Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302038644
Edition: Vhs Video
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 6302038642
Label: Lions Gate/Vestron
Manufacturer: Lions Gate/Vestron
Number Of Items: 1
Publication Date: 1991-08
Publisher: Lions Gate/Vestron
Release Date: 1991-08-29
Running Time: 94
Studio: Lions Gate/Vestron

Customer Rating:
Summary: it's just like a movie !!!
Comment: The Marx Brothers In A Nutshell is a solid documentary about the greatest comedy team in history although it is not without one or two flaws. The film shows us the best of The Marx Brothers on the silver screen; and we get great interviews with family members but not with the brothers themselves. The quality of the footage is excellent and the sound is very good as well.

The documentary covers quite a bit of ground in just 98 minutes. We get still photos of the young brothers when they were doing the vaudeville circuit and Broadway plays. The bulk of the motion picture archival footage comes from their films which they made at Paramount Studios and MGM Studios. We get good insight from directors who worked with them and the children of the Marx Brothers about what made each brother tick and how they created characters that were, in essence, extensions of what they were actually like when the cameras weren't rolling. I found the personality insights to be fascinating. We see Groucho who wasn't always quite so pleasant; Chico who was warm, friendly and very much able to pick up any girl he wanted; and Harpo who was relatively quiet and a great father even though he had children late in life.

In addition, look for some great commentary by Woody Allen, Dick Cavett and others who actually worked with the comedy team all those years ago. There is also some very good coverage of the influence of their relatives upon the brothers when they were just breaking into show business.

The documentary also tells us much about their excellent rapport with Irving Thalberg at MGM Studios; and we see the ups and downs of their careers. There is some footage of the brothers after the comedy team split up and they each went their separate ways; but it wasn't quite enough footage to satisfy me personally.

The DVD has no extras; the 98 minute documentary is what you get. Therefore, if you like this you might want another Marx Brothers retrospective documentary to flesh out your understanding of these greatly talented men.

Overall, I highly recommend The Marx Brothers In A Nutshell; my only complaint is that we get little, if any, interview footage directly with the brothers. If you like this DVD then you should strongly consider other Marx Brothers documentaries.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A great Marx Brothers primer . . .
Comment: Anyone who may not know the Marx Brothers but would like to would be advised to watch Marx Brothers in a Nutshell. It contains some classic scenes from their movies and great interviews. It shows you their still utterly unique comedy, why it took their early audiences by storm and why it still endures. Must see 'Marxism' . . .

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I'll Wait For The Marxes' Opinions, Thank You
Comment: The boys did literally hundreds of promotional interviews (radio, Movietione News, TV, etc.) during their 30-plus year careers, and virtually none of them are on any of the three documentary DVDs being debated here. To me that means one must continue to wait for the REAL articles to show up. When they finally do, when the lazy powers that be put some of those interviews on DVD, then I'll buy. Until then, thanks - but I don't need to see the Woody Allens pay tribute or have them run any clips - I already have the movies!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Best Bar None
Comment: Lets put to this to rest once and for all, there are only two Marx. Bros. documentaries to even consider when debating which is the "best", one is the "Unknown Marx Bros." and the other is the "Marx Bros. In A Nutshell". Any Marx Bros. fan would enjoy either one but as far as which is superior there is absolutely no contest,"In A Nutshell" is not only the better documentary but one of the best showbiz documentaries ever produced. Yes there is a $20 price difference between these two tiltles and while I can't justify or condone why a 20 year old documentary carries such a hefty price as "Nutshell" lets just leave it to the old adage that you get what you pay for. Nuff said.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected...
Comment: This documentary was mediocre at best. There were some ok interviews. There were some very interesting footage that I had never seen, especially the "I'll Say She is" footage that I enjoyed very much. (It seems some of the jokes used in "I'll Say she is" were recycled for "Monkey Business") But overall the content was superficial at best and the clips were repetative. They really did not go too far into the interesting parts of the Marxes vaudeville days and they develved very little into the personalities that made those men tick. I enjoyed "The Unknown Marx Brothers" better.

081605

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