The influence of Groucho Marx upon Woody Allen became even clearer to me after watching Duck Soup. I had never seen a full length Marx brother’s film prior to the screening in class. The signature Groucho one liners clearly had a huge impact on the characters Allen plays in most of his comedy films, especially his early farces.
As Woody Allen developed as a filmmaker, and began to make more realistic films of both comedy and drama, he gained the creative freedom to make several homages to Groucho Marx.
In Manhattan Woody Allen’s character of Isaac reflects upon the things in his life that make him happy in a monologue near the end the film. He states that Groucho Marx is one reason that life is worth living.
With more of an aesthetic homage to the Marx brother’s films and Groucho himself, Allen’s musical comedy Everybody Says I Love You probably could not exist with out Duck Soup. At the end of the film all of the major characters don Groucho masks and smoke cigars as they take part in an elaborate musical number in an elegant and elaborate European hall. In fact the tittle Everybody Says I Love You gets its name from a song from the Marx brother's film Horse Feathers.
Considering my love of Woody Allen I found it surprising that I did not really like Duck Soup, but there is no way to deny that there would be no Woody Allen without Groucho Marx.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zgnVaolzxmM
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4176563196925368543&q=everybody+says+i+love+you&ei=_HxISPifJoyArgKU2pGxDA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9mIfUf4wU0Y&feature=related
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