Product Details

• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: White Star
• DVD Release Date: March 29, 2005
• Run Time: 82 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007NMK0I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,151 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Groucho: A Life In Revue highlights the legendary comedian’s life and amazing career. Written by the ultimate authority – Groucho’s son Arthur Marx – this comedy with music chronicles the unparalleled rags-to-riches story of America’s funniest entertainer. Groucho is portrayed by Frank Ferrante, whose more than 2,000 performances in this role have earned him critical acclaim worldwide. Groucho: A Life In Revue entertains as a comedy, a play and as a musical. With ten songs and musical underscore throughout, the score captures the comic genius and wildness of Groucho, the Marx Brothers and the times in which they lived.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groucho Marxes on..., February 26, 2006

By 

Joseph (NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Groucho - A Life in Revue (DVD)

I was astounded by the performance that burst forth from Frank Ferrante in this DVD. The other 2 players were also impeccable. Admittedly, I am an almost life-long fan of the Marx Bros., and was enthralled, taken back in history, and even teary at the end. Ferrante acts as Groucho at various intervals in his life from Teens to 85. He puts on the make-up as he performs, for goodnessake! Its lovingly written by none other than Grouch's son, Arthur, who first met Ferrante dressed as his father in the street - it was the fright of his life, as you can understand.
Fans must own this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for any fan of Groucho or the Marx brothers, July 18, 2007

By 

Hoi Polloi "Friend to Whippets" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Groucho - A Life in Revue (DVD)

This is a funny, moving, insightful and at times poignant and bittersweet tribute to a man who has touched so many lives. I know this sounds cliche but I laughed, I cried, and I came back for more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Four Ages of Groucho, April 13, 2011

By 

Brent R. Swanson "coffee shop inspector" (Crooper, Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Groucho - A Life in Revue (DVD)

Frank Ferrante's portrayal of Groucho is a classic of performance art. His current one-man (plus pianist) show practically creates a new Marx Bros. movie around and about the audience as Ferrante/Groucho interacts with audience members as well as pianist James Furmston. This show is an outgrowth of the biographical play "Groucho: A Life in Revue," by Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, which is presented on the disc.

The multimedia musical play takes Groucho from his early vaudeville days through his movie and television careers, and winds up with the wistful and frail man that many of us remember from his final public appearances in the '70s. Ferrante's ability to capture the essence of Groucho at each phase of his life is uncanny, almost eerie (as Arthur Marx admits in one of the disc's few bonus features).

The supporting cast is excellent as well. Roy Abramsohn matches Ferrante's finesse as he portrays both Chico and Harpo (something I didn't realize till I checked the cast list on the box)and Marguerite Lowell does a tour de force as ten different women in Groucho's life. This was probably a much more "electric" show seen in person. Most of what Ferrante is seen doing here as the movie Groucho has been transferred to his current one-man show, where it plays like comedic lightning. The presentation on this dvd feels a bit remote and dampened, but that is a constant hazard of filming stage shows. At no time does the show feel grim or depressing, which there was certainly a potential for, given the downturn of Groucho's life and energies in his final years. If the conclusion isn't upbeat, its bittersweetness is a satisfactory compromise.

The extra features are tiny but worthwhile: an appearance by Groucno's son Arthur, and home movie footage of the youthful Ferrante performing Marx Bros. sketches with his friends. This program is an excellent overview of the Marx Bros. career as well as an effective "teaser" for Ferrante's one-man show. Groucho was a complicated man, but above all, his stage and movie character was a classic comedy creation. And Ferrante is a benevolent genius for keeping that comic legacy alive.