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A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races

List Price: $19.97
Your Price: $17.97
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Doctor! My metabolism!
Review: Although A Night At The Opera is the more widely celebrated, I personally find A Day At The Races the better of the two films. The plot is stronger, the romantic subplot is well integrated into the film and not intrusive, and the few musical numbers are entertaining if rather spurious.

Much the success of Marx Brothers' brand of comedy arises from their dissonance when placed in a "high society" setting peopled with formally behaved characters. This is particularly true of A Day At The Races, in which horse-doctor Groucho impersonates a society doctor to treat the formidable Margaret Dumont. Dumont's work, too often overlooked in the wake of Marx Brothers lunacy, is nothing short of brilliant in this film, and provides the perfect foil for the hysteria created by Groucho, Harpo, and Chico. The supporting cast is equally fine.

The film includes two of the funniest bits of work the Marx Brothers ever put on celluloid: the call from Florida scene, in which Groucho runs riot with the switchboard, and the examination scene, in which the brothers take a diagnoistic gander at Dumont, who is "afflicted with nothing in its most violent form."

An equal to the Marx Brothers earlier work at Paramount, A Day at the Races is pure subversive hilarity, as funny today as when it first hit the screen some seventy years ago.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: There last great film
Review: Before MGM made the Marx Brothers completely commercial, A Day at the Races was made. Although not there best, it is worth seeing. Although it's overlong, and dampened by superflous musical numbers with a Zeppo-look alike, it has great satrical moments, befor films like Go West, The Big Store, Room Service, and At The Circus. This is probably the lastfilm that they actually cared. I loved the "ice cream" vendor, and the vast majority of this film. A great film if you don't mind fast-forewarding-not to be missed. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and feel free to leave me a helpful/not helpful feedback. God Bless America!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: There last great film
Review: Before MGM made the Marx Brothers completely commercial, A Day at the Races was made. Although not there best, it is worth seeing. Although it's overlong, and dampened by superflous musical numbers with a Zeppo-look alike, it has great satrical moments, befor films like Go West, The Big Store, Room Service, and At The Circus. This is probably the lastfilm that they actually cared. I loved the "ice cream" vendor, and the vast majority of this film. A great film if you don't mind fast-forewarding-not to be missed. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and feel free to leave me a helpful/not helpful feedback. God Bless America!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I Got A Message From The Man In The Moon
Review: Better than A Night at the Opera, not as good as Duck Soup.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hello Doctor, Hello Doctor...
Review: Doctor Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is hired by Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan) to save her sanatorium as the greedy Morgan (Douglas Dumbrille) attempts take over the sanatorium and turn it into a casino. In addition, Judy has taken the word of a rich client that Hackenbush is a great doctor and she does not check out his credentials and he later turns out to be a veterinarian. If this knowledge leaked to the wrong people it could lead to Judy loosing her sanatorium, and people loosing their jobs. Day at the Races is a hilarious film that depicts the Marx brothers once again fighting social injustices with slap-stick and witty comedy, which in the end offers a good cinematic experience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hello Doctor, Hello Doctor...
Review: Doctor Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is hired by Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan) to save her sanatorium as the greedy Morgan (Douglas Dumbrille) attempts take over the sanatorium and turn it into a casino. In addition, Judy has taken the word of a rich client that Hackenbush is a great doctor and she does not check out his credentials and he later turns out to be a veterinarian. If this knowledge leaked to the wrong people it could lead to Judy loosing her sanatorium, and people loosing their jobs. Day at the Races is a hilarious film that depicts the Marx brothers once again fighting social injustices with slap-stick and witty comedy, which in the end offers a good cinematic experience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm getting a good tootsie-frootsying right here...
Review: Even if the only thing I bought this for was Chico's piano scene, it would still be worth it. That's the best piece I've ever seen him do. I've only seen three of their movies total, but hey, that's beside the point - that guy can PLAY!
I'm sure other people have noticed this, but I really think the film editing was MUCH improved on this film, in comparison to the earlier ones. The main things I didn't like were, as usual, the bad musical numbers. They were just out of place. I actually liked the whole 'water carnival dancing' part, even though it was out of place too, but that's just because I tend to like dances like that. I don't know how Vivien Fay twirled around so many times without getting dizzy and collapsing.
But back to the brothers. I wouldn't consider this to be the funniest of their movies (that I've seen, at least), but they were hilarious, as always. I loved the whole telephone scene, with Groucho doing all those different voices. And of course, the tootsie-frootsie ice cream part. I also thought it was great when Flo, the 'seductress', would say "Thank you", and Groucho would always repeat her, (although it sounded more like "thank yaw").
And the whole doctor examination is one of the funniest scenes that I've seen them do. There's just something about three crazy guys running over to the wash basins to 'sterilize' their hands, and then going around in a circle, drying their hands on the coat of the person in front of them...yeah, hard to describe.
So it's not the best I've seen them do, but it's great. I have an idea: I think MGM should release a dvd with all of their funny scenes on it. That way we could just watch it and laugh, without having to go through all the annoying romantic sub-plots and boring musical numbers. I'm sure it won't be happening, but I still think it'd be a cool idea.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm getting a good tootsie-frootsying right here...
Review: Even if the only thing I bought this for was Chico's piano scene, it would still be worth it. That's the best piece I've ever seen him do. I've only seen three of their movies total, but hey, that's beside the point - that guy can PLAY!
I'm sure other people have noticed this, but I really think the film editing was MUCH improved on this film, in comparison to the earlier ones. The main things I didn't like were, as usual, the bad musical numbers. They were just out of place. I actually liked the whole 'water carnival dancing' part, even though it was out of place too, but that's just because I tend to like dances like that. I don't know how Vivien Fay twirled around so many times without getting dizzy and collapsing.
But back to the brothers. I wouldn't consider this to be the funniest of their movies (that I've seen, at least), but they were hilarious, as always. I loved the whole telephone scene, with Groucho doing all those different voices. And of course, the tootsie-frootsie ice cream part. I also thought it was great when Flo, the 'seductress', would say "Thank you", and Groucho would always repeat her, (although it sounded more like "thank yaw").
And the whole doctor examination is one of the funniest scenes that I've seen them do. There's just something about three crazy guys running over to the wash basins to 'sterilize' their hands, and then going around in a circle, drying their hands on the coat of the person in front of them...yeah, hard to describe.
So it's not the best I've seen them do, but it's great. I have an idea: I think MGM should release a dvd with all of their funny scenes on it. That way we could just watch it and laugh, without having to go through all the annoying romantic sub-plots and boring musical numbers. I'm sure it won't be happening, but I still think it'd be a cool idea.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Marxes in Decline
Review: For all of its classic comedy, "A Day at the Races" signals the beginning of the Marx Brothers' creative decline after the death of producer Irving Thalberg. What clicked in "A Night at the Opera" doesn't gel nearly as well in this uneven MGM production. Running almost two hours, "A Day at the Races" suffers from excessive musical numbers and subplots that dilute some of the Marxes' best material. This film cries for some major editing -- preferably a deletion of the "Water Carnival" ballet and the ludicrous "All God's Children Got Rhythm" number. If Thalberg had lived, "A Day at the Races" might have been a worthy follow-up to "A Night at the Opera." Instead, the brilliance of Groucho, Chico and particularly Harpo is undermined by obvious studio tampering. Though superior to the Marxes' remaining MGM vehicles, "A Day at the Races" is a formula film. There are inspired scenes of Marxian madness, but the overall effort is a slight disappointment when compared to the unrestrained anarchy of "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup."

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Marxes in Decline
Review: For all of its classic comedy, "A Day at the Races" signals the beginning of the Marx Brothers' creative decline after the death of producer Irving Thalberg. What clicked in "A Night at the Opera" doesn't gel nearly as well in this uneven MGM production. Running almost two hours, "A Day at the Races" suffers from excessive musical numbers and subplots that dilute some of the Marxes' best material. This film cries for some major editing -- preferably a deletion of the "Water Carnival" ballet and the ludicrous "All God's Children Got Rhythm" number. If Thalberg had lived, "A Day at the Races" might have been a worthy follow-up to "A Night at the Opera." Instead, the brilliance of Groucho, Chico and particularly Harpo is undermined by obvious studio tampering. Though superior to the Marxes' remaining MGM vehicles, "A Day at the Races" is a formula film. There are inspired scenes of Marxian madness, but the overall effort is a slight disappointment when compared to the unrestrained anarchy of "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup."


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