Rating: 
Summary: Funniest movie ever
Review: I first saw this movie in 1968, in the theatre with my Dad, when I was 12 years old. I have owned the video, the laser disc, and now finally it is coming out on DVD. What took so long?? Not only is it the funniest movie I have ever seen, it was Mel Brook's first. Zero Mostel was a treasure; he died way too soon. This was Gene Wilder's earliest significant role. He is fantastic in this. A must see.
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Summary: Gag Riot
Review: Aside from having a Beginning/Middle/End and being very entertaining (sadly, many films today miss this entirely!), this is a very funny film. There's gags for pure gags, and there's social commentary disguised as gags. It's Brooks' finest work, far funnier and far deeper than the classic Blazing Saddles, and perhaps almost equal (or better) than Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder IS Leo Bloom, a neurotic Everyman (being a bit neurotic myself I identify with him). Zero Mostel is the boisterous Ne'er-do-well (and being a dreamer with anger I also identify with him). The performances are pure magic, topped only by Kenneth Mars (as Franz Liebkion) as a True Believer in the the "nice" side of a cartoon Hitler.There's Slapstick, Satire, Sarcasm, Wit, and so much more. If you like Life, and you like to laugh, buy his film. It's a Bible. (Everything Important I Learned from The Producers.)
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Summary: Specs on the first ever DVD release
Review: On 12/2/02 Mel Brooks' comedy classic, "The Producers", finally comes to DVD. Here are the specs: -Anamorphic Widescreen
-English 5.1 Dolby surround Sound
-Original mono mix
-New hour-long documentary
-Deleted scenes
-Still gallery
-Trailers
Rating:
Summary: The funniest, most cleaver movie comedy ever!
Review: I first saw The Producers during the late 70's....the first video I ever rented. My husband had always talked about it. Hysterical is the only way to describe it..and it gets better with each viewing! Our children, now 19 & 21, grew up with Max, Leo & Ula..not to mention LSD! As Mel Brooks has stated - making someone (Hitler, et al) look ridiculous takes their power away.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic!!
Review: I will not go a lot about how great the Producers is, because it simply is one of the best comedies of all time. Even Mel Brooks could not top it with his other films, although some are too classics, like Young Frankenstein. I am just totally baffled as to why such a great film is not yet on DVD??? It is disheartening to see so many [junk] films get instant DVD release with full packages, while the studios seem to overlook some masterpieces.
I hope it wont be long before The Producers finally go digital so we can all enjoy a hysterical Gene Wilder,in one of the funniest comedy scenes ever filmed, an excellent Zero Mostel and of course a genuis performance by Kenneth Mars.
Rating:
Summary: The Producers
Review: The Producers is one of the best Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder collaborations that I have seen. The idea is as fresh as the leading actor, Zero Mostel, whome you quickly fall in love with. Gene Wilder's preformance as Leo Bloom is inspiring and energetic! The format is not in the same Mel Brooks style as some of the later films, but the laughs and the fun is there!
Rating: 
Summary: "Shut up, he think's he's witty."
Review: Unlike some reviewers, I do not consider "The Producers" Mel Brooks' best film; The insane, all out lunacy of "Blazing Saddles" or "Young Frankenstein" would win my vote instead. Also, contrary to some critics, I didn't have my sides splitting as badly. However, my Dad pointed out that there are other types of humor, such as the kind that gives you a chuckle or a smile on your face. And I certainly had a big grin as I watched "The Producers". Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) is a once great Broadway producer, who's now dirt poor ("I'm wearing a cardboard belt"), and reduced to having to call on little old ladies to get "checkies" for his next upcoming play, which may not be for awhile. However, his new accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) discovers a way to get rich off a flop: Get more financing then you need for the budget, find a play so bad it will run only one night and live off the leftover money. But, if they fail and the show's a hit, they will go to prison for fraud. The two immediately go to work, getting the rights to the play "Springtime for Hitler" from the author, an insane ex-nazi (Kenneth Mars) and hiring the worst possible director and cast. On opening night, the producers are confident of their failure. But the audience loves it, making "Springtime" a Broadway sensation. Now the race is on to stop Hitler before they land in prison. There are several very funny and memorable scenes in "The Producers", Some of Bialystock's attempts to get money from rich old ladies, such as from one who can't hear well and another who's rather overprotective of her security, are very funny. The first appearance of the play's director (Christopher Hewitt) and his assistant (Andreas Voutsinas) is also very funny, though rather odd. I also liked the songs, such as "Love Power" performed by the hippie L.S.D (Dick Shawn), who is cast as Hitler, "Prisoners of Love" and, of course, "Springtime for Hitler". The music score is also very good, sounding like a Hollywood musical from the 1940's or '50's. There is also much great dialogue, my favorite being: "A toast...to toast. I love toast." (That reminds me of the best man's speech at my sister's wedding). Finally, how can I ignore Lee Meredith as Max's secretary who can't speak any English and, when told to go to work, most certainly does. Some of the funniest stuff in "The Producers" comes through facial expressions characters make: Mostel dominates in this category: I like his expressions during the scene where he reveals his timetable to Leo and when he's waiting for the overprotective lady to unlock her door. Hewitt and Voutsinias are also both very funny and suggestive of their homosexuality without saying a word about it. Wilder's expressions during the opening scenes, when Max is meeting one of the old ladies, is also very funny. L.S.D's actions and gestures during the "Love Power" performance and his scenes as Hitler also tell so much about him and his mental state, without him actually saying anything about it. Hint: He's probably on the drug his initials form. However, some of the scenes are played a bit over the top, and this was my only problem with the movie. Granted, this was probably the intention. But, the scenes could have been better played to get maximum laughs. One example is when Leo gets a panic. Wilder is so frantic and over the top that the scene was very annoying to watch, even when Leo got his blue blanket out. But the "I'm wet and I'm still hysterical" line did get a laugh. The first meeting with "Springtime's" author, as he discusses why Hitler was a better person then Churchill, is also somewhat bad because we can't understand what the guy is saying half the time. Same with the scene after opening night, when he tries to kill Max and Leo. He changed repeatedly from being insane to being normal and relaxed. In "Blazing Saddles" or "Young Frankenstein", the actors played their roles, for the most part, straight and allowed the material to get the laughs. In here, they sometimes don't trust the material enough. That said, this is a funny movie. If you've already seen it, I don't need to add anything else. But, if you haven't seen it yet, one word of advice: Even if you are a big Mel Brooks fan, don't expect too much. Though its widely considered one of the, if not the, funniest movie, it all depends upon the eye of the beholder. The more you expect, the less you will get. It's also possible, as some others have said, that this movie grows on you and gets funnier with every viewing. I know I was laughing more with my second viewing then with my first.
Rating:
Summary: None Funnier
Review: Mel Brooks' directorial debut was a first for me: I literally laughed til I cried. And in each subsequent viewing, the same thing happens, even though I can anticipate (with pleasure!) each and every hilarious, side-splitting scene. In a nutshell: Shady theater producer Max Bialystock (played brilliantly by Zero Mostel) keeps himself in cravats and velvet coats by "wooing" little old ladies--RICH little old ladies--into investing in his nonexistent plays. The sight of the abundant Mostel playing coy sex games with very aged women is enough in itself to give the average person a coronary from laughing too hard. But then...BUT THEN...Bialystock hires an accountant to review his books. Enter innocent, deeply disturbed Leo Bloom, played to the hilt by a young Gene Wilder, and the goings-on get almost too funny to stand. Wilder tends to have anxiety attacks ("I'm HYSTERICAL! I'm HYSTERICAL!"), which he calms by rubbing his blue blankie (kept in his suit pocket) against his cheek. Under Max's diabolical tutelage, Leo reluctantly agrees to a nefarious moneymaking scheme. The two will sell 25,000 percent of a new play that they know will be the all-time flop. The play will be a one-nighter, and they will abscond with the investors' funds. But first they have to find a horrible play, and then they have to cast it with equally horrible actors. And they do: the play, "Springtime for Hitler," is so offensive, it's a surefire loser. And the actors? Even worse. So the stage is set...Or is it? Truly this is a classic comedy, one for the ages. Filmed in black and white and played for outrageous laughs, it has survived in all its hilarity from 1968 until now.
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Summary: This film....
Review: ...Is one of the funniest movies ever made! When I saw it, after catching Mel Brooks on the Tonight Show in 1968, (see, I _TOLD_ you it was a good year for movies!) as he was promoting it, I wasn't ready for the Mel Brooks grab-bag of crazy ingredients, this being my very first movie by him. First, there's the classic Broadway funnyman Zero Mostel in the lead as Max Bialystok, then there's Gene Wilder in one of his two funniest roles as the wildly neurotic Leopold Bloom. THEN there's Lee Meredith!(Will somebody PLEASE tell me why this girl's career didn't take off??) WOW! Talk about all-girl!! If estrogen ever had a good sales rep, it's her! Anyway, everybody knows the plot....these two decide to produce a flop, using thousands of dollars of conned bucks to set up a play that they're SURE is going to close after fifteen minutes! Doesn't happen, and they have to pay a bunch of little old ladies TWENTY THOUSAND PERCENT of what they took in from them, having sold improbable portions of the play to their victims. One of the most outrageous production numbers on Earth is the trademark "Springtime For Hitler" play-within-a-movie that features a June Taylor Dancers overhead shot of the cast forming a swastika, and a hippie, (played by Dick Shawn, a man BORN to be a rock DJ,) playing Adolf himself. The theatre audience reaction shots are almost worth the price of admission. Oh, I forgot to mention, "Mr. Belvedere" plays a rather flamboyantly gay theatre director in this movie, which may explain why his TV show never got beyond 90 in the ratings! This is one of the top five funniest films ever made, and you may NEVER hear an argument against that....!
Rating:
Summary: It's Like No Other Movie
Review: This is a highly unusual comedy. I distinctly remember laughing hysterically when I saw it for the first time in a theater in 1968. In terms of irreverence, it may compare to the Marx Brothers, but there is otherwise no similarity to anything else. I bought this tape so my family would have the proper mindset and background knowledge prior to seeing the stage version in New York. It's hard to imagine or describe, but they actually do the full "Springtime for Hitler" number on stage, and it's even funnier than the movie. But see the movie.
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