Film Location Spain - Duck Soup - 1933

Marx Bros in Loja

Not only the capital of the Poniente Granadino, Loja has been used as a more fictitious capital, the capital of Sylvania in the Film Duck soup (sopa de Ganso) by the Marx Brothers. Like so many Spanish towns and cities that were unable to show off certain aspects of there past under the dictatorship they are now catching up and erecting monuments and information plaques about there history, famous events and people.

Loja has many story’s but decided to show off there 15 seconds of fame in a Hollywood movie (it literally was 15 seconds the rest of the movie was filmed in studios in the US) by dedicating the area it was shot from with the name `mirador de Sylvania´ not only that they have erected life size silhouette type statues of the brothers with an information plaque in remembrance of them.

But did the Marx brother really come all the way to Loja to film this tiny piece of the film. One theory is that they did, it is said that in the 1920s a group of American tourists or location scouts visited the Meson de arroyo Area where the Mirador is situated of Loja with odd machines. Could this have been them filming not even knowing what they were going to use the shot for. The film wasn't made till 1933.

It is also said that the view was chosen for the unique fact that is shows the Moorish Castle and Christian Church so close together with the Alcazaba and the Encarnacion Church in ear shot of one another.

Actual Frame from movie.

No one knows, remembers or even cares... was a reaction I got from one local who has lived in Loja his whole life. Now 90 Carlos was sat drinking a sweet wine in the aptly named `Bar Alhambra´ 5 minutes from the Mirador. He would have been 13 when duck soup was released. `there was no running water in the house, no sewage system and I don’t remember if there was electric so the poor people didn’t really care about Hollywood´ I suppose he had a point.

But another theory and the most reliable to date was offered by Juan of the Department of Culture. He drew my attention to man named José Val del Omar born in Granada in 1904 he was known for his extraordinary artistic and technological talent. He maintained a healthy relationship with Kodak in the US by sending images of Andalusia to them in return for Blank tape. His parents were from Loja, perhaps this could be the missing link. If so quite possibly the Marx brothers didn't even know the scene was shot here or even the name of Loja.

Omar was a contemporary of Lorca amongst many other figures of the silver age of the Spanish culture. He was also the pioneer of PLAT "Picto-Luminic-Audio-Tactile" he was said to be a believer in cinema inspired by new horizons. So maybe the Mirador de Sylvania wasn't only an inspiration for `Sylvania´ with its view of the Sierra Nevada on a clear day. Maybe this small corner of Loja had something a lot more to do with the progression of cinema in Spain then anybody has realized.

Stood pondering next to a silohete of Groucho I couldnt help wondering if once Federico and José stood here wondering how to exploit this amazing view for a bit of free tape from there wealthy comedian counterparts in the US.