Blazing Saddles: A 1974 Western Comedy with Its Own Style

Blazing Saddles has been one of the classic Western comedies for years. There are people that would easily give it a 10 out of 10 rating and also there are others thinking the movie is not worth even one viewing. We're going to point out some good and bad sides of the film so if the case is you haven't seen this movie yet, check out both of the lists below in order to make a decision. But first, a brief introduction of Blazing Saddles plot.

In the Old Wild West, a group of workers are constructing a new railroad. Unfortunately it runs into quicksand. A new route should be thought of and it looks the "best" option requires the railroad to go through a small western town named Rock Ridge where everyone seems to be named "Johnson". A corrupt politician Hedley Lamarr (played by Harvey Korman) wants to drive the townspeople out in order to buy the land cheaply. To scare the people away and to make the town unlivable, Lamarr sends a gang of criminals to kill the sheriff and make some havoc. The townsfolk demand a replacement sheriff from Governor William J. Lepetomane (Mel Brooks). Lamarr convinces the half-brained Governor to send one of the black railroad workers Bart (Cleavon Little) as a new sheriff. Lamarr's evil idea is that a black sheriff will be such a big offence to the citizens so they will leave the town just because of him or maybe even kill him. We will not continue revealing more of the plot but Blazing Saddles fun continues without having a break.

What you might not like about Blazing Saddles:

• It's a Mel Brooks movie. If you've seen a lot of his movies and you think they are pretty much repetitive, chances are, you are not going to like this film.
• If you don't like jokes about black people or Native Americans, do not see this movie.
• There is a fart joke in the movie. Probably the first one in a film released from a major studio.
• The ending is a mess. Even some people who do like the movie, do not enjoy the ending scenes.
• It's a parody. Strangely or not, there are folks who do not like parodies.

What you might like about Blazing Saddles:

• It's a Mel Brooks film. If you love his films, this one is definitely for you. It establishes patterns Brooks has been using in many of his subsequent movies.
• The movie is a parody of numerous Western films with a lot of references. Some of the influences have been High Noon and Once Upon a Time in the West.
• There are also many non-Western movies references, for example, to Hedy Lamarr or to Mel Brooks' film The Producers.
• The movie satirizes racism. It shows a black sheriff being a hero in a white dominated and prejudiced country.
• There are tons of funny (and memorable) lines in Blazing Saddles (e.g., "You men are only risking your lives, while I am risking an almost-certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor!").
• Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn star in the movie. The latter has even received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
• Count Basie appears in a cameo role as himself.

A brief conclusion: If you do not have problems with Mel Brooks in particular or with parodies in general and you're able to excuse a few flaws, give Blazing Saddles a try. It is a movie with its own style, for good or for bad.

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The Producers (1968): Mel Brooks' Awesome Directorial Debut Film

This is a review of the 1968 original Mel Brooks' movie The Producers and it does not consider the 2005 film with the same title.

To start with the obvious, The Producers is a classic. Although it has been met with mixed reviews upon its initial limited release, over the years the movie has become one of Mel Brooks' defining films and together with his Western comedy Blazing Saddles has been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress. The Producers has also brought Mel Brooks an Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Gene Wilder.

A few words about the plot: The Producers is about Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), a formerly successful Broadway producer who is having hard times recently trying to make more successful plays and romancing old ladies in order to raise money for his living and efforts. Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), a shy accountant, comes in Bialystock's office to check his books and finds a small, maybe unintentional, fraud. Bialystock begs him to conceal the issue and while doing it, Bloom accidentally mentions a get-rich-quick scheme which he has just thought of: if one raises a huge amount of money and invests just a small portion of the cash in a play which proves to be a big failure then the rest of the amount could be easily embezzled since nobody will audit a failed play. Bloom is afraid to participate in such a dangerous venture but the old fox Bialystock manages to convince him stating that the accountant's life is already worse than prison and promising him they will flee to Brazil. Both of them immediately start looking for the worst play ever written and the production of the perfect flop begins.

While even the idea of The Producers is hilarious, there are many other funny and witty moments in the movie as well as a few additional ridiculous characters. You'll meet a fanatic Nazi psycho playwright (Kenneth Mars), the most incompetent dress-wearing director (Christopher Hewett), a lead actor called LSD who often forgets his own name (Dick Shawn). If this is still not enough, what about a song and a play titled "Springtime for Hitler" (this has been intended to be the name of the film too but which real movie producer in the 60's would agree with such a title), a hippie parody and a "Prisoners of Love" musical starring real prisoners.

The Producers offers an overall good acting and especially both leads, Mostel and Wilder, are incredibly funny at times. There are dozens of memorable lines, coming not only from the two main characters but also from some of the supporting actors. The songs of the intended flop-musical are very catchy and you may find yourself singing one of them a few days after you've watched the movie. The ending is great too and it's more appropriate than Blazing Saddles' experimental conclusion which has not been appreciated by many viewers.

Of course, like pretty much every other film, The Producers is not all good and if somebody wants to criticize the movie, it's not so hard to find a reason. Mel Brooks could be accused of bad taste. Or one might say that the style of the film is similar to Brooks' other movies and so on. But in fact, it is the first in a row of Mel Brooks directed films so it could be looked upon as a basis of his movie-making manner. Also, compared to his other films which are often parodies of a particular subject (Spaceballs, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, even Blazing Saddles and History of the World: Part I), The Producers is an original story. It has deservedly won the Oscar for Best Screenplay and subsequently it has been referenced in many contexts of the popular culture.

If you like some of Mel Brooks' other movies but you've missed to watch this one or if you just want to see a good 60's comedy that has aged quite well, try out The Producers. The film is even more impressing having in mind it's a debut effort.

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