The Marx Brothers in At the Circus - Warner Archive Collection

As I mentioned in another review, there are distinct periods for Marx Bros. films - before A Night at the Opera and after A Night at the Opera. More specifically, those are the periods between their time at Paramount and their time at MGM. While I still hold Duck Soup as their absolute 5/5 gut-bustingly hilarious best film, A Night at the Opera is often considered, and rightly so, to be their peak. This is where their brand of zip-quick banter and musical entertainment was honed to perfection. The films that followed just couldn’t quite match or missed the mark entirely. But I have to shine some love for At the Circus.

Similar to the previous, loosely strung plots of the Marx Bros.' films, our story centers on Circus manager Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker) and his lovebird and lead star, Julie Randall (Florence Rice). While Jeff isn’t exactly helpless, he’s just stuck between a rock and a hard place. Disinherited by his rich, millionaire aunt, Mrs. Dukesberry (Margaret Dumont), Jeff’s finances are on the ropes owing $10,000 to his backer, Mr. Carter (James Burke), who hopes to sell the show for a small fortune. But when the show’s strongman conveniently steals the cash under Burke's orders, Goliath (a damned funny turn from Nat Pendleton), the circus must turn to Groucho, Chico, and Harpo to retrieve the cash, stop Carter, and make sure the show goes on! 

Like many a Marx Bros film of this period, At the Circus follows a formula. The differences in plot beats between this film and, say, A Day at the Races are a simple switch of location, cast, and catchy tunes (although this plot does, ironically, mirror the situation that led to the Laemmles losing Universal Pictures ahead of the release of Show Boat). Not to say that familiarity with past films is a bad thing at all. When you’ve got a winning formula that works, why shake the tree? 

So, familiarity and expectations aside, At the Circus rides high on several fronts. First, it features one of Groucho’s most famous tunes, “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.’ Groucho slings off the lyrics with his usual brand of bawdy humor, complete with some wild dance moves in the confines of a train car. We have more great moments with Chico “helping” Groucho interrogate Jerry Maren’s Little Professor Atom by asking for cigars (it’s a long bit, but it gets funnier every time I see it). We get to enjoy Nat Pendleton trying to sleep while Harpo and Chico search his car for the missing loot. After some pleasant songs with Kenny Baker and Florence Rice, the story hits its crescendo with one of the funniest finales in all of the Marx Bros. films! Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or a dozen), and enjoy the show! 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
The Marx Bros. in At the Circus makes a run for the big top in 1080p thanks to Warner Archive Collection. Pressed on a Region Free BD50 disc, the disc is housed in a standard case and loads to a static image main menu with standard navigation options, including a song selection option.

Following suit with the absolutely splendid Blu-ray release of A Night at the Opera and A Day at At the Races, Warner Archive delivers an often stunning 1080p 1.37:1 transfer for At the Circus. For a film nearing its 90th Anniversary, this is easily the best-looking release I’ve seen. Reportedly sourced from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements, there are some slight inconsistencies here and there where alternating footage was used to complete a scene, but it holds strong and true! Fine facial features, Groucho’s greasepaint mustache, patterns in clothing, and houndstooth coats are all on display, razor-sharp and clean. Fine film grain is apparent and appropriately cinematic throughout. Some spots may be more prominent than others, but again, that’s likely due to whatever elements were used in the moment. A few soft shots remain here and there, but nothing egregious or distracting. Grayscale is spot-on with bright whites, dark blacks, and every shade in between for an often strikingly dimensional image. I really shouldn’t be surprised anymore by these Warner Archive releases, but this is another case where I was immediately shocked by how good this film looks on Blu-ray.

Kudos to the team at WAC for their audio efforts as well. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track is a treat in and of itself. Past releases could really be stressed by hard “s” and raspy “p” words, but I was amazed to see that those issues had largely been mitigated here. Dialog is clean and crisp-sounding, and the musical numbers catch your attention nicely. Lydia and Swingoli sounded fantastic and lively. The insanity of the big finality delivers the mischief wonderfully as well! Given this is a Marx Bros. picture, I’m going to mention dialog clarity again because so much of the comedy hinges on a turn of phrase or a quick retort (some gags I’d never even caught before) and this track does whip-smart banter justice.

Bonus features might not be focused on the film, but we get a fun Our Gang short with a classic MGM cartoon. 

• Dog Daze (HD 10:37) 
• Jitterbug Follies (HD 8:45)
• Leo is on the Air (Radio Trailer)
• Theatrical Trailer

At the Circus might not be the best of the Marx Bros. work, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s just damned funny. For 87 minutes, we’re treated to a fun story, great songs, and some of the zippiest, funniest dialog the boys ever delivered (well, two of the three anyway), complete with one of the funniest finales ever. I’ve genuinely lost count of how many times I’ve seen this film, and I never stop laughing at each bit. And now, because of Warner Archive, we have a terrific reason to watch the show all over again. With another gobsmackingly good Blu-ray release, we’re left with a film that looks and sounds better than ever, with some nice shorts tacked on for good measure. If you’re a Marx Bros. fan, your collection isn’t complete without At the Circus. Highly Recommended