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The other night I went to the top of Hotel deLuxe in downtown Portland for an open-air screening of Duck Soup, which kicked off the Northwest Film Center's summer series of rooftop movies. I was under the impression that I'd seen every Marx Brothers movie when I was in high school, but it turns out that apart from clips (such as the legendary mirror scene), Duck Soup was new to me. It's an easy mistake to make, as those early Marx films have titles -- Horse Feathers, Animal Crackers, etc. -- that don't give you any clue what they're about.

Duck Soup is the one with Groucho playing Rufus T. Firefly, the newly appointed leader of the country of Freedonia. Released in 1933, it was the fifth and last feature that the Marxes made for Paramount before going to MGM, and it was also the last film that Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx made with their fourth brother, Zeppo. (Zeppo left movies to become a very successful Hollywood talent agent.) Duck Soup wasn't as big a hit as their previous films had been, but over time it has come to be considered ones of the Marx Brothers' best.

One of the funniest scenes is Rufus T. Firefly's introduction. After much pomp and circumstance surrounding his triumphant arrival at a gathering held in his honor, he shows up -- late -- and immediately begins insulting the peerless Margaret Dumont (in the type of role she played in seven Marx Bros. movies). One of the things I find so funny about this type of scene (and there's at least one in every film) is that Groucho's character is rude for no reason whatsoever. It's wholly unprovoked and uncalled for. And the dialogue, while clearly of the old-fashioned vaudeville-style "set-up/punchline" variety, is still snappy.

The scene, after the jump.

Most critics simultaneously look forward to and dread awards season. We get to see slightly higher quality films, and the studios begin to act a lot nicer towards us -- no more horror remakes that are not screened for the press. But on the downside, a lot of prestige pictures can get tiring. The worst part of all is the extreme length that most films get away with this time of year. Quite a few films this year get close to the three-hour mark, and most of them run longer than two hours. If you look at the history of the Oscar winners, length has always been an important factor. But this does not have to be the case; many award-worthy films have used their time wisely and succinctly.

1. Duck Soup (1933)
Judd Apatow, please take note. While I enjoyed Knocked Up and Superbad as much as anyone, it just won't do to continue making comedies over two hours long. I found many great comedies that run less than 80 minutes, including several from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, and even one each from Jerry Lewis (The Bellboy) and Woody Allen (Zelig). But this Marx Brothers classic tops my list for its uncanny speed and anarchy. It's like watching a crazy lawnmower ripping all over the yard, but at the end of the run, everything falls exactly into place.

2. Following (1998)
Before he became the king of summer blockbusters (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and before he made one of my favorite movies (Memento), Christopher Nolan scraped together this equally impressive crime thriller in black-and-white, running just 69 minutes. It jumbles the three acts together over a fractured timeline but very cleverly leaves clues that tie them all back together. Jeremy Theobald plays a man who enjoys following people, but gets himself into deep and unexpected trouble. See also Shane Carruth's exceptional, low-budget time travel head-scratcher Primer (2004).

If you're a true movie geek, you probably refuse to dress up at Halloween in anything but a movie-related costume. I guess I'm not a true movie geek, because two years ago I went as Family Guy's Quagmire, who as of yet is not in any movies. Last year, though, I was Harpo Marx. I haven't decided what to be this year yet, but it isn't definite that I'll be something with cinematic reference.

Of course, if I was a real, hardcore movie geek, I wouldn't just settle for the basic, predictable movie-themed outfit. I'd go for the gold, and be an uber-geek. How? I would doubly dress up as a movie character who is dressed up as somebody or something else. To do so, I would pick one of my favorite non-Halloween costumes and disguises depicted on film (it isn't as fun dressing as a character who is dressed up for Halloween). However, most of these would be difficult to achieve -- or at least too obscure to wear to a common party, where the crowd isn't as film familiar as you. If you attempt any of these, good luck! And please, please send me a photo.

1. Harpo Marx and Chico Marx as Groucho Marx in Duck Soup (1933, Leo McCarey)

See, now if I had really wanted to be geeky (or pretentious), I would have not just dressed as Harpo last Halloween; I would have dressed as Harpo dressed as Groucho. In one of the most famous sequences in any Marx Brothers film, Pinky (Harpo) and Chicolini (Chico) each disguises himself as Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) in order to steal some war plans. The real gem of the sequence, of course, is the "mirror scene" (watch it if you've never seen it before, please), where Pinky pretends to be the reflection of Rufus until Chicolini appears and ruins everything. Although historically it was only Harpo and Chico who were often mistaken for each other, or for twins, all three brothers look so alike here, that when they're all together, it is almost difficult to tell who is who. If you want to pull this double-costume off, it won't be hard -- Grouch faces are easy to do, and then you just need a sleeping cap and gown -- but I doubt you'll get much tolerance when you constantly correct everyone who thinks you're simply Groucho.