Below Vulgarity: the Films of Mel Brooks

Crimson

Crimson

Telly Talk Enthusiast
LV
2
 
Awards
9
"It rose below vulgarity" -- Mel Brooks, defending his movie THE PRODUCERS from accusations of being vulgar.

Brooks was perhaps the premier comic filmmaker of the 70s, although his new movies fell out of favor after the mid-80s. I've always had a soft-spot for his films, although with a specific dividing line in my preference. His movies that featured Madeline Kahn, I love; those without her, I'm mostly ambivalent about it.

For me, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is so head & shoulders above the rest of his movies I've never been certain what comedic alchemy was at work. Perhaps one reason is that, despite its frequent classifications as such, YF isn't really a spoof. Spoofs are inevitably lazy and obvious. They're also difficult to stretch out to feature length; better suited to 7 minute skits on a variety show. Very little of the comedy in YF is actually spoofing the Universal horror movies. YF plays more like a legit Universal film that just happens to be very funny. (Compared to Brooks' later DRACULA: DEAD & LOVING IT which was a spoof; and about as lazy and obvious as the genre can get.)

ElatedBitterDonkey-max-1mb.gif


Thoughts on Mel's films?
 
J

Jock Ewing Fan

Telly Talk Star
LV
0
 
Awards
8
Crimson said:
"It rose below vulgarity" -- Mel Brooks, defending his movie THE PRODUCERS from accusations of being vulgar.

Brooks was perhaps the premier comic filmmaker of the 70s, although his new movies fell out of favor after the mid-80s. I've always had a soft-spot for his films, although with a specific dividing line in my preference. His movies that featured Madeline Kahn, I love; those without her, I'm mostly ambivalent about it.

For me, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is so head & shoulders above the rest of his movies I've never been certain what comedic alchemy was at work. Perhaps one reason is that, despite its frequent classifications as such, YF isn't really a spoof. Spoofs are inevitably lazy and obvious. They're also difficult to stretch out to feature length; better suited to 7 minute skits on a variety show. Very little of the comedy in YF is actually spoofing the Universal horror movies. YF plays more like a legit Universal film that just happens to be very funny. (Compared to Brooks' later DRACULA: DEAD & LOVING IT which was a spoof; and about as lazy and obvious as the genre can get.)

ElatedBitterDonkey-max-1mb.gif


Thoughts on Mel's films?
Click to expand...
Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles are my favorites. The Producers was quite good as well.
 
Crimson

Crimson

Telly Talk Enthusiast
LV
2
 
Awards
9
I think BLAZING SADDLES is the most erratic and uneven of Brooks' films. What I like about the film is due almost entirely to Madeline's riotous Dietrich parody, although Harvey Korman and Brooks himself have some funny moments. Mostly though the film is scattered and frantic; better to watch clips of it on YT than in its entirety.

A couple of years ago, my nephew "discovered" this movie so I watched it with him. I was alarmed to realize he was laughing at it for all the wrong reasons; he was in that phase of too many white male teens where they think racism is edgy and funny. That the movie was making fun of racists was lost on him.
 
Snarky Oracle!

Snarky Oracle!

Telly Talk Supreme
LV
8
 
Awards
21
Crimson said:
What I like about the film is due almost entirely to Madeline's riotous Dietrich parody
Click to expand...

Yes.

Crimson said:
.A couple of years ago, my nephew "discovered" this movie so I watched it with him. I was alarmed to realize he was laughing at it for all the wrong reasons; he was in that phase of too many white male teens where they think racism is edgy and funny. That the movie was making fun of racists was lost on him.
Click to expand...

Yes. Exactly, yes.
 
Last edited:
Alexis

Alexis

Telly Talk Superhero
LV
6
 
Awards
14
Young Frankenstein is one of my favourite films. Every time I go up or down a flight of stairs with someone I quote Frau Blucher, "Be careful, the stairs can be very treacherous" most people have no clue what I am talking about, but it just cracks me up! I also love The Producers.
 
Last edited:
ClassyCo

ClassyCo

Telly Talk Warrior
LV
5
 
Awards
11
I've had some soft exposure to Mel Brooks and his films.

I'm probably most familiar with SPACEBALLS, which I'd probably say is my favorite of his films. That movie has a pretty darn good cast --- John Candy, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Dom DeLuise, and the voice of Joan Rivers. It's a funny little STAR WARS send-up, and I remember watching it a lot when I was young.

As a kid, I recall watching BLAZING SADDLES with my father when it was shown on TV. I've owned a copy or two of the movie on DVD over the years as well, but practically the only line I remember is when Cleavon Little asks, "Hey, where all the white women at?" to a group of KKK members. Admittedly, I don't suppose I find the movie as a whole very funny. Like others have said, it's a bit uneven and perhaps best-viewed when watching some clips online. What I like best about the movie is Frankie Laine's rendition of the theme song. He sings it so fervently (which, according to Brooks, "helped" the parodic nature of his film) and I find it catchy.

I recall seeing YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN in my high school British Literature class. We breezed through an abridged version of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and watched this version for humorous effect, of course. Apparently our teacher (who was a "nerd" and avid film and TV buff) felt the original Universal FRANKENSTEIN would've been "too boring" for us teenagers. Of course, I would've preferred watching the Boris Karloff version over the Mel Brooks one.

Outside of those two films, I don't think I've seen any of Brooks' others. I think I might've once had THE PRODUCERS on DVD, but considering I never watched it and I knew it would be crude, I probably chunked it in the garbage.

For a memory from my childhood, I always remember Brooks as the banker in THE LITTLE RASCALS.

1661787572803.png
 
Last edited:
Crimson

Crimson

Telly Talk Enthusiast
LV
2
 
Awards
9
I watched the two part documentary, MEL BROOKS: THE 99 YEAR OLD MAN. I found it interesting and funny, but not particularly insightful into Brooks' creative process. I was also disappointed, from that perspective, in his autobiography.

Where the documentary excelled was exploring the two great relationships of his life: second wife Anne Bancroft and longtime friend Carl Reiner. Rob Reiner, interviewed here, recounted how Mel continued to go to Carl's home for months after Carl's death to eat dinner and watch TV, as had been their tradition for years to spend their evenings together after their wives had passed.
 
Top