Os Irmãos Marx no Circo

Middle-of-the-road Marxes, with some good scenes and laughs unevenly weighted down by those ever-intrusive and out-of-place musical numbers that so often plagued these movies. No, I'm not referring to Groucho's spirited rendition of 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady'; I'm talking about hearing those two useless lead lovers crooning their sappy romantic tunes to each other ('Two Blind Loves', which is sung over and over at intervals throughout the picture, is especially grating on the nerves). There is also a song and dance sequence that comes out of left field later in the film that really feels out of place and gets in the way of things.

There are certainly some witty Groucho zingers, as well as vintage Harpo madness, to be found here. It's just that there's not enough consistency and too much of the fluff. It's a pity the filmmakers just didn't realize that it's the Marx Brothers we're here to see; not Kenny Baker and Florence Rice.

Which is to say, neither the Marx Brothers' best nor their worst, but the end of their great period and the beginning of their decline. MGM was simply a studio that (with few exceptions) didn't understand comedy. After this GO WEST has its moments, but THE BIG STORE is nearly a complete waste of time (and when I say "nearly" I'm being charitable --- offhand I can't thing of a single good thing to say about it).

AT THE CIRCUS, on the other, hand, still has many things to recommend it, if you have the iron will it takes to sit through the incredibly schmaltzy and irritating "love" angle. Lots of funny one liners, Harpo riding around on an ostrich and bopping people with his horn, the problematic "Swingali" number (which offends many people but somehow only makes me reflect that Harpo transcends racial barriers), a guy in a gorilla suit, and last but very, very far from least, "Lydia the Tattooed Lady".

For that number alone you should see this movie. Of course if you're a Marx fan you've seen it anyway --- you've probably even seen LOVE HAPPY.

Ugh.

The Marx Brothers burst onto the scene in the 1929 comedy "The Cocoanuts". Over the next few years they starred in some of the all-time classics, namely "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup".

Then something happened. I don't know the reason, but they left Paramount (which financed the aforementioned movies) and moved to MGM. By that point, MGM was well established as the domain of happy-go-lucky musicals, and it showed in the Marx Brothers' movies. Far from the biting satire of their earlier movies, these newer movies tended to show them performing antics in various settings: opera, horse racing, and now the circus. "At the Circus" is funny, but it's no "Duck Soup".

Ignoring all that, there's plenty of laughs to be had here (and quite a few hot babes). Enjoyable in that respect. Jerry Maren (Atom) is best known as one of the Munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz" and died only last year, making him not only the last surviving speaking cast member from TWoO, but the last surviving cast member from a Marx Brothers movie.

The sad fact about the Marx Brothers is that after the movie A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, their career was all downhill. While A DAY AT THE RACES and ROOM SERVICE were still very good, their subsequent efforts were painfully ordinary and generally unfunny. It was like they were playing lethargic caricatures of themselves. And, from what I gathered, the Marxes WERE very content to just collect a paycheck at this point in their lives.

Some of the blame for the static nature of this film also must be given to MGM--a studio that had a history of ruining good comedians when they came under DIRECT MGM control (Laurel and Hardy's films were distributed by MGM but were created by the independent-minded Hal Roach Studios). If you don't believe me, look at all the Marxes films from the late 30s on as well as Buster Keaton's films of the 30s--they rely on an MGM formula and lack all the frenetic intensity of the comedians' earlier non-MGM efforts.

The film is a by-the-book effort where the Marx Brothers own a circus. Despite this, the film is low on energy and laughs--and should under no circumstances be confused with Chaplin's film The Circus.

This was my third time watching AT THE CIRCUS and, the characteristically anaemic leads (who somehow always seem to be able to carry a tune) notwithstanding, I've always been kind of partial to this one (even if the end result is, decidedly, a notch or two below their finest work). Plot and setting provide several opportunities for the Marxes to shine, both as a team and individually: Groucho (as always) is the film's trump card, however, especially in his rendition of 'Lydia, the Tattooed Lady' and the separate scenes he shares with befuddled aristocrat Margaret Dumont and scheming circus performer Eve Arden; other highlights include Groucho and Chico's interrogation of the suspicious-looking dwarf, Chico and Harpo's frenzied search for stolen money in the strong-man's room (while the latter is asleep!), and the typically busy climax in which Dumont receives the ultimate humiliation.

AT THE CIRCUS is the Marxes' third best MGM picture (demonstrating a steady decline for them from picture to picture) but it's still inferior to the later A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA (1946), in my opinion – or any of their early Paramount films, for that matter.