Customer Reviews

Marx Brothers At the Circus [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though it has a few classic moments, notably Groucho's rendition of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," the lackluster "At the Circus" (1939) ranks among the Marxes' worst films. A contributing factor to the depressing atmosphere is the annoying presence of romantic lead Kenny Baker, whose terrible songs and insipid "Oh, boy!" cheerfulness have no place in a Marx Brothers film. It's sad to see Groucho, Harpo and Chico brought down by poor material as well as a lack of creative input. Harpo, in particular, is diminished by the MGM gloss. Not even Margaret Dumont's presence can salvage this half-hearted attempt at comedy.

Without the guidance and care of Irving Thalberg (who died during production of A DAY AT THE RACES), the quality of the Marx Brothers films started to slide. AT THE CIRCUS is a haphazard attempt to repeat the successful formula of RACES and A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. There are still lots of laughs, but they are so loosely strung together that the overall impact is lessened. Also, Kenny Baker's presence really makes one wish for Zeppo, or even Allan Jones.But there is still plenty to enjoy in AT THE CIRCUS. After all, any film that shoots Margaret Dumont out of a cannon and lets Groucho sing a tribute to a tatooed lady can't be all bad!

....then you should see this movie. There is plenty of stuff to laugh at in the movie. The biggest problen is that the musical numbers and romance are particularly annoying in this movie. They become even more annoying when you find out that a scene with Groucho in court doing his best to bring chaos to the court proceedings while he practices law was deleted because the movie was too long. You'll wish that one of the musical numbers was deleted instead. But after about thirty minutes the movie picks up and keeps going at a good pace. There are many good scenes after that like a great one with Harpo and Chico sneaking into the strongman's room and trying to be quiet. I find that to be one of their best scenes. There's also good scenes with Grouch wooing Margaret Dumont once again, and the funny dinner party scene. So overall the movie is a disappointment because you get the feeling that with a little more work it could've been a great movie instead of a good, uneven one. But as usual, when the Marx Brothers are left to their own devices they shine through. There are plenty of funny things in this movie, so watch it if you can. Just forward through the songs because they're bad and they kill the pace of the movie.

This was, in my opinion, the lamest Marx Bros I've seen(haven't seen The Big Store yet). The brothers timing was all off and the material was just lacking. You'd a thought Marx Brothers at the circus HAD to be great but the boys just don't seem into it as if their minds were elsewhere. Lines were not delivered with passion, especially Groucho. Just for reference, my fav's are Cocoanuts, Duck Soup and HorseFeathers. I even got a pretty big kick out of Go West(TIM-BER). I didn't really care for Monkey Business, though.

This film was one of the best Marx videos I have ever seen. Groucho and Chico's wigs make them look silly, and some of the songs are a bit strange. But, some classic scenes. Margaret Dumont gets shot out of a cannon, the "Gorilla chase" scene,where the gorilla chases the bad guy on the trapeze,and when Harpo and Chico search the strongman's room for the money, while he is asleep. That scene was better then the "Mirror scene" in "Duck Soup". If you are a big Marx fan, know all of their trademarks, or just want to see a funny movie, I would reccomend this video.

Conventional opinion in the realm of Marx mania targets this movie as inferior. It is ironic that top-of-the-line MGM was partly responsible for diminishing the later Marx magic by teaming silly scripts and moronic musical numbers with the lunacy of the Marx screen persona. This tone-deaf creative acumen relegated Messrs. Marx to lesser material in their last three films at the studio. Take courage; not all is lost. Looking past the annoyances of Kenny Baker's unfortunate singing and the goofy dancing horse number, we can see Marxian mirth in good health. Groucho, without an ID badge, tries to board the circus train guarded by Chico, and we are off to more classic comedy. As Groucho and the guys try to obtain an incriminating cigar from a thieving midget, Marx mayhem prevails. The spirited performance of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" is also a definite plus. Harpo struggles, at times, to find something relevant to do. His pantomime antics do not always make sense within the! context of the action. However, Harpo's mischievous elfin qualities sparkle as he and Chico search the sleeping strongman's room for the missing money. Despite a bias against intrusive musical numbers..., Harpo connects with the singing and dancing African-American kids in a way that illustrates that his otherworldy perspective truly transcends mere racial barriers. His harp solo punctuates this segment nicely. Margaret Dumont is again on hand as the hilarious target of Groucho's barbed zingers. Even with its faults, this is an enjoyable Marx Brothers jolt for fans of classic comedy. Fast forwarding through the dull spots makes multiple viewing a treat. ;-)

At The Circus isn't rated as one of the better Marx Brothers comedies; but I myself liked it very much. OK, so many there's not enough joking around between Groucho Marx and Margaret DuMont; but there are numerous great moments in the script and the plot moves along at a very good pace. The acting is very convincing and although the musical numbers could have been cut down a little they do add something when Chico plays the piano, for example.

The action begins when Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker) forgets about his wealthy aunt's inheritance to run his own circus. Jeff also has plans to marry his sweetheart Julie Randall (Florence Rice). However, what Jeff doesn't know is that his partner John Carter (James Burke) is crooked and wants to own the circus all on his own. Carter wants to be sure that Jeff Wilson won't be able to repay the $10,000 loan he owes to John Carter. Look for a great performance by Eve Arden as "Peerless Pauline," Carter's accomplice in crime.

What happens when Carter sends Goliath (Nat Pendleton) and his buddy Little Professor Atom (Jerry Maren) to get the money from Jeff? Well, they're successful--they steal it.

The plot can go anywhere from here. How will Jeff Wilson get his stolen money back from Carter and his thugs to own the circus and marry his sweetheart Julie? Look to a lawyer named Loophole (Groucho Marx), Goliath's sidekick "Punchy" (Harpo Marx) and circus worker Antonio (Chico Marx) to help Jeff Wilson get the money back.

The scenes with Groucho and Margaret Dumont are good but all too brief; and the musical numbers don't truly fit in with the film. However, the movie is actually rather funny overall so I can give this movie a four star review.

The choreography is great in the final circus scenes and the cinematography works well in framing the characters on the screen.

After all is said and done, don't skip At The Circus. Sure, it's not the very best Marx Brothers film--but, then again, I've seen worse Marx Brothers films from their later years at MGM. The humor is great for an otherwise cloudy day and you won't regret watching this.

AT THE CIRCUS is an improvement upon their previous movie (the regrettable ROOM SERVICE) but still a step below the heights they had previously enjoyed at Paramount and MGM. The biggest factor dragging this film down is the annoying and obtrusive romantic subplot. Yes, I know that many Marx Brothers' films suffered from this, but it's particularly annoying here. After having watched this, I'll never complain about the romance in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA again.

While the non-Marx sequences drag and drive me crazy, the Brothers themselves have some fairly decent material to work from here. The sequence with them in the too-small room trying to trick a circus midget into handing over some evidence recalls some of their earlier strong comedic set pieces. Chico and Harpo also raise some laughs when they try to search a strongman's room without waking him up.

On the other hand, I felt that Groucho was a bit shortchanged. His one-liners weren't quite as funny and sharp as some of the material from other films, though he makes the best of it. Oh, and what was up with his hair? Was he wearing a wig or something? Whatever was going on with those follicles, I found it distracting.

The movie brightens considerably once standard foil Margaret Dumont appears a little past the halfway point. What slightly shocked me at first was that her character initially doesn't know who Groucho is, which, although I hadn't realized it until that moment, is very unusual. Still, her charming outrage is always welcome, and I think I noticed that Groucho himself seemed to get a little more lively and funny once she showed up.

I can't say that AT THE CIRCUS is a particularly great film, but it certainly has its moments, and it isn't a waste of time. Even substandard Marx Brothers is usually worth it. And any movie that fires Margaret Dumont out of a canon can't be all bad. But please don't judge the Brothers on just this film. If you're only going to watch one Marx Brothers film, don't make it this one.

Another film that has fine musical performances by Chico (piano) and Harpo (harp). Groucho renders one of his finer singing performances with "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" However, the plot, screenplay, and performances by the supporting cast aren't quite as stellar as in other Marx films such as "Duck Soup", "Animal Crackers", "Day at the Races", etc. It will get a few laughs, but not as many as the above mentioned films.

This film is so frustrating because it COULD have been MUCH better. It's certainly nowhere near as funny as their Paramount films, but it has its moments. The best scenes in the film are with Margaret Dumont. Other than that, Kenny Baker is annoying and the brothers Marx just look old and tired. Groucho wears a toupee in this film that looks like road kill. MGM ruined every comedian who walked through its doors and this movie is proof of it.