by Mel Brooks (DVD Blazing)
Blazing Saddles is a parody western, released in 1974. The film was directed by Mel Brooks and is considered one of his masterworks — alongside Young Frankenstein and The Producers. Blazing Saddles was ranked #6 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Laughs” list. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2006.
All of which is offered as preface to say that Blazing Saddles is a well-regarded comedy film, BUT it is also one of the most outrageous, offensive and insensitive films ever released. Personally, I can’t recommend it highly enough — I find it to be one of the funniest films every to appear on the big screen, but I know many viewers with more sensitive tastes who don’t find it appealing.
As mentioned, Blazing Saddles is a western parody — it mercilessly and incessantly pokes fun at every last western film tradition. Set in the “Old West” era, Cleavon Little stars as Bart, a black man rescued from execution from a trumped up case to serve as the new Sheriff of Rock Ridge — an assignment the corrupt attorney general Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) believes will cause the citizens to eventually leave town, allowing him to buy up the land in advance of a railroad line coming through. The townspeople are, indeed, shocked to have a black man as their new sheriff, but surprisingly, Bart proves resilient, and with the help of a retired gunslinger Jim (played by Gene Wilder), also known as the Waco Kid, law and order begins to assert itself in Rock Ridge. Seeing his simple plans thwarted, Lamarr sends multiple assassins after Bart, but each is won over by the sheriff, including Mongo (Alex Karras), a horse-punching strongman, and Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Kahn), a saloon-singing femme fatale.
Blazing Saddles, alongside The Princess Bride, is probably one of the most quotable “cult favorite” films ever made. If you can tolerate filthy language and casual yet pointedly mocking racist terminology, this film is unforgettable. If that sounds like it’s out of your comfort zone, you’ll probably want to avoid this. This is probably one of the best examples of “Love it or Hate it” out there!
[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other films from Mel Brooks, including Young Frankenstein, or The Producers.]
[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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