Customer Reviews

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Marx Brothers (A Day at the Races / A Night in Casablanca / Room Service / At the Circus)

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The two really great films that the Marx Brothers did after they left Paramount were "A Night at the Opera" (the best IMHO) and "A Day at the Races". These two have Margaret Dumont sparring with Groucho as usual. "Races" and "Opera" were the two films that boy genius Irving Thalberg supervised after personally wooing the Marx's to come to MGM in the first place. Louis B. Mayer really had no use for the brothers, and it shows in the kinds of films they were given after Thalberg died in 1936. The best of the Marx Brothers are what they did at Paramount, still with us in The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup). The Marx Brothers were iconoclasts at heart, and after the production code began to be enforced they really had no home in motion pictures. I think Irving Thalberg was wrong to think that the problem was that the brothers never helped anyone in their movies, but the formula he came up with in "Opera" and "Races" did make their comedy work in the age of the code.

"At the Circus" and "A Night in Casablanca" are OK. On the bright side "At the Circus" has Margaret Dumont. On the not so bright side it is infected with musical numbers that are, quite frankly, boring. "A Night in Casablanca" almost gets the boys back to the quality they had in the mid 30's under Thalberg, so it is worthwhile viewing, although it does lend a generosity to the boys that simply does not fit their brand of humor.

"Room Service" (1938) is actually an RKO film, so for once no musical numbers. This script was not written especially for the brothers, it was one of the few films they did with adapted material. The humor is OK, but it just doesn't seem like a Marx Brothers film.

In my opinion 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) is a more complete picture of the film career of the Marx Brothers after the code. It has plenty of extra features and it is often on sale for about the same price as this set, plus you get seven films, not just four.

How can you go wrong with 4 Marx brothers classics. I watched the first one last night "Room Service" and it is still one of my favorites. I was skeptical at first when I saw that four movies were bundled together, but I found the quality of the prints to be surprisingly clean, plus you also get wacky cartoons like The Daffy Doc (1938) with a young and crazy Daffy Duck & Porky Pig and Our Gang comedies as well along with movie trailers. An excellent bargain for the price. The reason A Night At The Opera is not included was probably because it is a major movie and that one in itself is full of various extra features as well. You can buy that one at bargain prices as well. Stop complaining! People used to pay $25 for one movie 25 years ago. This buy is well worth it at approx. half that old price and with four times as much and with better quality.

Why indeed would they omit 'Night at the Opera' ? To include 'Night in Casablanca' instead seems disingenuous at best, sneaky at worse. If you'd like any other these Post Paramount and mostly lesser Marx movies, you should instead get 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) I expect much more from TCM. This collection seems as poorly conceived as, well, most of these later films themselves.

Okay, if you like the Marx Brothers this is definitely for you. How can you resist the antics of the brothers in this laugh a minute selection.

received product in good shape and on time from amazon.played it the night we received it and everyone in the family enjoyed it.
it was good old comedy that made you laugh and feel good. wonderful buy.

"TCM Classic Films Collection: The Marx Brothers" contains four feature films: "A Day at the Races," "A Night in Casablanca," "Room Service," and "At the Circus."
In "A Day at the Races" (1937), Groucho is Dr. Hackenbush, the epitome of quackery whose special patient is Mrs. Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont). There was never a better comic foil than Ms. Dumont and she is in great form here, especially when she undergoes a medical examination that includes a shoeshine, manicure, and shave. Groucho and Chico engage in a seven-minute routine in which Chico, hawking "tutsi-fruitsi ice cream," sells Groucho a racing tip which requires a succession of books to decode.
"At the Circus" (1939) is memorable mostly for Groucho's rendition of "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady," which became one of his signature songs. Margaret Dumont is on hand again, this time as Mrs. Dukesbury to Groucho's J. Cheever Loophole, and Eve Arden contributes her comic talents as Peerless Pauline, a shady acrobat.

They weren't the first, but they were the most remembered. Today their comedy stands the test of time with their flippant mannerism that were certain to disrupt any serious concern in the scene by scene silliness.In truth it has been this method of conflict that washed into out street antics of the 60s and scared the shorts off of our political agenda. As the Marx Brothers depict so splendidly; "If we don't respect it, then it's not there!"
Hear the Calliope: A sentimental journey on the Earth Ride
Legacy: Let the games begin (Volume 2)
Reason Void of Reason: Spirituality Honeymoon Style (Volume 3)
BREATHE: Noumenon (Volume 4)

I got it from the local library to rent and see it's pretty funny, old school slap stick stuff.some wisecracks/jokes newer generations might not get.

At the Circus is a good movie. Unfortunately, and not as advertised, I downloaded the "collection" but that was the only movie that came through. Contacted Amazon and tried to discover what was going on; after waiting on hold for some time they answered, but the phone clicked and they hung up. $9.99 for a single Marx Brothers movie? That's not a great deal. I could do better at the DVD bin at the car wash.

As a lifelong fan of "Minnie's boys" and someone who personally met Groucho, I love the Marx Brothers. However, even the most ardent fan feels some trepidation when it comes to how "darkies" were portrayed in the 1930's and 1940's cinema of its day. Especially, "A Day at the Races." It is extremely questionable to publically air this film in an era where the representation of African Americans as "bug eyed" and "tap dancin" fools seems hopelessly out of date. We've come a long way in American culture and this film's stereotype was probably more a product of the studio than how the brothers felt about racial issues. Being Jewish, they knew about prejudice and bigotry. I believe that today, Groucho would not be very proud of this work. While the jokes are fair, this is collection does not showcase their best work (Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, Animal Crackers, Horse Feathers, or Monkey Business - even The Big Store is funnier). The one bit ("getta you ice cream!") with Groucho and Chico at the race track is priceless if you can skip over the rest of the filler stuff and ignore the terrible racially biased musical numbers ("Who dat man? Dat's Gabriel!"). I highly recommend these other films mentioned if you want to hear to famous one liners or see the musical asides for which Groucho, Chico, and yes, even the silent Harpo made famous.