Written by Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, and Andrew Bergman
Directed by Mel Brooks

The Mel Brooks spoofs were great and glorious films when I was growing up.  Perhaps nothing he did ever matched his best, Blazing Saddles.  It’s a spoof on westerns that is the best one out there, although others have tried since but have never quite matched the humor found here.

The railroad is making its way west when it runs into quicksand along its planned route.  This means they have to change the route.  The Attorney General/State Prosecutor Hedley Lamarr (portrayed by Harvey Korman) schemes to take the land they need from its rightful owners and rake in a fortune.

When the people of the town ask the Governor (portrayed by Mel Brooks) to send them a new sheriff in response to Lamarr’s reign of terror, he convinces the Governor to send them a black man as the sheriff.  Bart (portrayed by Cleavon Little) was about to be hanged anyway, and Lamarr figures that if he’s now the law, the people will leave town.  Bart gets help in the form of Jim (portrayed by Gene Wilder), and together they manage to win over the town and help them defeat Lamarr and the railroad.

The story is pretty simple and has been seen in other films.  However, what makes this movie so good is the many moments of slapstick comedy that work so well. Even with as many times as I’ve seen Blazing Saddles, I never fail to laugh at some of the stunts.  There are laughs in the film that might not appeal to all, such as laughs due to bodily functions.  The language in the film might offend some as well with derogatory terms that would have been typically heard in the post-Civil War western town.  It’s all done in a way that is funny to me, rather than being offensive.

The acting is terrific throughout.  Harvey Korman is really underrated as a comedic actor, with most of his fame coming from supporting Carol Burnett.  Here, he gets to shine quite nicely, even if he is the straight man for the most part.  Gene Wilder is as good as he always was in movies such as this. I couldn’t recall much of Cleavon Little’s work, but he does a good job of making Bart a humorous character without him being a caricature.  Add in Madeline Kahn in a supporting role, and the cast really gels the way a good comedy ensemble should.

The DVD doesn’t have a lot of special features, but what it does contain is good. Although there’s no commentary, the interview with Mel Brooks does more than make up for that.

While Blazing Saddles definitely isn’t for everyone, I highly recommend giving it a try at least once.  If you like it, you’ll be back again and again as I have. It just never seems to lose the ability to make me laugh when I need to. This movie just could not be made in today’s climate, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.


Special Features:

· Cast
· Production Notes
• Interview with Mel Brooks
• Theatrical Trailer