Marx Brothers - Monkey Business

Marx Brothers - Monkey Business is a classic comedy. Released in 1931, it is a black and white film. It follows four characters - Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo, and Chico Marx and their antics. The story begins on a cruise ship, on which the four men are stowaways. Once discovered, they spend the remainder of the voyage attempting to elude the sailors seeking to throw them in the brig. During this process, Groucho and Zeppo somehow end up in the employment of a mob boss; Harpo and Chico end up in the employment of the rival mob boss (the daughter of whom Zeppo has fallen in love with). Needless to say, none of them are very good in their employment. More trouble for them ensues when they try to get off of the ship, for which they need passports (which they do not have). Eventually, they make it off by taking a stretcher.

They next end up at the party for the daughter of the second mob boss. The first mob boss hatches a plan to kidnap the daughter, for which he seeks Groucho's help. When he is successful in kidnapping her, her father is panicked. Therefore, the four brothers go to the barn that she has been taken to in order to rescue her. Well - Zeppo goes to rescue her. The other three just add commentary and sound effects as they watch their brother being beaten up until the girl's father finally arrives and helps him out.

The film is very well made. The humor is of a kind that can be just as appreciated now as it was back then. The characters are not particularly sophisticated, nor is the humor, which adds to the charm of the film. Harpo's character adds an interesting element, as he never speaks; it works really well. There are parts of the film which were obviously filmed in slow motion and then sped up, which are very obvious (such as jabbing someone with a pitchfork). The film technology is not as sophisticated as it is today, but it is still good for its time. The film is so engaging that it is easy to forget that it is black and white. The Marx Brothers really broke the ground on this style of humor. Additionally, there are several instances which were added solely to showcase the musical talents of the brothers.

Released in the midst of the Great Depression, this film was an attempt to help people forget their worries, if only for an hour and a half. Times were hard then, but people often found some change to go to the movies, hoping that getting consumed by the magic of the movie would help them relax. The humor in this film transcends time.

Overprotected and Underexposed

Welcome to the world

Welcome to the underhanded, the place that you’ve been, but you never knew it

You’ve been coddled and wrapped in your mother’s blanket, so tightly held that you have suffocated

You know what you know ‘cause it’s what you’ve been exposed to, you say what you say ‘cause it’s what you’ve been told to

Daydreams and secrets have been your only defiance, your friends have abandoned you have no more alliance

You cling to anyone who will support you, you no longer know the definition of virtue

The demons have exposed themselves

They’re pulling you

Deeper, can you not tell

There was always someone

To help you back up when you fell

There’s no way to describe

The dedication that brings you back from Hell!

Chorus:

Run, child, run away from there

From the thieves and the liars sneaking into your heart

From the hate with which you’ve been labeled for destruction

You don’t remember your birth child, but I was there

For that moment of peace before you knew what the world was

You discovered this place and now you wish that you hadn’t

Welcome to the world

Welcome to the precipice, the place you thought meant life but only means disease

Their motives are simple, their smiles are fake, they leave a trail of victims in their wake

Your only choices are join them or hide, but they’re already pulling you inside

Your only chance of escape seems foreign and strange, you can either rebuke it or completely change

You choose to rebuke ‘cause they’re already blinding you, so you cannot see that they’re gagging and binding you

(Pre-chorus; chorus)

You’re running, till you have no strength to stand

You’re crawling, till you cannot feel your hands

I remember being here before

Don’t remember it looking like this before

You wipe the dirt off of this place

But you cannot wipe the dirt off of your face

I remember this happening before

How exactly did this happen before?

Run, child, run away from there

(They’re pulling you deeper, can you not tell)

Run, child, run away from there

(They’re pulling you deeper, can you not tell)

Run, child, run away from there

Frame Story: The Lesson Within

A frame story is a story that provides a set-up for the main tale. In most instances, the tale is told within the frame story. It allows for a narrator that is either omnipotent or also a part of the tale. In most cases, the character receiving the tale learns something relevant to their current situation.

Frankenstein
The frame story in this novel is about an audacious sailor named Robert Walton. He decides that he will be the one to discover the much sought-after Northwest Passage. He journeys into the treacherous waters of the Arctic Ocean. On this trip, his crew discovers a stranger trapped on the ice. This stranger is not worried about his own safety; he only cares about catching some strange creature. He only agrees to come aboard Walton's vessel - which is his only hope of survival - when Walton says that his crew will keep an eye out for the creature. The stranger discovers that Robert Walton is as obsessively focused on a goal as he once was. He then decides to "burden" Walton with his tale.
The Lesson:
Do not let the pursuit of your goals consume your life - especially if that goal is scientific discovery.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner
A wedding-guest is on his way to a wedding in this poem's frame story, when a strange man stops him. This man is a mariner who feels compelled to share his story with the wedding-guest. The wedding-guest wishes to leave, but something in the mariner's eyes bids him to stay and hear the tale.
The Lesson:
"He prayeth best, who lovest best, all things both great and small" - in other words, cherish all life for the betterment of your own.

The Caucasian Chalk Circle
A dispute takes place between two villages in this frame story. This story takes place during World War II, when the Nazis have been pushed back, and the villagers have returned to their war-torn homes. There is a valley in between the two villages that both wish to make use of. The valley inevitably goes to the village (or, "kolcho") that wishes to advance technologically. This winning kolcho invites a singer to share a tale about a previous time of war with the visitors from the other kolcho and the government expert who is there to make the arrangements for the valley.
The Lesson:
In times of war, it is better to rally together than to tear yourselves apart.