Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12075 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-23
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 529 minutes

Synopsis
This six-disc collection of Marx Brothers' classics includes: A DAY AT THE RACES; A NIGHT AT THE OPERA; AT THE CIRCUS; GO WEST; THE BIG STORE and A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA.
A DAY AT THE RACES (1937):
This hysterical outing turns the boys loose in a sanitarium. Groucho moves up in life from ministering to horses at the track to minding the hypochondriacal ills of patients such as those of the inimitable Ms. Dumont. The film is considered one of the Marx Brothers' best.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935):
Under the inspired supervision of the boy genius Irving Thalberg, the script was penned by two of Hollywood's wittiest screenwriters, George Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind; the production values are substantially greater than in previous Marx Brothers works and the humour is honed from the surreal to a pointed attack on the lifestyles of the wealthy. The circus-like stateroom scene is among the funniest in movie history. Harpo's performance of the hit song "Alone" is perhaps his finest harp solo. Directed by Sam Wood, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA was the Marx Brothers' greatest commercial and critical success.
AT THE CIRCUS (1939):
The Marx Brothers save a mortgaged circus by convincing a Newport socialite to buy it for one show only. It may be past prime time for Marx films, but it's tough to beat a rousing rendition of "Lydia the Tatooed Lady."
GO WEST (1940):
The way the west wasn't won. The Marx Brothers mess with manifest destiny when they head to the Wild West with the railroad. Late for the Brothers, but there's always a laugh or two.
THE BIG STORE (1941):
Groucho, Harpo and Chico turn a big department store upside down as New York detectives trying to foil the hostile takeover of the store and prevent a murder. lots of fun watching the Brothers turn the emporium into their own private playground, and this was the final film in which Groucho and Margaret DuMont appear together.
A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA (1946):
In their last film together, the Marx brothers pull out all the stops. A Nazi treasure is hidden inside of a Casablanca Hotel, and three hotel managers in a row have died suspiciously, just as Ronald Kornblow (Groucho Marx) is hired to become the hotel's new manager. Meanwhile, Nazis are afoot with plans to make Kornblow the fourth victim, intending to trap him through the allure of a beautiful woman. Chico plays Rusty, the valet for the head Nazi, who overhears the plan, and teams up with businessman Corbaccio (Chico) to save Kornblow from the femme fatale. Rusty and Corbaccio tend to be a bit overzealous in the protection of Kornblow, providing for some hilarious moments. Soon Rusty finds the treasure, but the trio is thrown into prison before he can claim it. From hereon in the Brothers' slapstick, surreal humour really gets going, providing bigger and better laughs as A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA races toward its extremely silly climax.

Customer Reviews

Marvellous
At its current Amazon price (£[...]) this is an absolute steal and well worth getting. On six DVD's you get two of their best ever films "A Night At The Opera" and "A Day at the Races" plus another four which whilst not as good still have some great moments.

In A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races Grouchos' funny lines come out in a non-stop stream and they are endlessly quoteable:

"Mrs. Claypool: Are you sure you have everything, Otis?
Otis B. Driftwood: Well, I haven't had any complaints yet."
(remember this was made in 1935 and to get this past the censors was quite an achievement)

"Dr. Hackenbush: Emily, I have a confession to make. I really am a horse doctor. But marry me, and I'll never look at another horse."

The extras are pretty good, the best being a chance to see a rare interview with Groucho Marx in January 1961. There are a number of extra short films, commentaries and even some looney tunes cartoons.

Absolutely brilliant!

madness on the silver screen...............
Have been a marx bros fan for about 20 years but its taken until this week to finally sit down and watch 3 of their later films: at the circus / go west / the big store - having always been put off by generally negative reviews.. (thankfully amazon are selling the box set for an amazingly reduced price now so its an excellent time to purchase folks - instead of the £61 price tag at HMV!!!).....

I've come to the conclusion at long last that people shouldn't take reviews too seriously as at the end of the day its about personal choice and critics dont possess special powers other than being handy with a pen....

My favourite marx bros films are Horsefeathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933) & A Day at the Races (1937). I think A Night at the Opera is very good but quite overrated and not as good as ADATR ... The early films Animal Crackers (1930) and Monkey Business (1931) are very enjoyable and full of great moments....anyway, to get back to this box set, this is how I'd rate them:

A Night at the Opera (1935) ****
A day at the Races (1937) *****
At the Circus (1939) ***
Go West (1940) ****
The Big Store (1941) ****
A Night in Casablanca (1946) ****

so the 'weakest' film IMHO is 'At the Circus' and although thoroughly enjoyable and with some great moments I can understand the general synopsis - the brothers were simply let down by a lackluster script. On the other hand 'The Big Store' had me in hysterics with many truly fine moments - I believed I was gonna have a heart attack I was laughing so much (what a way to go eh..) and the pace was kept up throughout...The film is marred slightly by the sickly vocalising of Tony Martin. I've only seen this film once in my life so its hard to tell if it will have the lasting appeal of their earlier classics. The 3 brothers really shine in this movie and i disagree with one reviewer who proclaimed that Groucho just seemed to be going thru the motions here...NONSENSE...Equally mad and surreal are 'Go West' and 'A Night in Casablanca'

Forget Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and hardy, Harold Lloyd etc etc.... Harpo was the greatest of his kind and he should be revered. A great musician, actor, comedian, loved by all who knew him. Aged between 47 and 58 during the making of these films makes it even more impressive that he did all his own stunts... A genius..

and his brothers weren't half bad too..........

Fantastic, but pricey...
I've already commented on US Amazon about this.
I'd just like to say if you have a multi - region player (repeat, IF YOU HAVE A MULTI - REGION PLAYER!!!) Then do what I did and buy the US edition instead.

A lot cheaper and you get 'Room Service' as well which has curiously been chopped for this UK set...

Still a great set though...