A Day at the Races
by Sam Wood
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Allan Jones, Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx BrothersDirector: Sam Wood
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: Irving Thalberg
Writer: Al Boasberg
Writer: George Oppenheimer
Writer: George S. Kaufman
Writer: George Seaton
Writer: Leon Gordon
Writer: Robert Pirosh
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-05-04
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of A Day at the Races
Movie Review: My Favorite Marx Brothers Film
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes formulas on the screen work for us, and other times they don't. When they don't, the results are often quite unbearable, but when they do... the results can be magical, even when feeling like we've already seen the same film numerous times before. A Day at the Races marked the sixth Marx Brothers film that I had seen, so I was quite familiar with the Marx Brothers formula going into the viewing. I imagine many of the original viewers of the film in 1937 were of a similar frame of mind when they went into the film as well given the number of Marx Brothers films that had been released up to that point.
I bring the notion of The Marx Brothers formula up for a couple of reasons: the first being that after seeing several of The Marx Brothers films it is impossible not to see the vast similarities between the various films. And yet, with that said, there is that special something that keeps bringing me back to them. The second being that I found myself to be such a fan of A Day at the Races, in large part, because I believe that it follows the Marx Brothers formula closer than any of the other Marx Brothers films I had previously seen.
The formula is essentially this: Groucho gets into some sort of trouble, Chico finds a way to get mixed into the trouble usually after some sort of scheme, and Harpo runs around being Harpo in the midst of it all. There is the "straight man" (Allan Jones in Opera & Races, Zeppo Marx in earlier films) with the romantic interest, Groucho makes fun of Margaret Dumont with jokes galore, Chico plays the piano, and there is the musical number at which point the plot comes to a stop while Harpo plays the Harp (which is probably my favorite piece of the formula). When you break the formula down, it may not sound like much. But in experiencing the formula, the sum becomes much greater than the parts.
While it may not have the funniest one-liners of any single Marx Brothers film, A Day at the Races excels in each piece of the Marx Brothers formula. From the comic results created by the confusion of veterinarian Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) as a human doctor, to Chico's code book scheme outside of the horse betting windows, to the urban dance sequence led by Harpo towards the end of the film. I love the sequences between Groucho and Margaret Dumont in the film, and even the little touch of where/how Harpo finds a harp to play during that expected musical number adds an extra special something.
When choosing a favorite Marx Brothers film, most tend to be drawn towards Duck Soup or A Night at the Opera. But for me, I found myself to be smiling just a little bit wider at the formula elements in A Day at the Races. If I were to recommend just one Marx Brothers film to someone unfamiliar with their films, it would be A Day at the Races for that very reason.
9.0/10
Summary of A Day at the Races
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