Along with the Reagan-era interpretation of Frank Capra's scary, self-denigrating It's a Wonderful Life as a feel-good Christmas movie, the re-discovery of the Marx Brothers' comedies––perhaps the most dangerous of their era––as family entertainment ranks with the weirdest trends in cinematic revisionism. Imagine if Salvador Dali's paintings became mandatory learning material in every grade school art class, and you might have an idea of how strange it is for so radical a talent to gain so lasting a mainstream success. While I don't resent the Marx Brothers' continuing popularity for an instant, I do find it a telling example of how comedy remains a misunderstood art form in this country (On a side note: The fact that Bill Hicks, the late, great stand-up comic whose commentary is now more vital than ever, was never nominated for a Nobel Prize blows my mind).

All weekend, the Oak Street Cinema will be highlighting the Marxes' four best films in three triple features (at the remarkably reasonable price of $8 for all three movies), and the opportunity to catch up with their body of work is invaluable. As Roger Ebert has noted, in these films' unique combination of Borscht Belt humor and surrealism lies the inspiration for writers ranging from Woody Allen to Eugene Ionesco.

If you only have time to one, however, may I recommend Duck Soup (1933), one of the angriest of all anti-war satires. Here, the Marxes' contempt for "civilized" diplomacy runs so deep that the film defies even coherent narrative (I have friends who've seen it a few times and still don't know which army any of the characters are fighting for). The resulting product––a barrage of one-liners, slapstick, stock footage, and an infamous minstrel show parody titled "All God's Chilluns Got Guns"––is a virtual precursor of situationist freak-outs.

I realize that I'm exhibiting one of the great critical sins here. I've forgotten to field the first question that non-Marx initiates always ask: In addition to all the historical reputation and continued cultural relevance, are these movies actually funny? Bearing in mind the other critical sin of giving away some of the best puns and visual gags in film history to readers who may not have seen them, all I will say is that the answer is yes, a thousand times yes.

The Oak Street will screen Duck Soup and Horse Feathers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and alternate nightly between A Night at the Opera and Animal Crackers for the third feature. Call (612) 331-3134 for individual show times.