DVD Review: Blazing Saddles

Blazing Saddles

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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DVD Review: Yellowstone: Season 2

Yellowstone: Season 2
(DVD Yellowstone)

Season two continues to follow the Dutton family and the drama surrounding their ranch in Montana. This season they deal with new enemies, family betrayal, newspaper exposes, a family member going into politics, and a kidnapping. With some shows the first season is the best and things go downhill with repetition but with this show they never run out of angles to cover because there are so many characters involved and they not only cover what happens on the ranch but what happens away from it as well. It’s really neat to see how the drama affects the family and the workers and the outsiders.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Hell on Wheels, The Son, Longmire or any other western series on DVD.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ the Paramount network’s official Yellowstone web page ]

Recommended by Carrie R.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Yellowstone - Season 1

Yellowstone: Season 1
[DVD Yellowstone]

John Dutton and his family own a large ranch in Montana. This series revolves around the challenges of owning the ranch while simultaneously trying to keep people from encroaching on their land. Season one involves things like land developers trying to steal their land to make it a national park, differences of opinion with the tribal police, integrating new cowboys, and dealing with local politicians, all while trying to keep family secrets hidden. The series is well-cast, and adds some humor in when needed but it’s mostly drama. It’s really interesting because you get to see things from their family’s viewpoint, their hired hands’ viewpoint, and the outsiders’ viewpoint.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Hell on Wheels, The Son, Longmire or any other western series on DVD.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ the Paramount network’s official Yellowstone web page ]

Recommended by Carrie R.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

New Booklist on BookGuide: Westerns on Film and Television (a DVD booklist)

New DVD Booklist

We've had several requests recently from customers for a list of all the Western films and TV series that the libraries have on DVD. While searching in our online catalog will ultimately take you to most of the titles you'll find on this "Booklist", we thought we'd make it a little easier to find all these Westerns in one single location. Thus -- this "Westerns on Film and Television" DVD list was created. This is a "snapshot" of most (hopefully all) of the Westerns on DVD in the Lincoln City Libraries collection. As the descriptive information on the page indicates, there are also additional titles available only via our Hoopla digital service (not on DVD), which are not included on this DVD list.

Whether you're a fan of the classics -- the films of John Wayne, James Stewart and Clint Eastwood -- or more modern fare, or you want to revisit western series like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., The Magnificent Seven, or more -- you'll find plenty to browse through in this list.

At the time this list was "published" on our website, all titles included were owned by the Lincoln City Libraries!

Check out the list of recommended viewing at the following link: 

Westerns on Film and Television (a DVD booklist)

Maverick: Complete Season One

Maverick: Complete Season One
[DVD Maverick]

Nearly 20 years before his iconic role as Jim Rockford, James Garner first graced television screens in the equally iconic role of Bret Maverick in the 1957-1962 western series Maverick. Created and executive-produced by legendary producer Roy Huggins, Maverick was not your typical western -- the "hero", Bret Maverick (and later Bart Maverick, played by Jack Kelly, and British cousin Beau Maverick, played by Roger Moore) is a gambler and con man, and roams from town to town throughout the American west, scamming and hustling for a living. Though proficient with a six-shooter, Maverick would rather talk his way out of a confrontation and avoid violence if at all possible. And each of the Mavericks fell for the prettiest girl in every town they visited. All three leads (Beau doesn't appear until season 4) rotated, only occasionally appearing with each other in the same episode. The writing in this series was top-notch -- with hilariously convoluted plots and plenty of snappy dialog. Guest stars in this season one boxed set included a who's who of 1950s and 1960s character actors. Set and location work was terrific, and the series had a rousing musical score. Garner's performance as Bret is among the best in his career, and sets the course for many, if not most, of TV's charming con men to follow in subsequent decades. [Note: Four of the five seasons have been released to DVD, but seasons 3 and 4 are "manufacture-on-demand".]. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try James Garner in The Rockford Files.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ Maverick episode guide at epguides.com ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Crossfire Trail (on DVD)

Crossfire Trail
based on the novel by Louis L'Amour [DVD Crossfire]

Tom Selleck as a cowboy - need I say more? This is a TNT production based on a Louis L'Amour story. Selleck stars as Rafe Covington who promised his dying friend to look after the friend's wife, played by Virginia Madsen. Rafe and his buddies arrive to work her abandoned ranch while she's in town trying to make ends meet as a teacher. She's also being wooed by the town gambler, played by Mark Harmon, who has been lying to her about her husband's death - and possibly about other things as well. A standard but entertaining Western with gorgeous vistas and a quiet but stalwart cowboy who is all about doing the right thing. And let's not forget the shoot-out at the end. Also stars Wilford Brimley. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Sacketts on dvd, another Louis L'Amour Western starring Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott.]

[Also available in traditional print and Large Print formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Buck

Buck
[DVD 636.1 Buc]

Buck is not your typical big screen western cowboy movie, because unlike John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, Buck is the real thing. Buck is a documentary about the life of horseman cowboy Buck Brannaman. Brannaman is a leader in natural horsemanship and spends much of the year touring the country teaching horse clinics. Brannaman's personal story begins with a troubled childhood. Growing up he was a child rodeo star with an abusive father. As an adult he channeled his difficult past into a passion for teaching away the abusive training methods common in horse breaking and training. His empathy and understanding of the unique relationship between humans and animals is expressed in his gentle teaching style and methodology. The documentary weaves Buck's personal story with his philosophy of horsemanship. Buck is soft spoken, but articulate and straight to the point thus leading to some humorous and blunt moments throughout the film. Buck's many students play an important role in the documentary as well. An interview with Robert Redford credits Buck with much of the inspiration for the 1998 movie Horse Whisperer. Redford divulges quite a bit of interesting background information on Buck's contributions to the film's production (including the use of Buck's personal horse in the movie). Documentary enthusiasts will be pleasantly surprised by Meehl's style, which captures Buck's personal story through archival footage, and small subtle details. Keep watch for a small funny moment that allows Buck's personality to shine through in a diner, where he consumes many meals on the road. Those who are horse owners and western fans might appreciate a high quality genre documentary, which captures the spirit of the west. Everybody can expect to learn a thing or two about leadership, compassion and respect too. Buck is a must see uplifting documentary. [If you like this, you may also enjoy Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (Book & DVD), and War Horse by Michael Morpurgo j Morpurgo/YA PB Morpurgo.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Buck web site ]
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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

How the West Was Won (on compact disc)

How the West Was Won (on compact disc)
by Louis L'Amour

L'Amour's version is based upon the screenplay for the movie How the West was Won which in turn was based upon a series in "Life" magazine (seven consecutive issues beginning April 6, 1959; available at Bennett Martin library). This story follows one family through several decades of Westward expansion in the 1800's including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads. In this case, I recommend you view the movie first. While listening to the cds I kept envisioning the movie actors and could easily follow the tale. This version differs slightly from the movie but remember this was based on the screenplay and screenplays are frequently altered during filming. More in-depth with some characters than the movie, and a very enjoyable story. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in Print and DVD formats.]

[ official Louis L'Amour web site ]

Have you listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.