The Producers on DVD
As is common with many so-called classics, Mel
Brooks The Producers is overrated. It has a great idea, and does deliver
quite a few worthwhile laughs, but probably isnt one of the funniest
movies ever made, despite the hype.
Zero Mostel plays Max Bialystock, a once big-time Broadway
producer who now lives in a low-rent apartment seducing little old ladies.
Enter Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), an accountant sent to balance Maxs books.
Max asks Leo to just make it balance, so Leo has to come up with a
way to justify the numbers. He concocts the idea what if a producer made
more money on a flop than he did on a hit?
This gives Max a brilliant plan. Together, he and Leo will raise a
million dollars and put on the worst play imaginable. It will fold after one
night; theyll give their investors their share, and keep the rest for
themselves.
Its an idea that goes exactly as planned, until
Springtime for Hitler becomes the hit of the year.
Mel Brooks debut is a valiant one. Its filled with
great characters, an impressive script, and one of the funniest (and most
absurd) musical numbers in Hollywood history. The great cast only adds to the
fun, particularly Mostel and Dick Shawn as L.S.D.
Brooks humor has never been subtle, but when he hits it, he
hits it out of the park. Just the concept itself is enough to make you laugh,
but the way Mel handles it makes it that much better. Its outrageous when
it needs to be, but a tiny bit more subdued as necessary.
It may not be one of the funniest movies ever made, but its
still pretty darn funny. It may not be a classic, but its one of Mel
Brooks best.
The Producers has been given a great DVD treatment, too. It sports
a very nice video transfer, an okay audio track, and some very nice
supplements.
The video is presented in both 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen (16x9
TV compatible) and full screen versions, and the picture quality is quite
impressive for a 34 year old film. Its a bit soft, but fairly free of
foreign objects or other problems that commonly plague video transfers. The
audio is, apparently, a digitally enhanced Dolby Digital 5.1 track,
but lets not kid ourselves. No matter how digitally enhanced
it is, its still mono. To be honest, this movie could have done very well
with 5.1, particularly during the musical number, so its a little
disappointing to be teased like that. However, the rest of the film is just
fine in mono, so you dont really think twice about it.
There arent many extras, but in this case, quality clearly
triumphs over quantity. The main attraction is an hour-long making-of
documentary. Arranged like a play, its divided into Introduction,
Act 1, Intermission, and Act 2. It features brand-new interviews with all
of the key players (except Zero Mostel, who they probably had a hard time
contacting), and focuses on everything from Mel Brooks writing the script to
how they cast the various roles. Its a very good documentary, and is
worth checking out if you enjoyed the movie. Other extras include a sketch
gallery, a playhouse outtake, a photo gallery, and trailers.
The Producers, from MGM Home Entertainment
90 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital,
mono
Starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder and Dick Shawn
Produced by Sidney Glazier
Written and directed by Mel Brooks
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