'3BlackChicks Review...'
BLAZING SADDLES (1974) Rated PG; running time 93 minutes Genre: Comedy IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0071230 Written by: Andrew Bergman, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger, Norman Steinberg Directed by: Mel Brooks Cast: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, Mel Brooks, Alex Karras, David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman, George Furth, Claude Ennis Starrett Jr., Richard Collier, Charles McGregor, Dom DeLuise, Burton Gilliam, Count Basie DVD standard features: Widescreen and "Pan And Scan"; scene access. Languages & Subtitles: English, French, Spanish DVD special features: theatrical trailer; cast notes; production notes; 55-minute interview with Mel Brooks
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamsblazsaddles.html
According to the American Film Institute, SOME LIKE IT HOT is The Funniest Movie Of All Time (or something like that). And I can diggit, really I can; I've TiVoEd it to see for myself, when I get a spare couple of hours. I defer to the wisdom of my reviewing elders; I'm just a snot-nosed ponk when it comes to Film Knowledge. But for me, I can't think of anything that's made me laugh longer, harder, and more memorably, than BLAZING SADDLES.
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**): The old western town of Rock Ridge stands in the way of progress, by way of the railroad that Attorney General Hedley "Not Hedy, Hedley!" Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is trying to build, on the backs of Chinese, Black, and Irish laborers. Lamarr wants the townfolk to leave Rock Ridge, since land there will be worth much moolah was the railroad goes through town; but the townfolk - all of whom are surnamed "Johnson" - aren't ready to go. With the help of dimwitted Governor Lepetomane (Mel Brooks), Lamarr comes up with a plot to make the town so mad they'd be read'ta go...
...enter Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little). *Black* Bart.
The Upshot: I like the tag on back of the DVD box: "Mel Brooks' Comic Saga Of Cowboys And Imbeciles". That pretty much covers it.
Having just watched this DVD again (I've lost track of the count at this point), I'm amazed at how many BLAZING SADDLES lines have made their way into my everyday life. The husband wants me to do something that I don't really mind doing much, but I want to josh with him?: "work work work work work"! Asked to do something incredibly stupid at the office, against my better judgement?: "Mongo only pawn...in game of life"! Silly "merit" games being played at work?: "Badges? We don' need no steenkin' badges!" And many a bruthaman has gone for the double whammy: "'Scuse me while I whip this out" - and my all-time favorite - "Where the White wimmen at?"
I don't do those lines justice, I know. BLAZING SADDLES is as much about the delivery of great lines by its actors, as it is the writing and directing itself. I can't say there's a bad act in the lot, though it's the supporting cast that really worked this film into a froth [the Johnson Chorus - David Huddleston (Olson Johnson), Liam Dunn (Rev. Johnson), John Hillerman (Howard Johnson), George Furth (Van Johnson), Claude Ennis Starrett Jr. (Gabby Johnson), Richard Collier (Dr. Sam Johnson) - just brought to mind Greek comedy. Am I warped, or what?].
Stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder (Jim, the Waco Kid) were matched well, in a way that even Richard Pryor (one of the writers here) didn't quite capture in later pairings with Wilder; and Little riding into town, Gucci'd out with Count Basie providing the theme music, is but one classic moment the underrated actor provided in this film. But though they were both great, it was Harvey Korman (in the role of a lifetime), Alex Karras as Mongo (that horse!), Slim PIckens as Taggart ("You use your tongue pretter'n a $20 whore"? I wish I could use that one more often!), and the late, great Madeline Kahn as bon vivuse Lili Von Shtupp, who had me rolling on the floor, laughing.
I have page after page of highlighted, underlined, asterisked notes about the double entendres and sight gags that flew across the screen; some so quickly, or subtly, that I'm sure I missed them. I could go on for hours about BLAZING SADDLES - I won't - but I'd do Kahn's amazing, Oscar-nominated performance an injustice if I didn't mention how much her showstopping "I'm Tired" number almost made me bust a gut the first time I saw it. "They're always coming and going/and going and coming/and always too soon"...man, I loved that woman.
Mel Brooks' madness petered out near the end (though the very last scene redeemed his slip for me. Whomever came up with that one, thank you!). And amongst Brooks aficionados, BLAZING SADDLES doesn't seem to hold the weight that his classic YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN does. I can dig that, too. As for me, deliver a Candygram For Mongo, and you'll get me, every time.
The "Black Factor" [ObDisclaimer: We Are Not A Monolith]: I really shouldn't like this film. Forget about the slapstick humor; what with my general movie temperament, my stridency against racial slurs and misogyny, and my Black Factor bent, this is the type of film my militant side tells me I really shouldn't like. If BLAZING SADDLES had been made in today's climate, I probably wouldn't have liked it nearly as much. But to see it in such a light - to only notice the fart jokes; to only hear the "nigger"s, the "chink"s, the "faggot"s, and the "rape"s - is to miss The Point entirely.
And what is that Point? For me, then and now, Mel Brooks' point is that racists and their ilk are the stupid ones, ripe to be ridiculed and ignored for the idiots they are. In BLAZING SADDLES, we don't laugh _with_ these fools, we laugh *at* them. For me, that was truly The Point.
Well, that and "fart jokes are funny as hell". In the hands of a master, that is.
DVD Thingies: After jam-packing so many memorable moments into his 93 minute film, I'm surprised there was anything left for Mel Brooks to offer - but he (or at least his representatives) did, in the form of the goodies they've made available on this DVD. Along with standards like widescreen (yay!) and scene access, extras like trilingual languages/subtitles, and the original theatrical trailer, are provided. On top of all that, the 55-minute interview with Brooks is a treat unto itself. Be warned, though: if you haven't seen BLAZING SADDLES yet, check out the interview after you watch the movie. You'll thank me.
Bammer's Bottom Line: I don't think BLAZING SADDLES could be made today; certainly, it can't be shown on TV without being totally neutered, the guts of it wrenched out on the censor room floor [and then, what's the point?]. And, given the caliber of available artists and our general inability to laugh at ourselves anymore, maybe that's A Good Thing after all. These days, that Point would be sitting on the curb, wondering how it got so lost.
BLAZING SADDLES (rating: greenlight): They don't make 'em like they used to - so thank heavens for DVD.
Rose "Bams" Cooper Webchick and Editor, 3BlackChicks Review Entertainment Reviews With Flava! Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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