Humor in 3 Films
Comedy has often provided the perfect vehicle for social and political commentary. Three films that use comedy to as the basis for social and political commentary are Duck Soup (1933), The Great Dictator (1940), and Some Like It Hot (1959). Duck Soup, The Great Dictator, and Some Like It Hot provide commentary on social and political issues, as well as on issues of sex and gender.
Duck Soup is a Marx Brothers classic directed by Leo McCarey in which Groucho Marx plays Rufus T. Firefly, a man who is appointed to the position of Freedonia, a small country that has recently gone bankrupt (Duck Soup). Firefly's appointment as leader is made as part of an agreement between undisclosed members of the country in exchange for continued financial support from Mrs. Gloria Teasdale, a wealthy widow. At the same time, Freedonia's neighbor, Sylvania, is plotting to take over the bankrupt country with the constant threat of war looming over Freedonia. Duck Soup is presented as slapstick with everything in the film being highly exaggerated. In the film, the Marx brothers attempt to demonstrate the issues that contribute to political unrest, the extremes people will go to so as to provoke another into war, and the consequences thereof. For reasons unknown, Sylvania is trying to find a way to take over Freedonia. While no motive is given for Sylvania's interest in its neighbor, it is implied that so long as Mrs. Teasdale is funding Freedonia, Sylvania cannot take the country by military force. By wooing Mrs. Teasdale, McCarey helps to demonstrate how sex can be used to influence politics. Furthermore, in the film, Sylvanian Ambassador Trentino shows that he will go to any lengths to attempt to find an excuse to attack Freedonia by sending spies to spy on Firefly, a tactic that ultimately backfires as Chicolini and Pinky, two spies sent by Trentino, are shown fighting on Freedonia's side at the end of the film.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact political message McCarey and the Marx brothers were trying to convey...
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