NoFace for Film

Title: Blazing Saddles
Year: 1974
Director: Mel Brooks
Starring Cast: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman
Rated: R

NoFace for Film rating: 4 out of 7

Blazing Saddles was recommended to me by my boyfriend as one of those classic comedies that are a must-see, along with movies like Caddyshack, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and some other old movies. Since it first came out in 1974, I wondered if the humor will be dated and dull. And while some of it wasn’t, most of it unfortunately was.

Blazing Saddles is a spoof on the typical Western films that were popular in the day. Director Mel Brooks, famous for other parodies such as Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs, and History of the World: Part I, took the classic setting of a Western and turned it on its ear. The corrupt State Attorney General Hedley Lamarr (Korman) needs to get rid of the small town of Rock Ridge to make room for his new railroad. As part of his plan, he sends Rock Ridge a black sheriff (Little), hoping that the small-minded and ignorant townspeople will be disgusted enough to leave on their own. Hilarity ensues as Sheriff Bart proves to be a giant thorn in Lamarr’s side.

Now, let me warn you folks- this is NOT a politically correct movie. Racial slurs (especially the N-word) are tossed about easily, and the C-word for women (rhymes with “hunt”) is used at one point. At first I was thrown off at the casual way such words were being uttered, but I realized that Brooks was making a point in the racial humor. I think what he was trying to convey with Blazing Saddles was that, contrary to all those John Wayne movies in which the Wild West was romanticized, the reality was that there was a lot of racism and prejudice towards people such as blacks, the Chinese, and the Irish. The humble townsfolk weren’t always kind-hearted and wonderful people. They were sometimes inbred (hinted at since everyone in Rock Ridge has the same last name), close minded, racist, and downright cruel. When one of the townspeople insults Bart, his friend Jim (Wilder) tries to comfort him by explaining, “You’ve got to understand…these are simple country folk, people of the land…you know, morons.”

As evidence of his unique style and sense of humor, Brooks employed a number of unusual techniques in Blazing Saddles. One is the use of anachronisms. Although the story is set in 1874, at one point you see KKK members cavorting with WWI German soldiers! It’s really strange, but not nearly as bizarre as the last 10 minutes of the movie when the fourth wall is broken- literally and figuratively.

One issue of concern goes back to the age of this movie. As I mentioned earlier, there were times when Blazing Saddles felt quite dated. There are several jokes and references made regarding celebrities who have long been dead. Unless you’re a movie buff, the average person in 2006 has no idea who Laurel and Hardy, Heddy Lamar, and Cecil B. DeMille are, and these jokes end up going out the window.

Some of the actors do a terrific job in this film, but others are kind of annoying. Cleavon Little is charming and hilarious as the witty Sherriff Bart, and Gene Wilder is cool as a cucumber as his sidekick, Jim. However, Korman and Kahn’s characters are just plain irritating. I did like Kahn’s Elmer Fudd-like accent, and admittedly she had quite a few really funny scenes. Take this classic scene in which her character, Lili von Schtupp (yes, that really is her name!) seduces Sherriff Bart. The whole scene is shot in the dark:

Lili: Is it twue what they say in that you people awe…gifted?

(sound of pants unzipping.)

Lili: Oh…it’s twue…it’s TWUE! IT’S TWUE! IT’S TWUE!

The DVD includes the original movie trailer, which I find hilarious in all its 1970s cheesy glory, and the pilot of a TV spinoff called “Black Bart”, starring a very young Louis Gossett. I tried watching it but turned it off because it was just horrible. The acting was awful, the opening sequence was plain stupid (oh look, some white guy mistakes the sherriff for a servant and calls him “boy”), and the laugh track was so irritating. It’s like if Three’s Campany were set in the Wild West. I wonder if it ever went beyond this first episode. I sure hope not.

Although I myself don’t feel like watching it again, I recommend Blazing Saddles as a decent rental. If you can get past the racial jokes, the weird anachronisms, and the last ten minutes of the movie, you will find yourself quoting many funny and memorable lines in this classic comedy.

Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles, racial humor, anachronism, Cleavon Little