Monkey Business (1931)
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Comedy / Adventure

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Monkey Business (1931)
Monkey Business, the Marx Brothers' third film, differs from their first two in that it was an original work, not based on a show they had previously performed on stage.  This is significant because this is the first time we get to see the Marxes as they are best remembered, completely unfettered and knocking out one stunning gag after another in a frenzy of wild anarchic fun.  Although the Marxes would make better films in subsequent years - including the all-time classics Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935) - Monkey Business is the film that features their funniest and most inspired comedy routines.

Admittedly, the plot is next to non-existent and the characters are absurd caricatures of the familiar Hollywood types (mostly played by individuals with minimal acting skill), but who cares?  With Groucho performing verbal gymnastics of the kind that ought to be an Olympic sport and his brothers applying their own individual skills to the cause of comedy, who can complain?   The film is stuffed with so many great gags that no one can resist liking it.

The best remembered routine is the one where the four brothers take it in turn to impersonate the French chansonnier Maurice Chevalier, each singing a line from one of his songs (which presents a small problem for Harpo who, as we all know, never speaks).  Other highpoints include the barber's shop gag, in which Chico's attempt to direct Harpo in shaving a moustache ends in disaster, and Harpo's Punch and Judy routine (which is so hilarious and weird that you just have to rewind the tape/DVD and watch it again).  This is comedy at its most inspired and unpredictable; no wonder the film was a phenomenal success.  The Marx Brothers certainly knew their trade.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.

Film Synopsis

Four brothers, Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo, stowaway on a ship bound for New York.  As they try to elude the ship's First Mate, the brothers find themselves embroiled in the machinations of two rival gangs.  Groucho takes a liking to an attractive young woman named Lucille, not knowing that she is married to the notorious gangster Alky Briggs.  Meanwhile, Harpo takes over a Punch and Judy Show and has a great time chasing young females all over the ship.  The enterprising Chico finds work as a bodyguard to bootlegger Joe Helton, whose daughter attracts the attention of the incurably romantic Zeppo.    Having reached New York, the brothers attend a party at Helton's house in Long Island, where Briggs intends to abduct Mary.  Fortunately, Groucho and his brothers are on hand to enliven a dull soiree and scupper the gangster's fiendish plans...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Norman Z. McLeod
  • Script: S.J. Perelman, Will B. Johnstone, J. Carver Pusey, Al Shean, Arthur Sheekman (dialogue)
  • Cinematographer: Arthur L. Todd
  • Music: John Leipold, Ralph Rainger
  • Cast: Groucho Marx (Groucho), Harpo Marx (Harpo), Chico Marx (Chico), Zeppo Marx (Zeppo), Rockliffe Fellowes (Joe Helton), Harry Woods (Briggs), Thelma Todd (Lucille), Ruth Hall (Mary Helton), Tom Kennedy (Gibson), Eddie Baker (Ship's Officer), Bobby Barber (Barber's Hoarse Customer), Billy Bletcher (Man in Deck Chair), Eddie Borden (Joe - Photographer), James Bradbury Jr. (Party Guest), Maxine Castle (Opera Singer at Party), Maurice Chevalier (Singing Voice), Davison Clark (Passport Official), Cecil Cunningham (Madame Swempski), Bobby Dunn (Gangster), Al Flosso (Punch and Judy Puppeteer)
  • Country: USA
  • Language: English
  • Support: Black and White
  • Runtime: 77 min

The best of American cinema
sb-img-26
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.
The best French films of 2018
sb-img-27
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2018.
The greatest French film directors
sb-img-29
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
The very best of Italian cinema
sb-img-23
Fellini, Visconti, Antonioni, De Sica, Pasolini... who can resist the intoxicating charm of Italian cinema?
The best of Russian cinema
sb-img-24
There's far more to Russian movies than the monumental works of Sergei Eisenstein - the wondrous films of Andrei Tarkovsky for one.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright