The Producers

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In the grand scale of Mel Brooks films, 'The Producers' seems to particularly hold a very special spot in fans' hearts. Brooks' only Oscar is from this film (for Best Screenplay), and it eventually became a hit musical, starting in 2001. It was also remade into another successful film in 2005, featuring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the respective lead roles. One could say that this is Brooks' magnum opus, regardless of the fact that everyone and their mother will tell you it's 'Spaceballs'.

The film opens by introducing us to Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel); once a huge name in Broadway, now down on his luck, washed up and trading sexual favours to elderly women for money in order to get by.

Enter Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder); an over-anxious accountant who buckles under any pressure and turns to his blue blanket for security. That sounds like a criticism, but the way Wilder pulls it off is so comical that you can't help but love his character. Anyway, he discovers a $2,000 discrepancy in Max's books. In the effort to move some things around and hide it, Leo discovers that Max could potentially make more money from a play that flops than a play that succeeds.

Eventually, the two seek out the worst play ever pitched, and seem to find it with a love letter to Hitler, himself - a musical called 'Springtime for Hitler', and hilarity pretty much ensues from there. Most Brooks fans reading this know how it all turns out, but I won't spoil it, even still. It's worth it in the end. But do I see this as his best work, or even one of his best works? I'd say for a mass audience, yes. This movie would provide a great introduction to Mel Brooks' brand of comedy to any newcomers.

My taste in Brooks tends to lean more toward his farcical stuff. My two absolute favourites are 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights'. 'Spaceballs' is up there too, but I'm not quite on the same level as others on that one. Either way you slice it, with Mel Brooks, it's pretty hard to go wrong.

Mel Brooks as a way with comedy that so few others do. He gets to be edgy but innocent all at the same time, and it's a hard thing to be able to pull off. Usually you're one extreme or the other. But taking films like 'Silent Movie' into consideration, it's very much like an old, fun, silent movie, reliant on just being silly, but still uses certain words that you'd never get away with these days.

Getting back to 'The Producers', anything remotely offensive is easily laughed off when you see what the movie eventually does. It's almost like a really clever shortcut to getting away with things. I don't hold this one in as high regard as it probably should be, because while it's definitely one of the greats, it's not one I see myself going back and watching again and again. I can't even really sit here and point out flaws, it's just a case of it not quite being for me. But again, I stick to my guns that if you wanna introduce yourself to Mel Brooks, this is a great place to start. After all, it's his first film, too!

4/5

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