Robert J. Maxwell
By 1939 the Marx Brothers were under the tutelage of Irving Thalberg for a while and their comedies became more friendly, less anarchic. This is a good example from that period.The most memorable feature of the movie is Groucho's enormous and flagrantly fake grease mustache. For the most part the gags themselves seem more staged and, at the climax, with a gorilla chasing Margaret Dumont among the swinging trapezia, almost frantic. People and animals fly through the air -- both up and down.The plot has something to do with young Kenny Baker and his circus. The money he's saved to keep the business going is stolen from him by James Burke and a few henchmen. The entire film is taken up with the Marx brothers pursuit of the stolen ten thousand dollars.I laughed out loud a couple of times, more at some of the lines in the dialog rather than the physical comedy. And there are some unusual and pleasant interludes. Groucho sings and dances to "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" and the lyrics are keen and ridiculous. Harpo is at his favorite instrument, the harp, and does a neat job on "Blue Moon," succumbing only at the end to the harpist's irresistible tendency to add unnecessary flourishes.Example of a gag. On a train, the brothers are about to rush down the corridor in search of the missing money but the tall floozy Eve Arden swishes past them in the opposite direction. Chico remonstrates as Groucho abruptly turns around with a huge grin and follows Arden. "Maybe she knows something," Groucho protests, "even if it's not about the money." She wordlessly slams the door in his face. He spins around, throws his arms in the air, still grinning, and shouts, "She's INNOCENT." It's better on film than in print but overall it's still one of their weaker entries.
LeonLouisRicci
Often Sighted as the Beginning of the End for the Marx Brothers this is Nevertheless a Delightful Romp as the Film is Filled with Outrageousness as Expected and Enough Groucho Isms to Tickle the Rib. Sure it has some Awful Sappy Musical Numbers, the ones Performed by the Non-Brothers, but that seemed to be a Curse of the Marxes as well as Many other Golden Age Film Comedians. The Studios Insisted on MUSICAL Comedies.But Revisiting At the Circus One is Struck that the Film is Literally Filled with Laughs from one Scene to Another. It is quite Broad with its One Liners, Puns, Slapstick and Frolic. It may not be the Best Marx Brothers Movie but it is far from the Worst and Holds its Own. The Brothers give it Their All and the Result is a Fun Film that gets a lot of Grief but is Underrated mostly because the Marx Brothers are so Exalted. This One is just Another Day at Work for Groucho, Chico, and Harpo, and they Certainly Earn their Money.If You are New to the Marx Brothers, Suffice to say that it is best to View Their Movies in Chronological Order for best Results and Understanding of Their Appeal.
TheLittleSongbird
I have been vocal before about my love for The Marx Brothers, but while I liked At the Circus on the whole it is also a little disappointing and lacks the exuberance evident in an outing like A Night at the Opera and Duck Soup.My main problem with At the Circus is a similar problem to that I had with A Day at the Races- too many musical interludes. Don't get me wrong I like musical interludes but not when there are too many and cause the film to drag, which was the problem here. Some of them are nice and memorable, but others feel like filler and serve no real purpose. My next problem is to do with this somewhat, the exuberance is missing, not entirely but it is missing and consequently the film becomes rather sluggish. And the story isn't really anything special and seems restricted.However, it is striking visually, the incidental scoring is very nice and the dialogue is humorous and quotable. Also the gags are great, the end scene is quite violent but it is good enough, but acquitting themselves even better are Groucho's elephantine flirtations with Margaret Dumont(in another sterling supporting performance!) and his charming rendition of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady". The trio are still splendid, even if some of the humour is less playful than usual, and their personalities come through loud and clear.All in all, it is good and very entertaining, but I don't think it is the Marx Brothers' best. 7/10 Bethany Cox
ccthemovieman-1
I love the Marx Brothers, but that doesn't mean all their films are gems. By the end of the 1930s, their best pictures were all behind them. Although still entertaining, they slipped a bit in quality. This is one example, except I would still rate it as "decent" (hence, the '5' rating).One thing for sure: the comedy was a lot better than the music, although that was usually the case in most of their movies....but more so here. Even though I got my share of laughs, most the gags in this movie come in 5-10-minute "bits" and many of them go on too long. I still Chico provides the best humor among the boys. Except for "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady," the songs in here are weak and there are too many of them.Silly, but still fun to watch, generally-speaking. I just skip through most of the songs.
AD
