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

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

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?

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)

Average customer rating:

A lot of laughs here
An honest to goodness classic comedy!!!!!!
Classics
still laughing
The Marvelous Marx Brothers Collection!

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)
Starring: Groucho Marx , Chico Marx , Harpo Marx , Lucille Ball , and Ann Miller
Director: William A. Seiter , Archie Mayo , and Charles Reisner
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001HAIP4
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Amazon.com essential video

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

Description

This set includes seven of only thirteen Marx Brothers films ever made! Collection includes: "A Night at the Opera" (1935) - The Marx Brothers turn Mrs. Claypool's opera into chaos in their efforts to help two young hopefuls get a break. It contains the famous scene where Groucho, Chico and Harpo cram a ship's stateroom with wall-to-wall people, gags, one-liners, musical riffs and two hard-boiled eggs. "A Day at the Races" (1937) - Groucho stars as Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a horse veterinarian dispensing horse pills and quips with equal glee. Chico selling racing tips, Harpo destroying a piano to turn it into a harp and favorite foil actress Margaret Dumont make this thoroughbred comedy wall-to-wall hilarity. "A Night in Casablanca" (1946) - This parody of the Bogart/Bergman 1943 classic features the Nazis vs. the "nutsies" as the Marx Brothers foil Axis criminals when they find stolen jewels and paintings Nazis have hidden in a hotel. "Room Service"/"At the Circus" - These two films are combined on one disc to provide double doses of laughter. In "Room Service" (1938), Lucille Ball and Ann Miller provide comic co-star support while the Marx Brothers play producers trying to keep their show above water and a hotel room over their head. In "At the Circus" (1939) Groucho stars as professional shyster lawyer J. Cheever Loophole in the middle of big-top bedlam as the boys try to save the circus and look to Margaret Dumont for the money to do so. Groucho sings one of his famous songs, "Lydia the Tattooed Lady." "Go West"/"The Big Store" - Another Marx Brothers twin bill makes this a hilarious comedy "two-fer." In the first, the Marxmen "Go West" (1940) to the land of outlaws and Indians where the fun never stops and where they outwit a land grabber. In "The Big Store" (1941), Groucho plays Attorney Wolf J. Flywheel who with sidekick Wacky (Harpo) and bodyguard Ravelli (Chico) are investigating the shady dealings of a crooked department store owner. Bonus extras include commentary by Leonard Maltin.

Customer Reviews:

A lot of laughs here.......2007-09-11

This set features the 3 Marx Brothers - Zeppo had left by this time. The first 2 films they did after Zeppo left are both 5 star classics. "Night at the Opera" is famous for its stateroom scene and Chico selling Groucho all the racing programs he'll need in "Day at The Races" are true classics. "Room Service" was not specifically written for the Marx Brothers and it's really not that good for a Marx Brothers movie- 3 stars. "Go West", "At the Circus" and "A Night in Casablanca" are all pretty good although not great- all in the 3.5 to 4 star area, better than "Room Service" but not the equal of their earlier classics. One of the problems with these movies is that MGM put in too much (bad) singing and dancing and less Marx Brothers comedy into these movies. The Brothers were always funny but they were at their best when not weighted down by too many characters and songs that no one cared to hear.
All in all- 4 stars. Some great ones, some very good ones and one just okay movie here.

An honest to goodness classic comedy!!!!!!.......2007-06-14

If you want a good clean entertainment and a good laugh, and a classic fun, then the Marx Brothers are for you.

Classics.......2007-05-24

By today's standards, these films are fairly slow-paced in places. Even some of the jokes seem lame in contrast to today's vulgarity. But if you've never seen the Marx Bros at the top of their game, you've gotta see this collection. Fast forward through the occasional sappy romantic bits if you must. Savor the interaction between Harpo and Chico and Groucho. I promise you'll laugh.

still laughing.......2007-05-13

The best of the Marx Brothers comes alive into our living room . I laughed when I was a kid , and now when my Grandchildren come over , they want to watch the Marx Brothers, and I still laugh at their satire . It's as funny now as it was back in my younger years . I'm glad my Grandchildren love them , and I hope their Grandchildren love the Marx Brothers also . It's hard to find good clean entertainment now days , and these movies are classics . I recommend the Marx Brothers for anyone who needs a laugh , and an afternoon for good entertainment .
Dan F. Meacham

The Marvelous Marx Brothers Collection!.......2007-03-31

This collection showcases some of the Marx Brothers' biggest film hits. Kitty Carlisle (who was a guest on television's "What's My Line?" in the 1960s) does her own operatic singing in "A Night at the Opera." She is interviewed, with Dom DeLuise and others, in a DVD featurette included in this collection, and talks about that wild, wonderful association with the Brothers. An interview with Groucho Marx reveals the true story of what happened in producer Irving Thalberg's office when he made the mistake of keeping the brothers waiting too long for scheduled meetings! These movies are classics and give today's "movies" more than a run for their money! Well worth ordering, viewing, and treasuring forever.

The Marx Brothers Collection (Documentary)

Average customer rating:

Top notch
Junk!
Unique Collection
Not the movies.
Not terrible, but not especially great either

The Marx Brothers Collection (Documentary)
Starring: Marx Brothers
Manufacturer: PASSPORT VIDEO
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DJYPL
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Description

Here at long last is a verbal and visual feat fit for fans of Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo - and even Gummo! This fabulous five-DVD set includes film clips, interviews, TV shows, and rare footage that span the careers of all five Marx Brothers.

In addition to the pilot to Groucho's You Bet Your Life TV show, there's a rare TV sitcom pilot starring Chico! Also included are seldom-heard radio shows from the thirties and forties, and legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow's Person-to-Person was never funnier than when he interviewed Groucho and Harpo right in their own homes.

Plus a brand-new, funny and fascinating documentary on the Marx Brothers that includes everything from classic movie scenes to rare radio clips and even Harpo's voice!

No self-respecting Marxist should be without this wonderful collection!

DVD 1 - "Inside The Marx Brothers"

Inside The Marx Brothers is a funny and fascinating look at the personal and professional lives of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo Marx, featuring classic clips from such Marx Brothers favorites as Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera. Also included are rare newsreels, home movies, and interviews with Groucho, Chico, and Room Service co-star, Ann Miller. Rarer still is an actual sound clip of Harpo's voice!

DVD 2 - "You Bet Your Life" TV Pilot

Groucho's You Bet Your Life comedy-quiz show was a huge hit on radio in the late 1940s, but would it translate to the new and increasingly popular medium of television? Nobody could be sure. In December of 1949, a pilot was shot on 16mm film, to see if anyone cared to watch a nearly sixty-year-old man sitting on a chair and asking questions of average, everyday contestants. You Bet Your Life ran on TV for an impressive twelve years.

Here, then, is the rare, original 1949 pilot, complete with mistakes, false starts, ad-libs, and a very nervous, thirty-year-old announcer named George Fenneman.

DVD 3 - "Papa Romani" And "Person-to-Person" Groucho wasn't the only Marx Brother to do memorable work on the small screen. In 1950, Chico Marx appeared in an episode of the anthology series "Silver Theatre" called Papa Romani, which was intended as a pilot for a sitcom. In it, he plays - what a surprise - an Italian immigrant! Costarring with Chico are a post-Wizard of Oz Margaret Hamilton and a pre-I Love Lucy William Frawley!

Broadcasting legend Edward R. Murrow hosted a live interview show in the 1950s called Person to Person in which he visited famous celebrities right in their very own homes. Here is a 1954 installment with Groucho as Murrow's guest, complete with a tour of the house, a cat that plays pool, and a charming duet between Groucho and his eight-year-old daughter, Melinda. You'll also see Harpo and his charming family at their Palm Springs hacienda. While his wife and kids have plenty to say, Harpo - as usual - remains mute.

DVD 4 - "The Marx Brothers: Radio Days" Throughout their film and television careers, Groucho and Chico made various appearances on the radio. Here is the rare, 1934 pilot to The Marx Brothers Show, starring Groucho and Chico as Hollywood agents. Also included are rare guest appearances from 1940s radio shows featuring Groucho trading barbs with such luminaries as Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, Johnny Weismuller, Al Jolson, Ida Lupino, and Betty Grable.

DVD 5 - "Marx Brothers Mixed Nuts" Here is a rare and wonderful collection of original, full-length theatrical trailers from some of Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo's funniest films, plus newsreels and TV commercials featuring the Marx Brothers in unusual situations.

Customer Reviews:

Top notch.......2007-01-12

It was a Christmas gift and it came in great shape and aon time. Thank You!

Junk!.......2006-07-16

I knew what this set was supposed to be. I think it was clear in the description. Why anyone would think that this is a collection of movies, I have no idea. I wanted this set for what is in it. But....

The damn things won't play! I tried to run them on two domestic players, a car player, and a region-free player. Nothing! They are NOT Region Two discs. They appear to be Region Zero (playable on all players worldwide), but they were produced very poorly and will not get past the menu screen.

So, how can I give a fair review to something I can't see? Easy! It's junk, pure and simple. Just plain unusable junk.And what's up with Amazon charging a restocking fee?!? They're going to sell this junk to somebody else? Why? IT'S JUNK!

In case you don't know this Passport company, maybe the fact that they are part of Madacy will give you a clue. Remember the old days of VHS? Ever buy a Madacy product? 'Nuff said.

JUNK!

Unique Collection.......2006-03-15

No, the movies are not included in this collection. If those are what you are looking for go elsewhere. These are perhaps not something I would recommend to one who is not familiar with or very interested in the Marx Brothers. However, it does represent a fairly unique collection of the Marx Brothers' works that you will not find elsewhere. If you or a friend is a Marx Brothers fanatic I would definately recommend this purchase.

Not the movies........2005-08-27

This collection does not include any of the Marx Brothers movies. Fortunately there are several collections now available. "The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection" (44.99 at Amazon) has about half of their feature pictures, specifically these:
(The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup)
The other half are available in a collection called "The Marx Brothers Collection" ($39.99)
(A Night at The Opera/A Day at The Races/A Night in Casablanca/Room Service/At the Circus/Go West/The Big Store)
The only other picture that they did was "Love Happy",($13.48) and that is not included in these collections.
Those are all very good prices, and any real fan will certainly enjoy the quality of the video/DVD.

Not terrible, but not especially great either.......2004-09-30

The trailers, old clips and radio show are all interesting and good for the collection of the diehard fan. I bought mine for $20 so you may want to search around if you're interested. For those who really want the movies, skipping this set will not be any big loss.

Average customer rating:

Marx Brothers Collection
Starring: Marx Brothers
Manufacturer: Passport
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000PI3UQS
Release Date: 2007-10-09

Description

This 5-disc set captures the antics of the incomparable Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo - and even Gummo - in rare film clips, radio shows, and the pilot to Groucho's legendary "You Bet Your Life" TV show.

DVD:

DVD

DVD