The Producers is one of Mel Brooks’ most famous films – a comedy that ended up being the basis for a musical which adapted into another film. Now the 1967 classic has been given a Blu-ray 4K restoration for a home re-release from StudioCanal.
Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) was a Broadway great who has fallen on hard times, making ends meet by having relations with a number of senior ladies. His new accountant, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), discovers that Max under spent on his latest play which gives the pair an idea – make a play that would boom and pocket the investors’ money. They set out to find the worst script and hire the worst people to make the worst play in Broadway history.
When it comes to comedy they need to be looked at in the context of the time and culture it was created and that is the case for The Producers. The film had jokes and humor that would not be allowed today. The biggest examples of this were through the characters of Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewlett) and Ulla (Lee Meredith). De Bris was the director and his big joke was he was gay and Leo was a bit awkward about it. But De Bris does have some decent jokes regarding his lack of intelligence.
Ulla was a young, attractive Swedish woman who couldn’t speak English, but still hired to be Max’s new assistant. The joke is basically she’s hired to be Max’s sex thing, getting her to dance and strip off. With modern eyes it comes across as incredibly icky. There was at least a decent pay off with her after the fraud backfires but that is not enough to save the character.
The comedy comes in two varieties – clever lines and exchanges and a more broader type of comedy. The broader comedy comes in the first help of the film where Max has his romantic liaisons and Leo’s irritating screech as Max brow beats Leo and takes his blue blankie. It is grating rather than funny.
The humor of the film does improve as it progresses and by the time the play opens it becomes hilarious. The opening song, “Springtime for Hitler” was a comedic masterstroke as the theater audience watch on in horror. The relationship between Max and Leo also improves, having stronger exchanges and funnier lines. It is just a shame the film takes so long to get to this point.
The Producers is a film that has built up a huge fan base over its 50 years and it is not without its charms but as a younger viewer with little nostalgia towards the film it is problematic – even if the humor is meant to be in bad taste.
The Producers will be re-released on September 10 in the UK
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Directing
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Acting
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Humor
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Springtime for Hitler
Summary
Humor is subjective and The Producers was not quite for me. It was at it’s best during the third act.
