uber-producer Irving Thalberg signed Groucho, Harpo, and Chico to an MGM contract in 1935 (by which time sibling costar Zeppo had become the team's off-screen manager), he knew just how to cure their box-office blues. As a result, A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races were critical and commercial hits, lavishly produced according to the "Tiffany" studio's golden-age formula of glamorous set pieces and musical numbers combined with sensible plots that smoothly integrated snappy, well-written Marxian antics. Opera is the jewel of this set, with timeless scenes (the Stateroom, the Groucho-Chico contract negotiation, etc.) that rank among the greatest bits of silver-screen comedy... not to mention Groucho's flirtatious insults at Margaret Dumont's upper-crust expense.
A Day at the Races deserves near-equal acclaim ("Get-a your tootsie-fruitsie ice cream!"), but Thalberg's death in 1937 dealt a devastating blow, and the Marxes suffered from studio indifference, resulting in a succession of comedies that are timelessly enjoyable even as they fall prey to diminishing returns. By the time they made Go West and The Big Store, the Marxes were out of their element, and a few of the musical interludes indulge racial stereotypes that were common in the studio era. Despite this, these movies remain fresh and frantic, and Warner Bros. (holder of the RKO and MGM libraries) has done a marvelous job of packaging The Marx Brothers Collection to nostalgically approximate the filmgoing experience of the 1930s and '40s, with vintage shorts (Our Gang, Robert Benchley comedies, MGM cartoons, etc.) from the time of each feature's original release. Archival materials are slim but worthwhile (especially Groucho's 1961 interview with TV talk-show host Hy Gardner), and while Glenn Mitchell's commentary on Races is sparse and superficial, Leonard Maltin brings his usual superfan's enthusiasm and encyclopedic knowledge to bear on a full-length Opera commentary track. The new documentaries are somewhat redundant, but essential viewing for Marx Bros. neophytes. With all seven films presented in pristine condition, this is definitely a Marx Brothers Collection worth having. --Jeff Shannon
User Reviews
Excellent in Most Respects - Rating: 4/5
Even the so-called "worst films" are better than so much of what is out there.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA and A DAY AT THE RACES are generally undisputed classics (although there are many who consider the Paramount films more "purely" Marx brothers). The first two MGM classics (NIGHT and DAY)incorporte their antics with good quality romantic subplots with characters you actually care about.
A side note. The female lead of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA was Kitty Carlisle [Hart], later a perienniel panelist on shows like "To Tell the Truth." She recently turned 95 years old.
However, even the other films, including the oft derided THE BIG STORE are pleasantly entertaining. You can get almost all of their films through this set and the collection described below.
The movies are generally well made and the quality of the DVDs are excellent.
It would have been nice if the releases included more of the special features typical with other major stars of the era. However, I am sure that they will emerge in future "Special Editions."
Despite this, the films are terrific. Also recommended is THE MARX BROTHERS SILVER SCREEN COLLECTION, which represents their Paramount features: The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horsefeathers and Duck Soup.
A mixed bag - Rating: 4/5
There's a reason why, apart of course from the first two films, the majority of the films on here aren't that well-known or well-regarded. The extras on DAY and NIGHT are fantastic, although I wish I'd known they were available as part of a boxed set before I bought them at a two-for-one deal; since I didn't want duplicate material, I had to search out the other three discs in this collection separately. Unfortunately, because of the death of the genius Irving Thalberg, the Boy Wonder of MGM, their post-1937 films included here are hit-and-miss, with some great funny moments, but never again do we find anything as consistently brilliant, inspired, and funny as their earlier works. In my opinion the best later films on here are 'At the Circus' (which is quite funny and doesn't deserve the awful reputation it has) and 'A Night in Casablanca'; 'Go West' and 'The Big Store' also have some great moments in them, but are marred by too many musical numbers and annoying subplots, not to mention some unfortunate scenes engaging in dated racist stereotypes. The worst one on here is 'Room Service,' which is watchable but still pretty pitiful; it's pricelessly ironic that one of the few funny bits involves a turkey!
Most of the extras on the post-1937 films have nothing to do with the actual films themselves, apart from the movie trailers and a few other things, like some audio features ("Where There's Music" from 'The Big Store,' recorded by the dull annoying Tony Martin, and the radio promo for 'Go West'). Some of the one-reelers I like, others I don't care for. I know these later films don't really merit too many bonus features, but it's kind of stretching it to call them relevant bonus features when they're just shorts that MIGHT have been played before the actual movie started. Still, it's admirable how they probably wanted to include them to give the viewer a better picture of what an actual night at the movies was like in the Thirties and Forties. One also wonders why the same level of care and thought wasn't put into assembling bonus features on the Paramount boxed set.
The Marxes, For Better or Worse: - Rating: 4/5
This is the companion piece to the Universal release of the first five Marx Brothers films, which was arguably their best period. These MGM and RKO productions were their last seven films as a team (if you don't count "Love Happy", which was primarily a Groucho vehicle). Unfortunately, the set documents the general decline in the quality of their comedies. Still, there are some classic Marxian moments throughout these movies, especially the first two.
"A Night at the Opera" is second only to "Duck Soup" as the brothers' best film. Zeppo's departure as an on-screen presence was filled admirably by Allan Jones, who belts out the sometimes-operatic numbers with an ingenuous Kitty Carlisle. The brothers follow the young couple from Italy to the U.S. and help them get their big break in the opera, thwarting the usual component of baddies. The "stateroom scene" is a visual classic, and the "contract" skit with Groucho and Chico ("You can't fool me - there's no Sanity Clause!") is another highlight. *****
"A Day at the Races" is nearly as good - this time the brothers try to save a sanitarium hospital from the clutches of an evil developer by investing in a racehorse. Allan Jones again serves as romantic lead. There are many classic moments, especially Groucho and Chico's "Tootsie-Frootsie Ice Cream" scene. The film is marred, however, by a big production number led by Harpo. It may have given a lot of black actors and singers work, but it trucks out just about every African-American stereotype in the book. For me, that cost it half a star. ****
"At the Circus" has some funny moments, too, but it was the first film made after the untimely death of wunderkind producer Irving Thalberg, who had a close and sympathetic relationship with the Marxes. It's said that MGM head Louis Mayer didn't "get" the Marx Brothers, and the studio's creative investment in their brand of comedy began to wane with this film. Still, there are highlights, such as Groucho's performance of the clever song, "Lydia, the Tatooed Lady." (Groucho's best line: "I'll bet your father spent the first year of your life throwig rocks at the stork.") ***
"Room Service" was the only film the Marxes made that wasn't written specifically for them. Based on a popular screwball comedy for the stage, they still manage to make it their own vehicle, as they try to get backing for a play before getting tossed out of their hotel suite. The "breakfast" scene is a hoot. The film co-stars Ann Miller, and a young comedienne named Lucille Ball. ***1/2
"Go West", again, has its moments, especially the opening scene with Harpo and Chico fleecing Groucho out of his cash, but it further documents the decline of the writing for the brothers. There's also a scene with "Indians" that, though a sign of the times, is wincingly bad in its stereotypes. ** ½
"The Big Store" is the nadir, a just plain bad Marx Brothers film. Groucho doesn't utter a single originally funny line, and generally the boys just aren't that amusing. For example, there's a scene in a bed department, involving an Italian family losing some of their children, that is chaotic but painfully unfunny. **
"A Night in Casablanca" is somewhat a return to form, and consistently funnier than any of their films since "A Day at the Races". Groucho becomes manager of the Hotel Casablanca, with all the intrigue it entails, and the boys try to thrwart the plans of a Nazi-in-disguise, played by their favorite heavy Sig Ruman. The film also introduced the future song standard "Who's Sorry Now?" ***1/2
The box set contains no informational booklet, but it is much more generous with bonus material than the Universal set. Each disc contains extras such as documentaries about the Marx Brothers, along with "short subjects" of the period: cartoons, short comedies including "Our Gang", and a fascinating documentary on the pioneering high-speed photographer Thomas Edgerton. Overall, it's a worthwhile set to own, especially if you're a "Marxist" like me.
Joyful Marxness! - Rating: 5/5
Just when I thought I'd never see the day when the Marx Brothers' post-Paramount films would appear on DVD, Warner Bros. comes out with this absolutely wonderful set. Whoever was in charge of this project deserves a raise and a pat on the back.
For movies some 70-odd-years old, these films look and sound gorgeous. The Opera and Races DVDs are packed to the hilt with cool bonus features, including commentary and documentary films. The rest of the discs feature mostly-unrelated short films and cartoons, so that the viewer can choose to have a full "night at the movies" 1930s style if they like.
The bottom line is, this is an excellent collection that proves Warners has been taking care of their movies. Good job!
Could have been a lot better - Rating: 3/5
This is not the set to get if you're at all interested in more than just movies. The movies look great, but the extras don't have much to do with the Marx brothers. There are a couple of theatrical trailers, but most of the extras are random one reel junk that may or may not have been shown at Marx brothers screenings. Skip this set and get yourself a collection that is worthy of the respect the Marx brothers deserve.
