Mel Brooks has enjoyed a successful career that most people can only drool over. He is well-known for his work as a writer during the 50’s and 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 and there are a couple I even felt weren’t very good in spite of a few moments of genius to be found. Of late, Brooks’ has found a new niche, that of Broadway producer. His stage production of “The Producers” was such a major hit that the ‘musical of the movie’, eventually also gave birth to a ‘movie of the musical of the movie.’ There’s even been a successful Broadway run (and subsequent tour) of “Young Frankenstein: The Musical.”

There are a lot of his movies that I thought were going to be lost to newer audiences, many of them seldom heard of today. One of my absolute favorites was "Silent Movie", which stars Brooks as a filmmaker on a mission to create a new masterpiece and bring back the silent film. As the title suggests, it in itself is a silent movie complete with dialogue cards. It follows Brooks, Dom DeLuise and Marty Feldman as they shop their project around Hollywood and are stopped at every turn. Not one word is spoken throughout the entire film… well… with the exception of one. And the person who utters that one word is what makes it so darn funny, so I won’t ruin the surprise here.

"The History of the World, Part 1" is another one that bordered on brilliance. It brought unto the world a memorable song about the Spanish Inquisition and gave us the promise of a "Part 2" that would have given us "Jews in Space" and "Hitler on Ice", had it ever actually been produced.

For many years you could only find a handful of Brooks' films on DVD. You could get Special Editions of "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein", "History of the World, Part 1" and “The Producers.” You could even find "Spaceballs" in a couple of different editions, but beyond that… most just sat on the list. But back in 2006, a box set of DVDs was released that offered up 8 of his films, which finally allowed some of the nearly forgotten gems to find their way into the hands of fans as well as new audiences.

While that was a terrific boon to Brook’s fans, there is now an even bigger and better collection… on Bluray! That’s right, you can finally own a 'near definitive' collection of Brooks' movies in one 9-disc set. I say 'near definitive', because it does not include every Mel Brooks film there is, BUT… it does include most of his best. "High Anxiety", "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", "Silent Movie", "To Be Or Not To Be", and "The Twelve Chairs" are brought together in this one set, along with "Blazing Saddles", "Young Frankenstein", "History of the World, Part 1" and “Spaceballs”. You won’t find "This is Life", or "Dracula: Dead and Loving It” and honestly, you are probably better off. They did leave out “The Producers”, which is one that I would have definitely expected to be included.

All 9 films are held in a book-like case created to be the same size as the included 119 page actual book. There are 2 movies per page, except for the first, each with corresponding information about the film. The actual book is a veritable treasure trove of pictures and information about each movie. Both of these slip nicely into a large cardboard case with Brook’s picture emblazoned on the front. It is a very nice package, with the exception of making it difficult to store. If you’re like me and you display these special sets it’s not so bad, but then again, if you’re not a geek… you probably wouldn’t have this set in the first place.

Fans of the great Brooks will also no doubt enjoy the huge array of special features spread out on these discs. Many are from the older DVD releases, but you will find a handful of new ones. The easiest thing would me for me to go through movie by movie to tell you what you are in store for.

“The Twelve Chairs” is easily the slimmest of the bunch as it only has a handful of trailers other Mel Brooks movies. (Didn’t take long to go through these…)

“Blazing Saddles” offers up “Back in the Saddle”, a half hour look at the writing process of the film. You get to hear all about how Brooks teamed up with his group of writers (including Richard Pryer) to create such an incredibly politically incorrect screenplay. “Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn” is a brief tribute to the late, great comedienne. “Black Bart: 1975 Pilot Episode of the Proposed TV Series Spin-Off” is as it says. I actually remember seeing this pilot years ago and while it wasn’t anywhere near as funny as the movie, the humor made me wish it had been picked up. There is also a commentary by Brooks, but it is not his best. He tells some great stories about the making of the film, but it doesn’t seem as though anything he says corresponds to what you are seeing in the film. You’ll also find some deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer.

“Young Frankenstein” (my absolute favorite of the bunch) has a much, much better commentary with Brooks delivering a lot if insight into the making of this classic. “Inside the Lab”is a brand new feature that utilizes the Bluray capabilities to allow for picture in picture commentary throughout parts of the film, with comments from Brooks as well as many film historians, actors and the like. There are two sets of deleted scenes, some in HD and other in standard. All are well worth watching. “It’s Alive! Creating a Monster Classic” is another brand new featurette. Running nearly 45 minutes, this five part documentary offers up a lot of back story on how the film evolved and how it has survived as a cult classic. “Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein” is an older documentary that has similar info from the previous one, but it is Gene Wilder taking us on the tour. “Transylvanian Lullaby” features a look at the music of John Morris, while the “The Franken-Track” is made up of pop-up video style trivia that you can read while watching the film. But… wait… you’re not done! You’ll also find Mexican Interviews with Marty Feldman, Gene Wilder and Cloris Leachman. Then before going to bed, be sure to check out the huge collection of production photos, outtakes, TV spots and trailers. Finally… if you are so inclined… you can hit the Blucher Button to hear the infamous horse whinny. (You know you want to…)

“Silent Movie” (another favorite that few have seen), includes a new documentary that focuses on the history of silent movies and how they influenced making of this Brooks comedy. There is also another Trivia Track to enjoy, along with a handful of trailers.

“High Anxiety” (“…it’s always the sammmmmmmme…, ooh-xiety… it’s you, that I blammmmmmme…”) offers another brand new documentary, this one dealing more with Hitchcock’s influence on the film. There is also another Trivia Track, as well as a “Am I Very Nervous” test that you can take as the movie is playing. And again… more trailers.
“History of the World, Part 1” gives viewers yet another Trivia Track and two featurettes. The first is a ten minute look at Brooks’ musical talent as he creates sequences such as ‘The Inquisition.’ The second gives a short overview of the film as a whole. Then surprise! Trailers!

“To Be or Not To Be”, which is a very little remembered film is actually one of his most poignant as it stars him as his late wife, Anne Bancroft. The pair are (were) wonderful together and some of the special features here reflect that. The first is a short, but touching tribute to the pair as they are talked about by friends and co-workers. There are also old profile interviews with Brooks, Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning, a brief vintage promo piece about the serious side of Brooks, and another great Trivia Track. Aaaaaaaand….. trailers!

“Spaceballs” (“…there goes the neighborhood…”) has a fairly funny commentary track by Brooks, a 30 minute making of featurette, and a tribute to the late John Candy. There is also a lengthy interview with Brooks and writer Thomas Meehan where they reflect on the process of how they write together. There are also Still Galleries, Film Flubs (mistakes in the movie), and a storyboard to film comparison. Finally, you can watch the film in… LUDICROUS SPEED. Oh… and trailers!

Finally, “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” offers an old commentary track by Brooks and an old HBO Special on the film. You’ll also find a 15 minute look at the making of the film, focusing mainly on Dom DeLuise, Dick van Patton, and Dave Chappelle. And would you believe… trailers?

For my final word on the subject…The "Mel Brooks Collection" is a must own Bluray set… period
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Blazing Saddles
Starring: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn

High Anxiety
Starring: Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Tim Conway, Cloris Leachman

History of the World: Part 1
Starring: Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Gregory Hines

Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Starring: Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck, Mark Blankfield, Tracey Ullman

Silent Movie
Starring: Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman

To Be Or Not To Be
Starring: Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Tim Matheson, Charles Durning, Christopher Lloyd

The Twelve Chairs
Starring: Ron Moody, Frank Langella, Dom DeLuise

Young Frankenstein
Starring: Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman. Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn. Kenneth Mars

Release Date: 12/15/2009
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 12/15/2009

We'll give The Mel Brooks Collection (Bluray) an A.