Full Marx
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Your support makes all the difference.This weekend a Marx retrospective will entirely fail to address questions of common ownership, and focus instead on the philosophical antics of Julius, Adolph, Leonard, Herbert and Milton. No new toff pop group they, but the insane comedians whose work has entertained and perplexed audiences for more than 60 years. Better known as Marx brothers Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo, the surrealist siblings began work in vaudeville before scoring their first Broadway hit in 1924 with the excitingly titled I'll Say She Is! Four years later the brothers' anarchic humour hit the big screen, and although Gummo and Zeppo quickly disappeared from the family combo, Groucho, Chico and Harpo went on to become cinema legend.
Showcasing all 13 films from the brothers' career, movies on show at the NFT this weekend range from their wildly innovative Paramount pictures to the later, musical outings at MGM. The litany of famous titles includes Animal Crackers (Sat 2pm NFT1), Horse Feathers (Sat 6.30pm NFT1) and Duck Soup (Mon 6.20pm NFT1). In the year that Elvis was born, the brothers were enjoying a slap-up Night at the Opera (today 6.30pm NFT1) with pal Margaret Dumont - the film is as good an example as any of the inspired physical comedy, punning wit and impenetrable nonsense that characterises this branch of Marxist philosophy.
National Film Theatre, South Bank, Waterloo, London SE1 (0171-928 3232) today to Mon 26 Feb; pounds 5.50/pounds 4.15
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