This short film is an extended chase with an agile Buster Keaton as the (scape) goat of the title. Everyone thinks that Keaton is a criminal (and he isn't even aware of it). The film is packed with as many sight gags as can fit into a 20-minute film.

Reviewing a Marx Bros. Movie is a surprisingly difficult undertaking. I'm supposed to write a paragraph on the plot - yet I doubt there's actually a whole paragraph's worth of story to write about. Here goes:

There are goodies - The Brothers Marx: Groucho, Chico, Harpo and the strangely necessary Zeppo; there's a baddie - David Landau and there's a pretty girl - the delicious Thelma Todd. The setting is Huxley College, of which Groucho is the Dean. His policy - "Whatever it is, I'm against it!" Everyone wants to marry Thelma (for obvious reasons) and it's vital that the college wins the football game against rival Darwin U - I can't remember why, it's not important.

For those who haven't met them before, the Marx Brothers were, and always will be, the masters of surreal wackiness. Groucho and Chico build impossible verbal mazes of puns and twisted logic, Harpo's physical clowning is impossible to top and Zeppo plays straight man or just sort of stands around.

If I may quote Pauline Kael (the Goddess of Film Review), Horse Feathers is "One of their niftiest corny-surreal comedies; it isn't in the class of their 'Duck Soup' but then what else is?" Particularly memorable scenes include Groucho's introductory song (see above), the "courting" scene in Thelma's room, the immortal "what's the password" routine and the climactic football game. Enjoy.