FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
A DAY AT THE RACES
Though perhaps not the unqualified masterpiece that hard-core Marx Brothers fans believe it to
be, A Day at the Races does not disappoint. The 1937 comedy, where the trio take on the horsy
set, is often separated into set pieces, such as the famous "tutti-frutti" routine and Harpo's
medical examination, both of which were lifted straight from the brother's theater act. Other
highlights include Groucho imitating several voices over the telephone, Chico and Harpo
interrupting Groucho's late evening rendezvous with a girl, and horse doctor Groucho attempting
to examine a human patient. Per the studio's attempt at broadening the brothers’
audience, the producers included a romantic subplot, as well as some long dancing and singing
sequences. You can fast forward past them all, but don't miss the always wonderful Chico work
wonders at the piano or Harpo work his magic at, appropriately, the harp. DVD
Extras: While occasionally informative, the extras mostly fall flat. The most interesting is
the featurette on the Marx Brothers. Some famous faces, including Dom DeLuise and Carl
Reiner, wax poetic on the brothers' comedic abilities. We learn about their background in
theater, which they would use as a testing ground for their film material, and a bit
about their personal lives, such as Chico's apparently legendary success with women, as well as a
much older Maureen O'Sullivan remembering Groucho's attempts at seduction. In the audio
commentary, Glen Mitchell spends vast chunks of time in silence, and the majority of his
comments are limited to information on the movie's production. One can't help but wonder if he
saved the juiciest anecdotes for his book. The three cartoons included have nothing to do with
the Marx Brothers, and its allure to kids today would lie only in its novelty. Likewise, the
trailers and the "lost" recording of a song will be of
limited interest. The short, "A Night at the Movies," tries to make fun of a
man who stumbles throughout the entire evening. Unfortunately, the creators forgot to make the
man the sort of dislikable person we would enjoy seeing tripped up. Michael Fisher
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