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THE PRODUCERS (1967)
The recent passing of Gene Wilder gave 1967's The Producers a serious bump up on my watchlist. Mel Brooks was the creative genius behind this deft and twisted look at one of my favorite movie themes: the business of show business. This movie put Brooks and Gene Wilder on the map and, to date, won Mel Brooks his only Oscar for his razor sharp, bordering on offensive, screenplay. But, of course, if it wasn't bordering on offensive, it wouldn't be Mel Brooks.
This is the story of Max Bialystock, a third rate Broadway producer who raises money for his productions by having sex with little old ladies in exchange for fat "checkies". A nebbish accountant named Leo Bloom, a bundle of neuroses who carries a blue security blanket a la Linus Van Pelt has been sent to Max's office to do his books and plants the idea in Max's head that he can make more money producing a Broadway flop rather than a hit by collecting more money that the show requires, selling over 100% of the share of the profits, producing a show that flops and than taking off to Rio with the money because if the show flops, they don't have to pay back investors.
Max and Leo then search out the worst play they can find, a travesty called "Springtime for Hitler, hire the worst director in New York to direct, but they mess up when the hip young actor they hire to play Hitler comes on in the second act and makes the show the biggest hit on Broadway.
This movie works because Mel Brooks trusts in the strength of his story, which is rock solid and everything that he surrounds his story with is there for one purpose and one purpose only...to serve Brook's vision as a writer and director. Brooks lets his story unfold slowly and allows us time to understand the two central characters...one of my favorite parts of the film is after Max has planted the idea in Leo's head but is still hesitant. Max takes Leo out to lunch in an effort to "seduce" him into making this nefarious plan a reality. I love the way Max very discreetly but effectively convinces Leo that he hates his life and wants something more, all set against some breathtaking backdrops of Manhattan.
Needless to say Brooks served his story in some very unconventional casting for a 1967 film. Zero Mostel, an actor known primarily as a Broadway star (he won a Tony for creating the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof), but pretty much an unknown outside of the New York theater crowd, was a risky choice for Brooks to trust a leading role in a big budget studio film, but it paid off. Mostel delivers one of the 1960's greasiest movie characters who provides consistent laughs...you can just see the oil dripping off this guy. Mostel was an actor known to do a lot of improvising but Brooks keeps him reined in thanks to the confines of the character and Gene Wilder's sometimes totally unhinged Leo Bloom is just a joy to watch. Wilder makes such unconventional acting choices here that gives Leo a layer of unpredictability that is just intoxicating.
The film also features first rate support from Christopher Hewitt as the director of the play, Andréas Voutsinas as his assistant/lover, Kenneth Mars as the author of the play, and especially Dick Shawn, the actor hired to play Hitler. If you blink, you might miss cameos from future stars Renee Taylor, Barney Martin and William Hickey. The film is rich with imaginative set pieces and the production number,"Springtime for Hitler" has become a classic within itself.
Brooks decided to revamp the piece into a Broadway musical that Brooks wrote the score for and premiered in 2001, won 11 Tony Awards, and ran for over 2500 performances. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick played Max and Leo in the musical, respectively and reprised their roles in the 2005 film version, which I also enjoyed, but the 2005 film suffers due to the fact that Brooks didn't direct the film. Mel Brooks works best on his own and from behind the camera and this 1967 classic is proof of that. Everything in the musical is just a rehash of Mel Brooks' caustic and brilliant original.
The recent passing of Gene Wilder gave 1967's The Producers a serious bump up on my watchlist. Mel Brooks was the creative genius behind this deft and twisted look at one of my favorite movie themes: the business of show business. This movie put Brooks and Gene Wilder on the map and, to date, won Mel Brooks his only Oscar for his razor sharp, bordering on offensive, screenplay. But, of course, if it wasn't bordering on offensive, it wouldn't be Mel Brooks.
This is the story of Max Bialystock, a third rate Broadway producer who raises money for his productions by having sex with little old ladies in exchange for fat "checkies". A nebbish accountant named Leo Bloom, a bundle of neuroses who carries a blue security blanket a la Linus Van Pelt has been sent to Max's office to do his books and plants the idea in Max's head that he can make more money producing a Broadway flop rather than a hit by collecting more money that the show requires, selling over 100% of the share of the profits, producing a show that flops and than taking off to Rio with the money because if the show flops, they don't have to pay back investors.
Max and Leo then search out the worst play they can find, a travesty called "Springtime for Hitler, hire the worst director in New York to direct, but they mess up when the hip young actor they hire to play Hitler comes on in the second act and makes the show the biggest hit on Broadway.
This movie works because Mel Brooks trusts in the strength of his story, which is rock solid and everything that he surrounds his story with is there for one purpose and one purpose only...to serve Brook's vision as a writer and director. Brooks lets his story unfold slowly and allows us time to understand the two central characters...one of my favorite parts of the film is after Max has planted the idea in Leo's head but is still hesitant. Max takes Leo out to lunch in an effort to "seduce" him into making this nefarious plan a reality. I love the way Max very discreetly but effectively convinces Leo that he hates his life and wants something more, all set against some breathtaking backdrops of Manhattan.
Needless to say Brooks served his story in some very unconventional casting for a 1967 film. Zero Mostel, an actor known primarily as a Broadway star (he won a Tony for creating the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof), but pretty much an unknown outside of the New York theater crowd, was a risky choice for Brooks to trust a leading role in a big budget studio film, but it paid off. Mostel delivers one of the 1960's greasiest movie characters who provides consistent laughs...you can just see the oil dripping off this guy. Mostel was an actor known to do a lot of improvising but Brooks keeps him reined in thanks to the confines of the character and Gene Wilder's sometimes totally unhinged Leo Bloom is just a joy to watch. Wilder makes such unconventional acting choices here that gives Leo a layer of unpredictability that is just intoxicating.
The film also features first rate support from Christopher Hewitt as the director of the play, Andréas Voutsinas as his assistant/lover, Kenneth Mars as the author of the play, and especially Dick Shawn, the actor hired to play Hitler. If you blink, you might miss cameos from future stars Renee Taylor, Barney Martin and William Hickey. The film is rich with imaginative set pieces and the production number,"Springtime for Hitler" has become a classic within itself.
Brooks decided to revamp the piece into a Broadway musical that Brooks wrote the score for and premiered in 2001, won 11 Tony Awards, and ran for over 2500 performances. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick played Max and Leo in the musical, respectively and reprised their roles in the 2005 film version, which I also enjoyed, but the 2005 film suffers due to the fact that Brooks didn't direct the film. Mel Brooks works best on his own and from behind the camera and this 1967 classic is proof of that. Everything in the musical is just a rehash of Mel Brooks' caustic and brilliant original.