Horse Feathers

From the same stable as such seminal sreen comedy classics as Animal Crackers, A Day at The Races, A Night at the Opera and comic masterpiece Duck Soup comes this absolute gem of a Marx Brothers film. Set in Huxley College where the manic Groucho has managed to insinuate himself as President.

Horse Feathers (which means bunkum or nonsense - and is absolutely appropriate in this case) manages a frantically funny parody of collegiac existence. Groucho's customary arsenal of lightning fast quips, retorts and atrocious puns (Groucho: "You have the brain of a four year old child, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it.") complimented by the outrageous slapstick of his brothers provides the fulcrum for a maelstrom of side-splitting set-piece gags.

The students, who all seem unfeasibly mature, follow a curriculum consisting of the fundamentals of higher education; namely football and sex. O.K , the jokes may just be reconstituted vaudeville routines (the biology lesson for instance), but nevertheless, they work As usual, chaotic, witty and over-the-top. The Marx Brothers at their very best.

Review by Pablo Villa
Taken from EUFS Programme 1994-95