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Special Features
- Contains five films plus a disc of extras and an exclusive book
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
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
Product 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
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
435 of 445 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Marx Brothers hit their peak with "Duck Soup". Sure, "A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races" were both bigger box office hits and, while both those latter films have their moments they just can't quite compete with the inspired anarchy of "Duck Soup". Let's start with the positives first. It doesn't look like most of the films have any footage missing as near as I can tell. Sure, some of the editing still looks ragged but most of their early films (and films from that era for that matter) have that "look". The first three movies are a bit static looking (since the first two were based on their stage plays that's not a surprise--they look like photographed stage plays). With "Monkey Business" and "Horse Feathers" The Marx Brothers began to develop a style that was a bit more cinematic. All five films are essential for fans.
Now the bad news. Universal has been slapping together boxed sets lately of older films and TV series with little to no extras and without any effort at restoration. They're where Warner Brothers was about 6 years ago. The prints often don't look as sharp as they could and there's plenty of analog blemishes to muddy up the picture as well. Digitally many of these flaws could easily be corrected on these prints. Since the original negatives are long gone (they were shot on nitrate stock. Nitrate stock is quite unstable begins to disintegrate and shrink after a couple of decades). Unfortunately, we're left with prints that are several generations removed from the original negatives which means that these will probably never look perfect. Could they look better? Absolutely as there's been minimal effort to clean them up and none of them look as if there has been an effort to restore them.... Read more ›
Now the bad news. Universal has been slapping together boxed sets lately of older films and TV series with little to no extras and without any effort at restoration. They're where Warner Brothers was about 6 years ago. The prints often don't look as sharp as they could and there's plenty of analog blemishes to muddy up the picture as well. Digitally many of these flaws could easily be corrected on these prints. Since the original negatives are long gone (they were shot on nitrate stock. Nitrate stock is quite unstable begins to disintegrate and shrink after a couple of decades). Unfortunately, we're left with prints that are several generations removed from the original negatives which means that these will probably never look perfect. Could they look better? Absolutely as there's been minimal effort to clean them up and none of them look as if there has been an effort to restore them.... Read more ›
170 of 179 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you already own the previous DVD or Laserdisc releases of these great classic movies, you may want to think twice about investing more money for only 15 minutes total of "Today Show" interviews with Harpo, Groucho, and Harpo's son promoting their books. There is some fun here, but you want to kick the Today Show Director when they interrupt Groucho's story, after only 5 minutes, because they have other things to get to. Groucho really looks stunned and put out that he was stopped.
There are also 3 trailers (Cocoanuts & Monkey Business have none) strangely tagged at the end to promote the MCA 1980's Home Video Tape release.
I guess Universal forgot that they own the rights to the Marx Brothers half-hour 1950's TV special "THE INCREDIBLE JEWEL ROBBERY". This would have been a great addition to the box set! I have never seen this except for the old Castle Films home movie clip.
Restoration? Well, Universal never used that word in their description, and they certainly didn't do it.
The choppy splices are still there in several movies.
The missing footage is still NOT there.
Some reels are still out of focus.
Some reels are still many generations away from the original negative and look very contrasty.
Some reels still have a bouncy picture (warped negative).
About 75% of the time the films do look good.
This really looks like a quick patch-together box set by Universal (Owned by NBC, that is why their Today Show clips are used) to keep up with the competition (WB's DVD Box Set).
BUT, if you never got the previously released DVDs or Laserdiscs, then this is a Must-Get box set!
There are also 3 trailers (Cocoanuts & Monkey Business have none) strangely tagged at the end to promote the MCA 1980's Home Video Tape release.
I guess Universal forgot that they own the rights to the Marx Brothers half-hour 1950's TV special "THE INCREDIBLE JEWEL ROBBERY". This would have been a great addition to the box set! I have never seen this except for the old Castle Films home movie clip.
Restoration? Well, Universal never used that word in their description, and they certainly didn't do it.
The choppy splices are still there in several movies.
The missing footage is still NOT there.
Some reels are still out of focus.
Some reels are still many generations away from the original negative and look very contrasty.
Some reels still have a bouncy picture (warped negative).
About 75% of the time the films do look good.
This really looks like a quick patch-together box set by Universal (Owned by NBC, that is why their Today Show clips are used) to keep up with the competition (WB's DVD Box Set).
BUT, if you never got the previously released DVDs or Laserdiscs, then this is a Must-Get box set!
73 of 74 people found the following review helpful
By J. Robelen
Format:DVD
In summary, I will echo what's been said already about this collection. The films are worth having, because after 70+ years of existence, this is apparently the best Universal will do with the classic Marx Brothers performances of their day.
Now I will heap on some gripes of my own. First, there's just over six hours of material spread over six DVDs. You do the math--they're obviously NOT TRYING VERY HARD here. They could have easily fit this all on 3 discs, or fewer. It's not like there's a COMMENTARY TRACK or even a RESTORED PRINT that would make each film worthy of its own disc. Universal did the BARE MINIMUM knowing that real fans would buy these crappy prints anyway, and will pay again if they release restored and augmented versions later. (The Warner Collection beats this one hands down, but with different titles. Hell, even Universal's treatment of ABBOTT & COSTELLO was done better.)
The "exclusive book" is fluff; it has credits and pictures but NOTHING you can't get elsewhere (like IMDB). And the "extras" disc is pitiful. The Today Show interviews of Harpo and Groucho are so brief, and in need of restoration themselves, they're actually cruel to watch. C'mon Universal, this is the BEST STUFF you could find? It's not like you were limited to supplemental material from the 1930s. These interviews are from the '60s and '70s!
The only thing that remotely redeems this collection is the price--the Amazon price, not the retail price. Buy this for the movies if you love them, but this is a collection that ONLY MINNIE (the Marx Brothers' mother) should love.
Now I will heap on some gripes of my own. First, there's just over six hours of material spread over six DVDs. You do the math--they're obviously NOT TRYING VERY HARD here. They could have easily fit this all on 3 discs, or fewer. It's not like there's a COMMENTARY TRACK or even a RESTORED PRINT that would make each film worthy of its own disc. Universal did the BARE MINIMUM knowing that real fans would buy these crappy prints anyway, and will pay again if they release restored and augmented versions later. (The Warner Collection beats this one hands down, but with different titles. Hell, even Universal's treatment of ABBOTT & COSTELLO was done better.)
The "exclusive book" is fluff; it has credits and pictures but NOTHING you can't get elsewhere (like IMDB). And the "extras" disc is pitiful. The Today Show interviews of Harpo and Groucho are so brief, and in need of restoration themselves, they're actually cruel to watch. C'mon Universal, this is the BEST STUFF you could find? It's not like you were limited to supplemental material from the 1930s. These interviews are from the '60s and '70s!
The only thing that remotely redeems this collection is the price--the Amazon price, not the retail price. Buy this for the movies if you love them, but this is a collection that ONLY MINNIE (the Marx Brothers' mother) should love.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The movies are great - this print not so much.
These films probably don't need my review because they've been classics for years. They are all the Marx Brothers at their very best, and anyone seeing them will be impressed at... Read more
Published 10 days ago by dspier
5.0 out of 5 stars
They Left Their Marx On History!!
a couple weeks ago i reviewed Universal's Complete Abbott & Costello set, so it seemed only fair, if not my duty, to similarly salute the one classic comedy team who managed to be... Read more
Published 12 days ago by jude pepper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Silly regions
I am satisfied with my bought but not so satisfied with these silly region restriction. Now I have bought a regionfree DVD player but it is an expensive way to benefit from some... Read more
Published 29 days ago by EKT0R
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Classics
The boys at their craziest. Later they would "clean up" and have things like "plot" and "character developmnent. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joshua G. Barnes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Collector's Item
My husband loves the Marx brothers and he loves quoting them. When I got this as a gift for him on our anniversary, he was ecstatic. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gillean Owens
4.0 out of 5 stars
Marx Brothers
A must if you love like the Marx Brothers and their zany brand of comedy. Utter madness at it's best.
Published 3 months ago by vball01
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not nearly as much fun the second time around.
I guess I remembered only the hilarious nuggets from when I saw them many years ago on the big screen.
Published 4 months ago by Carlos D. Pinkstaff
5.0 out of 5 stars
C'mon, its the Marx Brothers
These are the early Marx Brother's movies. I don't know that it's fair to say they are better than their later works, they are simply some of my favorite of their works. Read more
Published 4 months ago by B K Ray (Does this look funny to you?)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really excellent quality transfer to DVD.
The Marx Brothers movies are hilarious to say the least. These DVDs are excellent, the transfer quality is great. Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. A. ROBBINS
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best single collection I own
This is a must own for those that love the Marx brothers. It not only gives you most of their best movies but it also gives a special inside look at the men behind the characters.
Published 5 months ago by C. Michel
