Mel Brooks has enjoyed a successful career that most people can only envy. He is well-known for his work as a writer during the 1950 -60’s TV hey-day, with shows like “Get Smart” under his belt. He also did his share of performing, most notably alongside Carl Reiner in the infamous “2,000 Year Old Man” sketches. But then he made his foray into feature film directing with 1968’s “The Producers” and 1970’s “The Twelve Chairs.” But his most famous work was yet to come. The project that would firmly cement his name in households across the country? “Blazing Saddles.” That’s right, “Blazing Saddles.” In 1974, I went to see “Blazing Saddles” not really knowing what to expect. I was really too young at the time to see it, but sneaking into theatres was a talent I had as a child. Looking back, I wonder if this was actually the film that changed my life, or at least how I view it.

Not a film that could be called a typical western, it was of course a comedy… but it was much more than that. It was a fast-paced satire, full of in your face innuendos making fun of sex, race, politics, etc… It was, at the time, one of the most politically incorrect films I had ever seen. And to this day I love politically incorrect humor. I still believe that political correctness was simply created in order to give the country’s bored and ‘less than intelligent’ citizens something to believe in.

“Blazing Saddles” tells the story of Bart (Cleavon Little), who becomes the West’s first black sheriff when the town of Rock Ridge’s lawman is killed. Of course, none of the townspeople (oddly enough, all named ‘Johnson’) are very happy with this particular course of events. Bart teams up with The Waco Kid (Gene Wilder), a drunken gunfighter, to battle the corrupt government trying to rid the town of its inhabitants so a railroad can go through. The villains in this little plot are Governor William J. LePetomaine (Mel Brooks) and his assistant Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman). Oh, and did I mention it’s a musical?

Everything about “Blazing Saddles” flies in the face of those with a more conservative taste for their humor. The jokes come fast and furious, the ‘N’ word is used quite liberally throughout the film, and lines like, “Excuse me while I whip this out” are par for the course. The humor is at times seems childish, but there was a method to Brooks’ madness. As much as the film appeared to be racially intolerant, it was in fact making statements on the stupidity of racism. It just takes an intelligent mind to recognize it. What’s interesting to me is that the film was not only pushing the envelope back in 1974 (much in the way that Trey Parker and Matt Stone do today with “South Park”), the blow isn’t softened at all 30 years later. There are jokes in the film that you still couldn’t get away with today.

I’ve always loved Brooks’ work and still consider “Young Frankenstein” and “Spaceballs” to be comedy classics. Some of his later films lacked the punch of his earlier work, a couple I even thought were really bad, but there were still moment of genius to be found. Of late, Brooks’ has found a new niche, that of Broadway producer. His stage production of “The Producers” was a major hit, and I understand more are on the way.

The new 30th anniversary DVD release of “Blazing Saddles” from Warner Brothers is one I’ve been waiting for. I hoped there would be plenty of great extra features and I was not disappointed. There is a scene-specific commentary track by Mel Brooks and though he doesn’t talk all the way through the film, what he has to say is hysterically funny. There’s no doubt that the man is still at the top of his game when it comes to comedy. Then we find a 30 minute documentary that was shot in 2001 on the making of the film. It includes a reunion of many of the cast and crew members, many of whom it was great to see again.

Fans of the late Madeline Kahn will be both elated and a bit let down to learn there is a tribute piece on the disc. The let down is that it only runs about 3 minutes and that hardly seems to be enough time to focus on the career of this incredibly funny and gifted actress. A bit of a pleasant surprise is the inclusion of the Pilot for a proposed spin-off series of the movie. Entitled “Black Bart”, I could see where they were going with the series, but admittedly it wasn’t all that funny. Last, but not least, you’ll find a few deleted scenes.

Love it or hate it, “Blazing Saddles” will never ride off into the sunset and remains a classic comedy favorite. If you’re offended by the ‘off-color’ humor or horrified by the blatant use of racial slurs, I would like to invite you out on my next camping trip. We’ll sit by the fire and tell stories. And we’ll definitely serve beans…

Directed by: Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Mel Brooks, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn
Extras: Scene Specific Commentary by Mel Brooks, 2 Documentaries - “Back in the Saddle” and Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn (excerpt), “Black Bart” - 1975 Pilot Episode of the Proposed TV Spin-Off, Additional Scenes, Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 6/29/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Blazing Saddles an A+.