“The Producers” is one of a couple Mel Brooks’ trademark films that I’ve never have seen. It’s one of those cases where I’ve been meaning to see but never getting around to it. The film recently was released for the first time on Blu-Ray from Shout Factory. This was the perfect time to see it.
The film is about Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), a producer that has been down on his luck and he barely pay the rent. One day, he meets Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), a high strung accountant that joins up with him after meeting him for the first time. They discover that they could make more money on a flop than a hit. The two find the worst show that they could find and produce it on Broadway. Things backfire for Maz and Leo, as the show becomes a big hit. Now, the two find themselves in the middle of Boardway blitz that they could’ve never imagined.
After seeing “The Producers” for the first time, it made me wonder why I haven’t seen it sooner. This film ranks right up there with great Mel Brooks films such as “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein”.
This film was a laugh out loud riot from start to finish. Most of the credit goes to Mel Brook’s direction. One of the things that I liked was the fact that Brooks made sure the humor on the page translated well onto the screen. There were a lot of funny moments here. Brooks does a very good job getting the timing down, as everything felt funny in the performances and on screen aspects. I was enjoying every minute of it and wishing that style of comedy would return, as that has been missing in comedy films. The other thing that I enjoyed about this was the performances. Brooks does a very good job making the performances very funny. He takes his time making sure that both Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder’s performance are energizing and funny. If there performances weren’t that way than the chemistry between the actors wouldn’t have worked on screen.
The screenplay also written by Brooks was very good. Everything was well executed in the comedic department. The humor was written very well and the jokes were very creative. Whether it’s the situations or the way the dialogue was written, it made for a very enjoyable and funny comedy. The other thing that makes this screenplay work was the way that everything was developed. Brooks does a very good job making sure the story was entertaining as the jokes. He allows his story to develop during the course of the film in a way that isn’t too over the top. It doesn’t make you forget about it during the film’s funny parts. It makes the story aspects work to the point that you’re fully into this film. From start to finish, this was a very funny film.
Blu-Ray Extras:
First on the disc is “The Making of Producers”. The featurette is imported from the special edition DVD that was released by MGM. It’s a very interesting look into the film. Most of the film’s cast and crew including Brooks, the late Gene Wilder and most of the cast and crew go into the production of the film. There were a lot of stories shared about what happened during filming and its eventual release. This is worth checking it out.
The next featurette is “Max and His Movies: The Producers”. An original featurette that was produced for this disc. This featurette features an interview with Mel Brooks talking about the film. He goes into great detail about the pre-production and some of the filming aspects of the film. It’s a very good featurette that is also worth also checking out.
After that the disc wraps up with a short featurette called “Peter Sellers’ Ad in Variety”, theatrical trailers, sketch gallery and a deleted scene. Overall, the quality of extras help make the extras department a winner.
Final Summary:
If you’re a serious fan of comedy, I urge you to check out this film and the other films of Mel Brooks. “The Producers” is a laugh out loud riot that keeps you entertained throughout.
Review Rating: Five Stars
Blu-Ray Extras: Four Stars
