Using Sound to Convey Satire: The Absurd and the Humorous in Duck Soup Anonymous College

Duck Soup is a political satire film directed by Leo McCarey in 1933; it stars the four Marx brothers who were renowned for their work in comedy. The film begins with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Teasdale, who inherits a large fortune from her late husband and wants to donate some of her money to the bankrupt nation Freedonia. However, she will only donate this money if the people in government appoint Rufus T. Firefly as the new leader of Freedonia. The government is obliged to do so but problems arise when the neighboring country of Sylvania wants to start a revolution to annex Freedonia. The ambassador of Sylvania, Trentino, then sends a couple of useless spies to dig up information on Firefly, and the film goes on from there. The film deals with matters of totalitarian power and absurd government ruling in an anarchic yet humorous light. The use of sound plays an important role in conveying the film’s satirical message. Through the use of digetic and non-digetic sounds, there is a breakdown of the absurdity of war, political figures establishing totalitarian laws, and light can then be shed on what is normal and acceptable versus what has become surreal and illogical in our society.

Sound had just entered the world of cinema in...