The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 15, 2017

UK fans without region free Blu-ray players no longer have to wonder about the US Universal release of The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection, for this new Arrow release is for all intents and purposes the same as that one, with a couple of exceptions which are noted in various sections below. All of the screenshots accompanying this review are of course from the UK Arrow versions of the films, and the interested consumer is encouraged to compare the ones here with the ones that accompany the various reviews of the Universal set (link above, as well as all the links below in the next section).

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

The Cocoanuts Blu-ray review

Animal Crackers Blu-ray review

Monkey Business Blu-ray review

Horse Feathers Blu-ray review

Duck Soup Blu-ray review

The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

General video quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews. That said, while these were assumedly culled from the same masters Universal's set used (all sourced from new 4K restorations), Arrow's encode can look at least marginally different in places. Arrow's release looks just a tad darker in spots to my eyes, something that tends to make grain a bit more apparent, though whether or not that choice strikes viewers as more or less authentic will be a matter of personal taste. Those expecting any "new, improved" restoration efforts will probably be disappointed, as this set shows all of the anomalies I discuss in the reviews of the Universal release, including duplicate source elements, long scratches, warping, image instability and at times pretty wide variances in sharpness and clarity.

The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

General audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews. The Universal release offered DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mixes, while this release offers LPCM 2.0 mono mixes. To my ears, there is no discernable difference between the two.

The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Previously released supplementary material for each release is detailed on the above linked reviews (make sure to also check the main review, linked in the first section above, for a couple of supplements not tied to any individual film). As is mentioned in the Supplements section of the review of the Universal release, the package comes with three Blu-ray discs, the first containing The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers, the second containing Monkey Business and Horse Feathers and the third containing Duck Soup. Arrow's release includes the following new supplements which are on the Duck Soup disc:

• Sibling Revelry (HD; 19:50) is a visual essay by David Cairns which covers the lives and careers of the Marx Brothers (with some additional information about Minnie and the other boys who aren't generally thought of as part of the troupe).


• MONKEYNUTCRACKERDUCKFEATHERS (HD; 27:21) is another visual essay by David Cairns, this one more specifically focused on the films in this set, where Cairns gets into some of the history of the films, including tangential information on why elements for some of them aren't in the best condition.

Note: Arrow sent only check discs for the purposes of this review, and no supporting press documentation offering a list of other non-disc supplements, but their site lists a deluxe book is also included in this package.

The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

These early Marx Brothers efforts are an exercise in frenetic madness, and at least some of them offer a glimpse into what the siblings must have been like in live performances. As I alluded to in our The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection Blu-ray review, I've been surprised to get messages from various readers who have never experienced classic films like the ones included in this set, and it's wonderful that folks on both sides of the pond can revel in the wacky antics of these unforgettable performers. For British aficionados, there's little debate that this Arrow version is the one to pick up, since technical merits are at least comparable and this set includes some supplements not included on the Universal release. For those in the US who already have the Universal set and who have a region free player, double dipping will have to be a matter of individual choice, though the Arrow set is (as usual for this label) apparently handsomely packaged and does have the aforementioned new supplements. One way or the other, as with the US Universal set, this UK Arrow set comes Highly recommended.