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The Producers (Special Edition)

The Producers (Special Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Funniest Comedy Ever
Review: "The Producers" is my favorite Mel Brooks film; unlike many of his later movies (such as "Blazing Saddles" or "Spaceballs") "The Producers" features little in the way of slapstick, instead relying upon the interaction between the characters and blantant political incorrectness to get laughs.

The movie may seem tame by today's standards, but for its time, "The Producers" rode the edge of acceptability.

Sometimes thought-provoking, often offensive, but always funny, "The Producers" is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

The funniest scene in the movie, by far, is the actual rendition of "Springtime for Hitler;" a great movie for any World War II or history buff.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You will laugh so hard that you'll soil yourself!!!
Review: I first saw this movie about 20 years ago, and it continues to be amongst my very favorites!! I've seen the show on Broadway with Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick- which BTW was great- but nobody can beat Zero Mostel & Gene Wilder! Besides, the movie has Dick Shawn singing "Love Power"......I think I'll go watch it again!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny and belly-aching...
Review: Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), an accountant, visits Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), former big shot theater producer, to review Max's book keeping. This leads to the two of them building up a huge scam, which involves a play that will for sure flop. The chose the musical Springtime for Hitler, which was written by a Nazi sympathizer. In addition, the cast must not be able to perform this horrid musical. Producers is a hysterical comedy that offers a wonderful cinematic experience.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel, and Gene Wilder are great comedians. I've always heard great things about this movie. As a result, I'd waited years to see it. It's a real letdown. Every scene is built around one joke. These jokes are often funny, but long after the viewer gets it the scene will go on and on to milk every possible aspect of the joke. Eventually this gets tedious.

Of course lots of people really like this movie. I recommend renting it or catching it on cable before buying the video.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the greatest comedies of all time!
Review: I first saw The Producers at a college movie theater when it was first released in the late 1960s. It was outrageous and hilarious then, and it still is now. I'm not sure I want to see the current musical version, though. I can't imagine any duo who can out-duo Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. To see Mostel's antics is alone worth the purchase price. This is the best of Mel Brooks's works by far, and I rank it in the top five of the most outrageous and funny movies of all time.
The best way to beat a bully is to puncture his balloon. Only a genius could have successfully lampooned the Nazis in those days, and when Brooks made it work, he showed true genius. This is in my non-humble opinion, of course.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A clever short film stretched too long
Review: I bought this film based on the other 5-star ratings here. Although it was good, I don't think it qualifies as a true 5-star classic.

The core idea of the film--two producers who try their best to produce a flop but end up with a hit instead--is brilliant. Some of the scenes around that core, like finding the director, auditioning, and opening night, are golden.

But the movie starts slowly. Zero and Gene's characters are fun to watch (especially with Zero's combover), but they can't hold our attention that long.

One of the hallmarks of a great film is that you can watch it all the way through a second (or even a third) time. With this one, you spend most of the second viewing on fast forward.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: That's Entertainment?
Review: Many of the best swindles are essentially quite simple. All manner of variations on the infamous "Ponzi Pyramid" scheme include one which Leo Bloom (Wilder) devises for his partner in crime, Max Bialystock (Mostel): Obtain investment capital 5-10 times (or preferably more) of your costs and then produce a musical which is certain to close after only one or two performances. Who else will know? Certainly not the investors, cast or crew. A flop's a flop.

However....what if the musical is a hit?

For me, this is one of Brooks' best comedies. It has a fascinating plot, great actors aligned in roles best suited to their talents, and lyrics seamlessly integrated with dialogue and the lead characters. Better yet, Brooks succeeds brilliantly in attacking Adolph Hitler and his evil regime with ridicule which (to me) is far more effective on film than is righteous indignation. In fact, Brooks's script received an Academy Award for best original screenplay in 1968.

Wilder and Mars are among the members of Brooks's ensemble company of players. (They also appeared in the other of my two favorite Brooks comedies, Young Frankenstein.) Mostel is probably the dominant personality but he does not overwhelm his associates. They more than hold their own and I give much credit for that to Brooks. As Lorenzo S. Dubois, Dick Shawn sails over the top and then returns...back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Andreas Voutsania does a delicious turn as Carmen Giya, an ideal complement to Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewitt) who would also be my own choice if I wanted someone who, all by himself, would ensure the failure of anything he supervises. The obvious case in point is "Springtime for Hitler: A Musical Romp with Adolph and Eva." Bialystock and Bloom eagerly await the audience's response (shock and silence), then happily withdraw to a bar nearby to celebrate the success of their scam. What they do not realize is that....

To repeat, I think that Brooks selected the subject matter because he wanted to make his own unique indictment of one of history's most despicable human beings. His principal weapon is ridicule, a formidable weapon indeed when utilized with the skill and power he demonstrates in this classic film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Has Not Withstood the Test of Time
Review: Mel Brooks is one of the funniest filmmakers who has ever lived. That being said, his first venture into movie making while truly original, and no doubt groundbreaking when it was originally released, pales in comparison to his later works.
The Producers centers around a failed Broadway producer and his paranoid accountant who discover that they can make more money by screwing their investors on a flop, rather than making a decent play. They purchase the most poorly written and offensive script that they can find, hire a manic director and terrible actors, and watch in horror as the play becomes a hit.
This is worth getting if you are a Mel Brooks fan as it does have some amusing moments. However, if you are looking for Brooks at his best, pick up a copy of Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein, or Blazing Saddles.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hilarious
Review: As funny as Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder can make them. So politically incorrect too!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HA HA HA HA HA
Review: Very funny movie, have not seen it in years but I had an argument with a friend recently that the line"It's good to be the king" was not from The Producers but from The History of the World part 1.
If you have not seen this movie, you are missing out on a lotta laffs.


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