| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
B |
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| Direction: |
C+ |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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A Hysterical Spoof
by Jersey Joe (movies profile)
Nov 5, 2007
10
of
10 people found this review helpful
"Blazing Saddles" broke a lot of new ground in 1974, some of it crude and some of it ground that would never be tread upon again.
The story is that of a traditional western; a town is in the way of the railroad and powerful bad guys look to scare off the townsfolk to take their land for themselves. A new sherrif takes over and leads the townspeople against the powerful men. Pretty standard stuff as far as westerns go; unless the sherrif happens to be black.
The film pokes fun at so many western film cliches, I can't even list them all. It also pokes fun at the notion that all western settlers were wholesome folk as evidenced by their attitude when they discover that the new sherrif is black.
Cleavon Little plays Bart, the sherrif. He is sly and polished but also very likable. Madeline Kahn plays a Marlene Dietrichesque saloon performer who falls for the sherrif. Often overlooked Harvey Korman is a perfect villain and is probably the funniest performer in the film. The running joke on his name never gets old.
There are some simply silly moments in the film that work well for laughs alongside some of the more pointed humor that makes the film a classic comedy. The last fifteen minutes of the film take a bizarre turn but remain true to the mocking of the traditional western.
This is Mel Brooks' signature film. He never came close to putting out another film of this quality again, but this one stands the test of time. Anyone who sees it for the first time laughs uncontrollably and repeated viewings add to the appreciation of the accomplishment.
It's been said by a lot of people that this film could not got made today. It's true. In this politically correct climate a film made by a white man that has white people using the word nigg*r so freely in a comedy would be reviled and condemned. The use of the word in "Blazing Saddles" serves a greater purpose than mere shock value and that's part of the greatness of the film. It has its edge, but it's not daring for the sake of daring it fits the film. |
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