Go West

'Go West' was the first movie from the Marx Brothers that I saw. Because I saw this one before their great movies like 'Duck Soup' I was able to appreciate this one completely. I don't want to call the movie great but since everything was new to me I had a very good time.

Groucho Marx is S. Quentin Quale and Chico and Harpo are the brothers Joe and Rusty Panello. The two brothers and Quale are heading west to find fortune. The movie starts with a very funny sequence where the two brothers steal some money from Quale. After this the movie has some slow sequences without very big laughs, especially when the brothers and Quale are not yet working together. There is a nice scene with Chico playing the piano in a great and very funny way that gives the movie some spirit again. Everything leads up to the scenes on a train and I have to say that once they are on the thing every gag is good for a laugh. May be some of the events are inspired by Buster Keaton's 'The General' but they're funny anyway.

Why the brothers and Quale have to work together, what the story is, is not really important. The story is just there to prepare a new joke. Because most of them work I think this is a very nice movie with a great start and finish and may be a part that is a little too slow in the middle. The Marx Brothers have a great talent for comedy and they do show that here, although we know they can do better.