Post by petrolino on Dec 22, 2017 23:53:34 GMT
The slapstick western 'Blazing Saddles' tells the tale of Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little) whose surprise appointment comes following a last minute reprieve as he's awaiting unjust execution on death row. It's set in 1874 in the small American town of Rock Ridge, where the many Johnsons rule by private law.
'Blazing Saddles' is the product of a crack team of comedy writers pushing each other to the limit. You have director Mel Brooks, stand-up comedian Richard Pryor who was set to take the starring role until being deemed unreliable by the studio, comic filmmaker Andrew Bergman who came up with the original story, sitcom creator Norman Steinberg and television contributor Alan Uger. Brooks combines elements in the old West of some of the other filmic forms that helped to build Hollywood and define the movie industry, deploying silent comedy tactics, drawing from set-piece musicals and evoking the sweeping melodramas of old.
Cleavon Little & Madeline Kahn
"You'd do it for Randolph Scott."
'Blazing Saddles' is the product of a crack team of comedy writers pushing each other to the limit. You have director Mel Brooks, stand-up comedian Richard Pryor who was set to take the starring role until being deemed unreliable by the studio, comic filmmaker Andrew Bergman who came up with the original story, sitcom creator Norman Steinberg and television contributor Alan Uger. Brooks combines elements in the old West of some of the other filmic forms that helped to build Hollywood and define the movie industry, deploying silent comedy tactics, drawing from set-piece musicals and evoking the sweeping melodramas of old.
"I was given Andrew Bergman's original script for this comedy he'd written, to see if I might be interested doing it. And I'm thinking, Hell, this is a Western: What a great tapestry for a satire! You could have such fun with this. The whole notion of a parody … it works on the hundreds of thousands clichés that we all know. So I'm reading this and I'm already thinking, we have cowboys, we have outlaws, we have horses running in the wrong direction — I'm just seeing comic potential left and right here. So I call Andy up and I say, listen, would you come do this with me if I direct it? But we need a black guy. Otherwise, we can't use the "N" word, and we've gotta use the "N" word many, many times. Well, because the idea of a black sheriff — which Andy already had in his first draft — is great, but all the bad guys are going to call him that. He had a hero who spoke like a 1974 resident of Harlem in a Western town in 1874. I mean, the juxtaposition of it was just great. But you know, if we're going to do this, we're going to need permission. I don't want to cross lines I'm not supposed to be crossing. So I called up a friend of mine, this guy who was a brilliant writer and the best stand-up comic of all time: Richard Pryor. I said, "Richard, read this, tell me what you think." He read it and said, "Yeah, this is good … this is real. I like this." I asked, "Right, but what about the "N" word? We can't say this so many times …" "Well, Mel, you can't say it. But the bad guys can say it. They would say it!" Then I asked him to come write it with us, and he said sure. That was how it started."
- Mel Brooks, Rolling Stone
- Mel Brooks, Rolling Stone
"Madeline Kahn is never doing just one thing onscreen. She insinuates interior and ulterior motives behind double and triple entendre. She imbues the most innocent lines with innuendo. When she sings, it’s usually in character and her character always has something else up her sleeves or under her derby. When she acts, she is always in two places: in the moment with whomever she is talking with, and in her head, somewhere else, calculating, scheming, worrying or just being so close to her menstrual cycle she could scream. She can be distracted, confused and preoccupied, often at the same time, without ever losing focus, without ever losing funny. Kahn repeatedly said in interviews that she never thought of herself as a funny person, that it was hard work to be funny, but some of the best judges of funny in show business clamored to cast her. Neil Simon, Peter Bogdanovich, Carol Burnett and Bill Cosby all found channels for her comic genius. Mel Brooks gagged his crew when shooting her scenes to protect the takes from laughter, a trick he’d learned when filming Zero Mostel in The Producers. After working with Kahn, Brooks always kept a box of handkerchiefs on hand to stuff in the crew’s mouths. Kahn is just as funny singing a joke as she is telling it. She had a naturally beautiful operatic voice that could do gymnastics, whether in song or in character or caricature."
- Tony Sokol, Den Of Geek
“I don’t love Woody Allen’s films all the time, but when they’re good, they’re just sensational. I love them. I mean, just seeing ‘Midnight in Paris,’ how could you do better than that?”
- Gene Wilder, Variety
'Blazing Saddles' is lewd, crude filmmaking that's haphazard but cleverly assembled. It's filled with funny characterisations courtesy of a dynamite cast who seem to relish playing their roles. The screenplay offers insights into history, intriguing observations and truly memorable dialogue. I personally feel like the writing's all over the shop but I find repeat viewings of Brooks' movies usually throw up new angles and ideas. I think 'Blazing Saddles' is also one of the great satirical films to deal head-on with the topic of societal racism. Check it out!
'Master Race Rock' - The Dictators
"I went to Zimbabwe. I know how white people feel in America now; relaxed! Cause when I heard the police car I knew they weren't coming after me!"
- Richard Pryor
