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If you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks's previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory using the same equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. Befitting a classic, the Special Edition DVD includes audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a "making of" documentary, interviews with the cast, hilarious bloopers and outtakes, and the original theatrical trailers. No video library should be without a copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--that's Fronkensteen. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (219)

I have a "hunch" you'll love this!
Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) wants nothing more than his job teaching biology at the university, the love of his life Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), and to put behind him the legacy of his grandfather, the infamous Baron Viktor von Frankenstein. He never planned on inheriting his ancestral castle complete with assistants (Marty Feldman, Terri Garr, Cloris Leachman). He never planned on finding his grandfather's notes . He didn't plan to reanimate a corpse (Peter Boyle) with an abnormal brain. And he certainly didn't plan for said corpse to get loose...

Put that way, this hardly sounds like a comedy at all. Ah, but Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, like Dr. Frankenstein, have deftly grafted inspired lunacy to a touching and solid story and given their creation life. Wordplay, slapstick, innuedno, sight gags and cinema's most memorable musical scene combine in a hilarious brew. Yet it is the original core, the story of the deformed oucast and the creator who ultimately redeem each other, that keeps it all from simply being vaudeville. Peter and Gene are fabulous at being silly and sincere simultaneously.

On to the extras! The trailers and production stills are nice, standard fare. The outakes are little disappointing. Several of the clips are close-up shots of a single performer, the camera never moving, so we hear the cast and crew cracking up, but don't always understand why. Some of the deleted scenes were pretty funny, and a shame they didn't make it into the final cut. The making of documentary interviews several of the key figures and does a good job of exposing what exactly it took to make the film. (Note to techno-geeks: not much detail on special effects, if that's your thing.) Also, there a couple of interviews done for a Mexican studio with Marty and Gene (don't worry, they also speak English).

Did you ever watch old home movies with, say, an uncle who'd reminisce and sometimes just make silly comments about what's going on? OK, now imagine that your uncle is Mel Brooks and that his home movie is this multi-million dollar spectacle. That's what the comentary track is like. It was really neat to hear not only what Mel had in mind for the various scenes, but his unabashed adulation at the creative talent he had to work with. He even talks about the fellow who plays Inspector Kemp's chauffeur!

All in all, a wonderful movie with a good helping of juicy extras.

Homage to Horror
This is probably Mel Brook's finest work, though some might vote for Blazing Saddles or the Producers. Not me, though. I'll take this one. In a tribute to the old horror movies of yore, Brooks puts together the perfect cast to carry it out. Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein (pronounced FRONKENSTEEN), Marty Feldman as Igor (pronounced EYEGORE), Teri Garr as the lab assistant Inga, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, and my personal favorite from the movie Madeline Khan. Her scene with Marty Feldman standing at the doorway of the castle and the one where she saunters into the bedroom looking like Elsa Lanchester are both absolute total screams. The great thing about the cast is the fact that they all are in total flow with the movie and with each other. The DVD has many extra features which makes it miles ahead of the VHS tape.

"Roll, roll, roll in ze hay."
Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" is not only a loving tribute to James Whale's original Frankenstein films, but a wildly entertaining spoof that still generates laughs years after its original release. This is Brooks in his prime and that is indeed a wonderful sight to behold.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) is the grandson of the notorious Victor Frankenstein. After reviewing his grandfather's work, Frederick tries to recreate the famous reanimation experiment at his ancestral castle. Frederick succeeds in bringing his own creation to life but as luck would have it, there is a problem with the brain implanted in the monster (Peter Boyle). Soon, the monster is roaming the countryside and finding itself in one hilarious situation after another until Frederick catches up with him and promptly puts his tap-dancing talents to good use.

"Young Frankenstein" is blessed with top quality comedic performances from start to finish. Wilder and Boyle are pitch perfect as the doctor and his creation and the supporting cast of Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Terri Garr, Cloris Leachman, and Gene Hackman all shine. The production design also is top notch as the Frankenstein Castle's interiors and exteriors are faithfully recreated - with the help of some of the original props - in glorious black and white and literally look like holdover sets from Universal's "Frankenstein" (1931) and "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). You would never think that source material like Mary Shelley's original work could inspire such a funny film, but leave it to Brooks to prove it could be done.

"PARDON ME BOY...IS THIS THE TRANSYLVANIA STATION?"
"Yah, yah, track twenty-nine...I hope you make it in time!" Non stop gags; a terrific atmosphere, worthy of the classic Universal Frankenstein movies we all know and love...James Whale would have LOVED this! Whenever the name Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman) is mentioned, the horses go into a frenzy of neighs; GREAT stuuf. At night in the graveyard, Igor (Pronounced EYE-GORE) and Wilder are digging up a corpse (digging because Igor took the wrong brain...Abby Normal!) for their nefarious lab work; Wilder starts complaining and Igor (Feldman) says: "Could be worse....could be raining." No sooner are the words out of his mouth then we hear a terrific crash of thunder, then see lightning, and then the skies open up. Then Igor says: "I have a hunch..." This is so funny it can make you sick from laughing; when Peter Boyle, as Frankenstein's Monster, launches into his famous "Puttin' on the Ritz" you are pretty much over the edge and barely able to breathe any more. One of my favorite lines is when Igor is driving Wilder to the Castle and there is a howl in the distance; Wilder says nervously: "What was that?" And Igor replies: "Werewolf." Wilder: "Werewolf?" Igor: "There...wolf."
Feldman, Wilder and Cloris Leachman are wonderful in this, and it was shot, appropriately, in black and white. I was fortunate enough to be at the studio when this was being shot and went onto the set and opened a door in the Castle and there were Peter Boyle, Wilder and Feldman all sitting around a table, taking a break...and Boyle had the most sickening shade of green make-up all over his face; he looked terrific. the sets were fantastic, and it was a thrill to be allowed to see them all. Great stuff and a very funny movie.

comedy at its best
Young Frankenstein is one of the few movies that EVERYONE knows. The actors do an excellent job of delivering the great "slap-stick" comedy throughout the film. The entire movie is also delivered in black and white to give it that old horror film feeling, and takes place mostly in the castle of Dr. Frankenstein. Now that the infamous Dr. Frankenstein has passed, his grandson, Fredrick, goes to the castle.

While in the castle he falls upon his grand fathers old library and realizes that bringing people back to life after death could work, and creates a fully operational hulk! This movie is great if you ahve a sharp grasp on humor and a bit of information from the timespan. Some jokes will pass right over the heads of some of the younger viewers, such as the scene where Dr. FRONKenstein (as he likes to be called) arrives at the train station at track 29 and a boy asks if he can give him a shine. Me being a high school student, i am greatful that my jazz choir sang the chatanooga choo choo or i would have never understood that one. in conclusion the movie is a hilarious collection of old cliches about horror movies, yet never gets tiresome like some of monty pythons movies. A great, entertaining trip to Transylvania awaits you! ... Read more

Description

The railroad's got to run through the town of Rock Ridge.How do you drive out the townfolk in order to steal their land?Send in the toughest gang you've got...and name a new sheriff who'll last about 24 hours.But that's not really the plot of Blazing Saddles, just the pretext.Once Mel Brooks' lunatic film many call it his best gets started, logic is lost in a blizzard of gags, jokes, quips, puns, howlers, growlers and outrageous assaults upon good taste or any taste at all.Cleavon Little as the new lawman, Gene Wilder as the wacko Waco Kid, Brooks himself as a dimwitted politico and Madeline Kahn in her Marlene Dietrich send-up that earned an Academy Award nomination all give this sagebrush saga their lunatic best.And when Blazing Saddles can't contain itself at the finale, it just proves the Old West will never be the same! ... Read more

Reviews (207)

The Quintessential Comedy Movie
I love this movie! From the opening scene, where Cleavon Little sings the negro work song, "I Get a Kick Outta You", ala Nat King Cole, and he is corrected by the white men shoing him how to sing "Camptown Ladies", to the absurd surrealist ending (when was the last time you've seen a movie burst out of the movie, this is beautiful comedy.

Sight gags flying by at the speed of light, you will have to watch it hundreds of times to get them all, one liners that would make the Marx Brothers proud ("Bart, I heard you was hung." "You heard right!) This is absurdist comedy at is best (A toll booth on the William J LaPetomaine Freeway). The Mel Brooks choreography is wonderful when Lili Von Schtup sings "I'm Tired." When was the last time you saw German Soldiers tango with their rifles. This movie is filled frame to frame with humor, and no one gets away not insulted (Okay, we'll take the Irish too!)

The cast was perfection, either just over the top, or way over the top Harvey Korman is hilarious as the nefarious Hedley Lamarr. Cleavon Little is fantastic as he makes fun of his own stereotypes, it is absolutely one of the funniest movies ever made by humans on the planet earth.

Until a Special Edition comes along ...
... this will have to do. But that ain't all bad.

Politically incorrect and loving it, "Blazing Saddles" holds up as a comedy nearly 30 years after its release, and maybe even has gotten funnier as Americans get more uptight. Heaven help us if we lose our ability to laugh at the outrageous.

And while the bathroom humor (and the campfire scene) gets all the notice, there are some very subtle jokes in the film, such as the "laurel and hardy handshake" and "Thank you, Van."

As for extras ... there's not much. A trailer, both widescreen and cropped versions, and an monologue by Mel Brooks that plays over the first half of the movie. It's not scene-specific, but it's worth listening to. For instance, Gene Wilder wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. To find out who was, and why Wilder got the part ... listen to the interview.

This film cries out for a special edition. A scene-specific commentary by Brooks and co-writers Andrew Bergman and Richard Pryor. A making-of documentary. The scenes that were edited into the TV version of the movie (like the diving scene and the governor's visit to the fake Rock Ridge)...

Tasteless But Funny
Plays like an ennactment of one of those tasteless joke books set to a Western theme. Not for everyone. Even fans of this sort of thing have to be in a certain mood.

The funniest western ever made
Cleavon Little plays a black railroad worker condemend to death for assaulting his white foreman. At the last minute he is reprieved by the governor who has the devious idea of making him sheriff of Rock Ridge, a town the governor wants destroyed so they can run the railroad through the area, he thinks a black sheriff will finish the town off. When Little arrives in Rock Ridge he is nearly lynched by the outratged inhabitants but manages to outwit them. Safe in the sheriff's office, he finds the town drunk (Gene Wilder) just waking up in the cells, and they strike up a friendship. Together they set about the task of winning over the folk of Rock Ridge ("simple, wholesome, country folk - you know, morons" as Wilder says), and trying to save the town from destruction. This blissfuly funny film is packed with hilarious episodes. There's the wonderful scene where Little, asked to sing a negro song, obliges with 'I get a kick out of you', the scene where he arrives in Rock Ridge, there's Madelein Khan's hilarious Marlene Dietrich impersonation, the wonderful scene where Little and Wilder infiltrate the baddies' gang disguised as Klu Klux Klan members, and my favourite scene of all, the bit where the townsfolk, asked to give some land to the minority groups who are to help them build the fake town, reply "All right, we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks, but we DON'T want the irish!" The film is utterly delightful, with hilarious performances from all concerned. There's just one thing that I wonder about. Cleavon Little is such a wonderful comic actor, not to mention being drop-dead gorgeous as well, why has so little been seen of him since this film was made? Never mind, if you're only going to be famous for one film, this is a great one to be remembered for.

Even the "Making-of" was recycled!
Five stars for the movie itself as well as the presentation. The movie looks and sounds great.

BUT--- as noted by many, the "30th Anniversary Edition" supplements are basically a hack job. This is easily one of the most influential comedies of all-time, it deserved to really be given the Special Edition treatment.

The "Commentary" is not a traditional commentary at all; not only is it simply the audio from a 55 minute interview with Brooks, it was issued on the previous dvd. This has been mentioned by many reviewers.

What hasn't been as well-reported is that even the half-hour retrospective doc has been recycled. The "Back in the Saddle" program, which is admittedly a decent if unspectacular show, was previously issued on the 2001 VHS edition! Basically, this featurette was issued on the 27th Anniversary video cassette release. Yes, this is the first time it has appeared on dvd, but still a rather lazy choice.

The "Additional Scenes" are, somewhat annoyingly, not accessible scene-by scene. They play as one approx. 10-minute piece. These scenes were added to the TV broadcast version. It's nice to have them, though most of them are shown in the "Back in the Saddle" featurette.

The only other significant supplement is the "Black Bart" pilot episode. This 24-minute show is a real curiousity, a great archival piece even though the show itself is excruciatingly BAD. Still, its interesting viewing, and very easy on the eyes. This show, quite simply, looks amazing! Very well preserved.

There are a couple other bits, like the trailer and an excerpt from a Madeline Kahn documentary (only about 4 minutes or so).

Really, all things considered, Warner really dropped the ball on the supplementals for this edition. The movie itself looks fantastic and the new 5.1 mix isn't anything special but it sounds better than the old disc. The movie is what really counts, and in that area the presentation can hardly be faulted. But in the end, they didn't actually produce any NEW supplemental material for this set. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mel Brooks's 1987 parody of the Star Wars trilogy is a jumble of jokes rather than a comic feature, and, predictably, some of those jokes work better than others. The cast, including Brooks in two roles, more or less mimics the principal characters from George Lucas's famous story line, and the director certainly gets a boost from new allies (SCTV graduates Rick Moranis and John Candy) as well as old ones (Dick Van Patten, Dom DeLuise). Watch this and wait for the sporadic inspiration--but don't be surprised if you find yourself yearning for those years when Brooks was a more complete filmmaker (Young Frankenstein). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (267)

HEY MEL BROOKS WE DON"T NEED A SECOND SPACEBALLS WE NEED
A FIRST ROBIN HOOD MEN IN TIGHTS. After viewing widescreen,fullscreen of the original dvd and the fullscreen vhs and then the TBS presentation not one of them gives you the complete picture.They all give you different corners WIDE;hides the floor and ceiling.FULL;covers elbows and noses TBS;gives you an extreme view to the far right so you can actually see the princess' OLD NOSE!! (which is barely noticible on either side of the original disc) But of course the left side suffers from lack of attention. I don't care what kind of bonus features you put in, bad picture presentation is BAD PICTURE PRESENTATION. All I had to do was read the picture dimensions on the so called "collectors edition" and I knew this was a waste of time and money. And that's a shame because the movie itself is very good and deserves better treatment than just a reissue of the widescreen side of the original disc and a second disc with a lot of fluff.

Collect what? A forced pre-menu trailer?! Not all bad tho!
This is an A++ movie, but the "special" DVD release is not as special as I had hoped.

Let's look at the bad parts first!

The pre-menu "don't pirate this disc" bit is a new live-action waste of time and seems to run much longer than the old-sk00l FBI warnings, despite the new version being in english only.How much money went into producing that claptrap anyway?The usual English/Spanish/French full-screen blurbs are more than adequate.Save the disc space for a better compression rate (not that this DVD release fails where it counts...).

Along with the new, patronizing, live-action piracy bit is an advert for the remake of the pink panther movie.One I was not able to cirumvent by pressing every menu button on my remote.This does not make for a happy viewer.And not just because it's yet another remake of yet another old movie that trashes the old and can't draw in the viewers at the theatres too, making execs wonder what went wrong as they then proceed to make a remake of another old film...but I digress.I also double-checked the price of the disc and all the blurbs on the box.I didn't pay for a pathetic trailer I can't get around.I paid for a movie.Not extra advertising in every place they can shove it.

Also, for "flubs" I had read "bloopers".Unless I missed a menu, there are no bloopers - which are usually far more interesting than pointing out flubs (production goofs such as pointing out the camera tracks in one scene and a poorly set up mirror in another), most people will find or just not care about.I want actors saying the effenheimer or the sclhizzlebler because they couldn't remember a line correctly!!

On the plus side, the opening menu (disc 1) is HIGHLY entertaining if you let it sit there and just run for a while.

DTS sound is AWESOME too.Alone it's worth the price!Specially in the F/X shots, you'll be blown away by the remix - it is INCREDIBLE and exceptionally well done.

Video quality is excellent for a restored 19 year old film too.

Nice to see the trailers and featurettes; especially when they hadn't been given the restoration treatment.(not being sarky here, it's incredible what they can do to restore and preserve film these days!)

The trivia game seems trivial; very obvious questions and the response sequences are too few to maintain interest.

But all in all, the restoration and enhancement of the video and audio is well worth the price.

As for the movie itself...easily one of Brooks' best works and is a great parody of the original Star Wars series, most of which were good in their own right but this parody of the original trilogy is stingingly funny.

I sincerely hope Brooks does a sequel (prequel) to Spaceballs because the "prequel" SW trilogy is so horrendously awful that any spoof of it would rake in far more money, of that I have no doubt!!

DinkDink,DinkDinkDinkDinkDinkDink !
Mel Brooks's "SPACEBALLS" is one of the funniest movies ever! From my childhood until forever this movie is a classic!

One of my favorite movies
I have watched this movie from begining to end so many times that I have lost count! As a clear spoof of all things sci-fi, Spaceballs goes all the way with the references to all the most popular science movies like Star Wars, Star Trek and even Alien.It's technical crew included many of the greats who worked on the original movies that it spoofs.The story is about Lone Starr and his friend Barf who is a half-man, half dog. (He's his "own best friend".) They are on a quest to rescue a runaway spoiled Druish princess who has come too close to the Spaceballs who are trying to steal the pure air from her home planet, Druidia.It is a great story that stands all on it's own without leaning too heavily on the movies that are beinging spoofed.

We needed more Schwartz in the Collector's Edition!
The movie itself is pure Mel Brooks. I really enjoy how Mel brings hilarious havoc to the sci-fi genre, spoofing movies from Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers to Star Trek and Star Wars.I am surprised that MPAA had originally given this movie a PG rating instead of a PG-13 rating since the movie is heavy on adult humor, language, and sexual innuendos - not exactly what I would call a flick for the whole family.Enough about the movie; this review is about the newly released Collector's Edition (CE), especially the bonus material.

The Dolby 5.1 sound quality has been enhanced compared to the original 2000 DVD release, but I will need to confirm this.I'm glad MGM offers a DTS track on disc 1.I have not yet compared Mel's commentary on the CE to the original release.I did make some limited comparisons of the picture quality: The colors are more vibrant (perhaps too much on the red?) and the picture is clearer to my eyes; the skin tones look correct to me. Since the video presentation is not THX quality, you will see some specks and film blemishes. The aspect ratio on the CE (1.85:1 for 16x9) is the same as the original 2000 release, but on my Sony monitor (4:3) the CE widescreen version is "slightly" zoomed in more than the 2000 widescreen released version.

I am disappointed in the Special Features. Why? For one reason, it does not include Rick Moranis.He is mentioned but is not interviewed at all - how can Mel not include Dark Helmet!In addition, you will not find any behind-the-scenes coverage (other than still photos) such as those found on the 2000 DVD release. Mel did not include any deleted scenes or bloopers (no, the film flubs don't count).However, there is a well-produced 29 minute documentary that includes the other main actors and crew members. You will learn that the actors and crew members had more laughs making this movie than the audience had watching it.If this is true, Mel should have included some of those comical moments in the Special Features.Also missing on this CE is a featurette about special-effects.The conversation between Mel and co-writer Thomas Meehan is rather boring, but the tribute to comical genius John Candy is commendable, touching, and about time.

The CE is a 2-disc DVD set.It is a shame that MGM and Mel could not/would not include more about this classic comedy.Overall I give the CE version a 3/5. The movie gets 4/5! ... Read more

Reviews (85)

It's Good to Be Mel Brooks
When this film first appeared more than 20 years ago, it temporarily threatened to replace world history courses in schools, colleges, and universities. Of course, that didn't happen. Probably just as well, given the fact that screenwriter, producer, and director Mel Brooks never wrote, produced, and directed Part II and its eagerly-awaited portrayals of "Jews in Space" and "Hitler on Ice." There are historians' homes in which Brooks is still not welcome. In any event, what we have in Part I is a combination of five extended sketches: The Dawn of Man, The Stone Age, The Spanish Inquisition, The Bible, and The Future. Inevitably there are some gaps.

Brooks appears in several different roles while (in fact) portraying himself: Moses, Comicus, Torquemada, and King Lou. Other members of the Brooks Ensemble Company include Madeline Kahn (Empress Nympho), Cloris Leachman (Madame de Farge), Harvey Korman (Count de Monet), Ron Carey (Swiftus), Andreas Voutsinas (Béarnaise), and Shecky Green (Marcus Vindictus). Brooks has assembled a cast of thousands. The production values are remarkably good. However, as in other Brooks films such as Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety, the quality of the humor varies from Brilliant & Inspired (e.g. King Lou professing love of "the little people" while shooting at airborn peasants who have been launched as targets: "Pull!") to Oh No (e.g. Moses reducing the number of Commandments to Ten by dropping/breaking one of three tablets while descending Mount Sinai, and, Jesus becoming confused by use of his name as an expletive). Brooks is an incurable gagster and punster. More often than not, the humor in this film works. But when it doesn't....

Several clever touches. For example, beginning the film with a parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with Orson Welles providing the voice-over. Also, it is fun to play the equivalent of "Where's Waldo" by trying to spot familiar actors in supporting roles such as Bea Arthur (Clerk), Charlie Callas (Soothsayer), Jack Carter (Rat Vendor), Sid Caesar (Chief Caveman), John Gavin (Marche), Ronny Graham (Oedipus), Nigel Hawthorne (Official), John Hillerman (Rich Man), Hugh Hefner (Entrepreneur), Barry Levinson (Column Salesman), Spike Milligan (Monsieur Rimbaud), Howard Morris (Court Spokesman), Jan Murray (Nothing Vendor), and Henny Youngman (Chemist). As I said, a cast of thousands...if not more.

Brooks' best films, those most effectively developed, are The Producers and Young Frankenstein, the latter being a remarkably respectful version of several earlier films. All comics are thieves. The best comics steal from the best sources. I thought about that when I saw this film again recently, wondering if Brooks' History of the World -- Part I was in any way influenced by The Story of Mankind (1957), a film based on Henrik Willem Van Loon's bestseller. For purposes of parody, The Story of Mankind would be an excellent target of opportunity. Those among its diverse cast of thousands (if not more) include Charles Coburn (Hippocrates), Ronald Colman (The Spirit of Man), Cedric Hardwicke (High Judge), Dennis Hopper (Napoleon), Hedy Lamarr (Joan of Arc), Peter Lorre (Nero), Virginia Mayo (Cleopatra), Chico Marx (Monk), Harpo Marx (Isaac Newton), Groucho Marx (Peter Minuit), Agnes Moorehead (Elizabeth I), Vincent Price (The Devil), and Cesar Romero (Spanish Envoy). Whenever a list of the Ten Most Pretentious Movies Ever Made is formulated, The Story of Mankind is frequently and deservedly given serious consideration.

Despite its several flaws, The History of the World -- Part I remains a generally entertaining, at times hilarious film. Whenever I see it again, I feel eager anticipation as I await its strongest scenes, willing to endure its weakest meanwhile. To me at least, the previews for Part II (which conclude Part I) suggest why Brooks resembles the Little Girl with The Curl: "When she's good, she's very very good but when she's bad...."

Mel Brooks at his Bawdy Best
Mel Brooks is at the top of his game with this hilarious spoof on world history beginning with the Stone Age and touching on subjects all the way through the French Revolution. While much of the humor is far from sophisticated, it doesn't diminish the fact that the film is just plain funny!

Lots of comedic actors, great and small, make side-splitting appearances in the film, including Sid Ceasar, Harvey Korman, Dom DeLuise, Bea Arthur, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Jackie Mason, and Gregory Hines.

The beauty of Brooks' scathing spoofs of historical events and figures is that the humor is timeless, holding up just as well in 2004 as it did when the film was originally released in 1981. If you have never seen or heard of this film, rent or buy it now, as you have missed an iconic movie. I've even heard of European History professors using Brooks' wacky take on the Spanish Inquisition in their history classes.

When it comes to bawdy satire, Mel Brooks found it "good to be the King" in the 1970s and 80s!

written by David Laing, not Julia Laing
One of Mel Brook's finest movies, in this one, he sets out to parody history, from the Stone Age, to the French Revolution. The first time period is the Stone Age, where we see the first homosapien and homosexual marriage, and discover how music was invented. Next, in a very short bit, we see Moses coming down from a mountain with the 15 commandments, until he drops one slab, and it becomes the 10 commandments. The next era is the Roman Empire, where after Philatipis[or something like that] gets a gig to do comedy for Caescar, he offends, the emporer, so him and his new found friend must fight each other to the death, but instead stop fighting and try to escape from Rome. The 4th era is by far the funniest, and the most offensive, The Spanish Inquisition. So in a musical extravaganza, we see how the Catholics tried to convert the Jews to become Catholics, and in the last part, we behold the French Revolution, and one of the greatest lines in this movie. So, see this hilarious movie, but if you are easily offended, then do not see this. The only thing that aggravates me was that Brooks had a part 2 planned out, but it was never released. At the end of the movie, we get a preview of the unreleased History of The World part 2.

History has never been more hilarious.
I wasn't familiar with History of the World until someone recommended that I see it. I knew a little of who Mel Brooks was and had seen Young Frankenstein so I knew this might be good. Now I think it is one of the funniest movies ever, a genius spoof of world history troughout different period of time. You get to see prehistoric man invent art, and along with the first art came the first art critic. We see the real story behind Moses and the Ten Commandments. The best part to me was the part about the Roman times, when Comicus the stand up philosopher is introduced. I was laughing long and hard when Comicus gets a job as waiter at the Last Supper. Also spoofed are the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution.

History of the World is a great movie that features a terrific cast including Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Sid Caesar. There are others, but together they give an entertaining perspective into some of history's most important events. There are also countless quotes from the movie that will stick with you for a long time after you hear them. This is something I recommend seeing, as even after 23 years it still seems as fresh as ever with the humor it provides.

Nobody Expects the (Musical) Spanish Inquisition
Probably the success of MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN two years earlier was the inspiration for Mel Brooks' HISTORY OF THE WORLD - PART I (A year earlier Python/'Brian' probably also inspired the also lesser ripoff WHOLLY MOSES). One reason are many of the biblical spoofs in this episodic movie. A lot of this is pretty lame especially during the Dom Deluise as Nero sequence that seems to go on forever. The only funny thing to come out of this is the classic line "When you die at the Palace..you really die!". Included is a scene outside of the actual Las Vegas casino Ceasar's Palace with Roman citizens going into it as if it is actually in ancient Rome. The rest of this particular sequence seems to come right out of Richard Lester's/Zero Mostel's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM only it is not very funny. There are a couple inspired gags (i.e. The Spanish Inquisition- the musical,Moses receiving the 15..er, 10 Commandments, and a tribute to Esther Williams/MGM musical aqua dancing extravaganzas featuring bathing beauty nuns) in the rest of the film, but they are not very memorable. Whereas Monty Python's 'BRIAN' was deemed sacrilegious (at least in 1979) and brilliantly irreverent, 'HISTORY' is just plain dumb. Brooks' seemed to lose his touch starting with this film and would continue with SPACEBALLS,ROBIN HOOD MEN IN TIGHTS and DRACULA DEAD AND LOVING IT etc. Overall, a general waste of celluloid,talent, and time. ... Read more

Reviews (238)

great satire from the late eighties
Mel Brooks definitely lives up to expectations with Spaceballs. This parody of the Star Wars movies will deliver laughs whether you are a sci fi fan or not. The cast of characters (including Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis...and of course Mel Brooks) closely parallels the familiar cast of Star Wars, but Rick Moranis takes the cake as Dark Helmet, the Darth Vader-like figure. ("And now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.")

Personally, I found this movie amusing at 10, and now at 22 I still think it's wonderful. Most of the other reviews give you an idea of what the movie contains, so I won't get into a long explanation, but I have to recommend this one pretty highly as a great comedy.

Spaceballs
The Planet Spaceball has a problem; They're slowly running out of air. However, they have a plan; Capture Vespa(Daphne Zuniga), the Princess of their peace-loving neighbor planet Druidia, which would force their father, King Roland(Dick Van Patten), to give them the combination to the air shield, which underneath contains 10,000 years of fresh air. Instead, the Princess and her droid Dot Matrix(Voice of Joan Rivers), running away from her wedding to Prince Valium(JM J.Bullock), they find her. After being offered $1 million spacebucks, which they need to pay off gangster Pizza the Hutt(Dom DeLuise), space pirate Lonestarr(Bill Pullman)and his half dog/half man sidekick Barf(John Candy)go to stop the evil Lord Dark Helmet(Rick Moranis)and Spaceball President Skroob(Mel Brooks)and along the way, Lonestarr learns the ways of the Schwartz from the everlasting know-it-all Yogurt(Mel Brooks)

This movie, along with "DRACULA DEAD AND LOVING IT" is Mel Brooks at his best. It's fricking hilarious!! Bill Pullman is great as Lonestarr, a spoof combination of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, Daphne Zuniga gives her all as Princess Vespa, John Candy is hilarious as Barf, Joan Rivers is decent as Dot Matrix, Rick Moranis is downright classic as Dark Helmet, a wimpy puny spoof of Darth Vader(He's the funniest guy on this movie!!!)and the rest of the cast is average.

Highly recommended as one of Mel Brook's best and with lines like "I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate", "You are to refer to me as idiot, not you captain!", you won't stop laughing. So see this film.

AND MAY THE SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU!!

because good is dumb
although not a mel brooks masterpiece this film does not suffer solely from lack of comedic inspiration. in fact i find it to be one of his best. its main problem, in my opinion, was the shift in audiences. for the most part films such as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein catered to an audience that was, by 1987, much older and focusing on family life. plus, brooks' comedic venom was now aimed at a less familiar target in Star Wars. intially, even i had a hard time time convincing myself it was worth seeing. but after repeated viewings i realized that it was as funny as many of brooks' best. now dont get me wrong, you wont laugh as often as you did for High Anxiety but you'll laugh none the less. sadly, the core players of previous films are missing here (Harvey Corman & Madeline Kahn) and it suffers becasue of it but the times were changing and so were the films. only later on did brooks really get into a stupor with Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Dracula: Dead and Lving It, starring the one dimensional Leslie Nielsen.

The Funniest Movie Ever!!!
Spaceballs, a comic masterpiece directed by Mel Brooks, is one of the funniest movies that I have ever seen. I own the trilogy of Star Wars and I watched every movie in the trilogy before I viewed this movie. After I watched Spaceballs, I found myself in a state of pure laughter as I saw Mel Brooks and John Candy imitating the trilogy of Star Wars. Anyone that wants a good funny movie to view should buy Spaceballs today.

Holy Crap it was good!!
This movie was absolutely crazy and funny!! I couldn't help but laugh the whole way! My favorite moment was the spoofing scene of Alien. Sooo funny. Watch Spaceballs and get ready to laugh hard. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mel Brooks scored his first commercial hit with this raucous Western spoof starring the late Cleavon Little as the newly hired (and conspicuously black) sheriff of Rock Ridge. Sheriff Bart teams up with deputy Jim (Gene Wilder) to foil the railroad-building scheme of the nefarious Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman). The simple plot is just an excuse for a steady stream of gags, many of them unabashedly tasteless, that Brooks and his wacky cast pull off with side-splitting success. The humor is so juvenile and crude that you just have to surrender to it; highlights abound, from the lunkheaded Alex Karras as the ox-riding Mongo to Madeline Kahn's uproarious send-up of Marlene Dietrich as saloon songstress Lili Von Shtupp. Adding to the comedic excess is the infamous campfire scene involving a bunch of hungry cowboys, heaping servings of baked beans and, well, you get the idea. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (207)

The Quintessential Comedy Movie
I love this movie! From the opening scene, where Cleavon Little sings the negro work song, "I Get a Kick Outta You", ala Nat King Cole, and he is corrected by the white men shoing him how to sing "Camptown Ladies", to the absurd surrealist ending (when was the last time you've seen a movie burst out of the movie, this is beautiful comedy.

Sight gags flying by at the speed of light, you will have to watch it hundreds of times to get them all, one liners that would make the Marx Brothers proud ("Bart, I heard you was hung." "You heard right!) This is absurdist comedy at is best (A toll booth on the William J LaPetomaine Freeway). The Mel Brooks choreography is wonderful when Lili Von Schtup sings "I'm Tired." When was the last time you saw German Soldiers tango with their rifles. This movie is filled frame to frame with humor, and no one gets away not insulted (Okay, we'll take the Irish too!)

The cast was perfection, either just over the top, or way over the top Harvey Korman is hilarious as the nefarious Hedley Lamarr. Cleavon Little is fantastic as he makes fun of his own stereotypes, it is absolutely one of the funniest movies ever made by humans on the planet earth.

Until a Special Edition comes along ...
... this will have to do. But that ain't all bad.

Politically incorrect and loving it, "Blazing Saddles" holds up as a comedy nearly 30 years after its release, and maybe even has gotten funnier as Americans get more uptight. Heaven help us if we lose our ability to laugh at the outrageous.

And while the bathroom humor (and the campfire scene) gets all the notice, there are some very subtle jokes in the film, such as the "laurel and hardy handshake" and "Thank you, Van."

As for extras ... there's not much. A trailer, both widescreen and cropped versions, and an monologue by Mel Brooks that plays over the first half of the movie. It's not scene-specific, but it's worth listening to. For instance, Gene Wilder wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. To find out who was, and why Wilder got the part ... listen to the interview.

This film cries out for a special edition. A scene-specific commentary by Brooks and co-writers Andrew Bergman and Richard Pryor. A making-of documentary. The scenes that were edited into the TV version of the movie (like the diving scene and the governor's visit to the fake Rock Ridge)...

Tasteless But Funny
Plays like an ennactment of one of those tasteless joke books set to a Western theme. Not for everyone. Even fans of this sort of thing have to be in a certain mood.

The funniest western ever made
Cleavon Little plays a black railroad worker condemend to death for assaulting his white foreman. At the last minute he is reprieved by the governor who has the devious idea of making him sheriff of Rock Ridge, a town the governor wants destroyed so they can run the railroad through the area, he thinks a black sheriff will finish the town off. When Little arrives in Rock Ridge he is nearly lynched by the outratged inhabitants but manages to outwit them. Safe in the sheriff's office, he finds the town drunk (Gene Wilder) just waking up in the cells, and they strike up a friendship. Together they set about the task of winning over the folk of Rock Ridge ("simple, wholesome, country folk - you know, morons" as Wilder says), and trying to save the town from destruction. This blissfuly funny film is packed with hilarious episodes. There's the wonderful scene where Little, asked to sing a negro song, obliges with 'I get a kick out of you', the scene where he arrives in Rock Ridge, there's Madelein Khan's hilarious Marlene Dietrich impersonation, the wonderful scene where Little and Wilder infiltrate the baddies' gang disguised as Klu Klux Klan members, and my favourite scene of all, the bit where the townsfolk, asked to give some land to the minority groups who are to help them build the fake town, reply "All right, we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks, but we DON'T want the irish!" The film is utterly delightful, with hilarious performances from all concerned. There's just one thing that I wonder about. Cleavon Little is such a wonderful comic actor, not to mention being drop-dead gorgeous as well, why has so little been seen of him since this film was made? Never mind, if you're only going to be famous for one film, this is a great one to be remembered for.

Even the "Making-of" was recycled!
Five stars for the movie itself as well as the presentation. The movie looks and sounds great.

BUT--- as noted by many, the "30th Anniversary Edition" supplements are basically a hack job. This is easily one of the most influential comedies of all-time, it deserved to really be given the Special Edition treatment.

The "Commentary" is not a traditional commentary at all; not only is it simply the audio from a 55 minute interview with Brooks, it was issued on the previous dvd. This has been mentioned by many reviewers.

What hasn't been as well-reported is that even the half-hour retrospective doc has been recycled. The "Back in the Saddle" program, which is admittedly a decent if unspectacular show, was previously issued on the 2001 VHS edition! Basically, this featurette was issued on the 27th Anniversary video cassette release. Yes, this is the first time it has appeared on dvd, but still a rather lazy choice.

The "Additional Scenes" are, somewhat annoyingly, not accessible scene-by scene. They play as one approx. 10-minute piece. These scenes were added to the TV broadcast version. It's nice to have them, though most of them are shown in the "Back in the Saddle" featurette.

The only other significant supplement is the "Black Bart" pilot episode. This 24-minute show is a real curiousity, a great archival piece even though the show itself is excruciatingly BAD. Still, its interesting viewing, and very easy on the eyes. This show, quite simply, looks amazing! Very well preserved.

There are a couple other bits, like the trailer and an excerpt from a Madeline Kahn documentary (only about 4 minutes or so).

Really, all things considered, Warner really dropped the ball on the supplementals for this edition. The movie itself looks fantastic and the new 5.1 mix isn't anything special but it sounds better than the old disc. The movie is what really counts, and in that area the presentation can hardly be faulted. But in the end, they didn't actually produce any NEW supplemental material for this set. ... Read more

Reviews (163)

A comedy classic
Whether or not you've caught the hot Broadway remake of Mel Brooks' 1968 classic - 'The Producers,' anyone who appreciates satire along with Brooks' zany style of humour will find great enjoyment in this 90 minute ode to show business, hucksterism, broadway musicals and nazism. While the humour is somewhat dated at times, no one can deny the sheer comedic energy given off by the likes of Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, etc that will leave you laughing out loud every 6 mintues or so. Also of note is the craziness in the musical numbers themself that border on the fine line between absurd and offensive yet always manages to pull itself out brilliantly in the end.

For those planning on purchasing the DVD make sure that you get the 2002 released 'Special Edition' version. This edition includes over one hour of documentaries that actually manage to be viewable. Aside from the numerous other extras on this disc the video transfer is great (for an older movie) and a remastered 5.1 surround mix is included as well.

Zero is Hero - One of the great comedies
Zero Mostel glides and sparkles like a medal-winning ice dancer in Mel Brook's irreverent masterpiece. A terrifcally tasteless script is rewarded with some of the most outrageous performances ever grouped for one sitting. Mostel plays a down-at-heel producer looking for an easy return to the big time who stumbles on a cert thanks to Leo bloom (played by Gene Wilder). Leo realises you can make more with a sure-fire flop than with a smash, and so they herd together failsafe flops (Kenneth Mars as the Nazi playwight, Dick Shawn as the hippie Hitler and, unforgettably, Christopher Hewitt as director of "dopey dancers in gooey gowns," Roger Debris). Moments of unadulterated joy pepper this movie; Dick Shawn as LSD gives an otherworldly audition for Hitler, the opening scene of "Springtime for Hitler" is a jaw dropper and Zero dancing in the bar at the interval is priceless (even the way he gets from the bar to the jukebox and puts in the coin is poetry). If you haven't seen this gem a dozen times, don't rent it, buy it. It's one you'll never tire of.

DOOZY PREMISE WITH *SOME* GOOFY GAGS, BUT..
The theme held so much promise -- a couple of spent-out producers setting out to create the worst play ever to exploit an accounting glitch with finances. But something happened on the way to the execution.

The comic timing is good, and Zero and Gene have an engaging chemistry which dangles a promise in the first 30 minutes. There was even an occasional giggle here and there, but soon the clock was ticking and I had only found the film annoying, overacted and frequently just downright silly.

It's basically two guys fumbling around like a couple of idiots for a farcical hour and thirty minutes. "Springtime for Hitler" could've been hilarious, but even that fell flat. Come on, a drug-induced sixties, flower-power stoner playing Hitler is supposed to be funny?

There's a whole bunch of weird bits of comedy that are definitely original. But that's all they are. That originality sports very little zest or appeal. Did I have to be born in the late sixties to get the humor? Is this a dated comedy?

Maybe I missed something. Perhaps a rental if you have a particularly open evening.

Still Funny After All These Years
I saw this movie at the cinema when I was in high school...many moons ago...and I laughed until I cried that evening...this movie holds up well with time and it is still hysterically funny...especially the wonderful performance by the Dick Shawn, as "LSD".

Where Did I Go Right?
The Producers is the best of Mel Brooks' trio of masterpieces, which includes Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Who knows if this is one of the funniest movies of all time? It's on my list of the funniest, though. You either love Mel's work, or you think he's inane and over-the-top; or both. Gene Wilder's best work may be found in Mel's movies; and Zero Mostel would certainly have been a mainstay in Mel Brooks movies if not for his unfortunate demise. The Producers is full of funny one-liners, and outrageous sight gags. Even the aspects that seem "dated" are still funny, because they were played over-the-top ridiculous in the first place; their datedness just plays into their over-the-topness now. ... Read more

Reviews (163)

A comedy classic
Whether or not you've caught the hot Broadway remake of Mel Brooks' 1968 classic - 'The Producers,' anyone who appreciates satire along with Brooks' zany style of humour will find great enjoyment in this 90 minute ode to show business, hucksterism, broadway musicals and nazism. While the humour is somewhat dated at times, no one can deny the sheer comedic energy given off by the likes of Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, etc that will leave you laughing out loud every 6 mintues or so. Also of note is the craziness in the musical numbers themself that border on the fine line between absurd and offensive yet always manages to pull itself out brilliantly in the end.

For those planning on purchasing the DVD make sure that you get the 2002 released 'Special Edition' version. This edition includes over one hour of documentaries that actually manage to be viewable. Aside from the numerous other extras on this disc the video transfer is great (for an older movie) and a remastered 5.1 surround mix is included as well.

Zero is Hero - One of the great comedies
Zero Mostel glides and sparkles like a medal-winning ice dancer in Mel Brook's irreverent masterpiece. A terrifcally tasteless script is rewarded with some of the most outrageous performances ever grouped for one sitting. Mostel plays a down-at-heel producer looking for an easy return to the big time who stumbles on a cert thanks to Leo bloom (played by Gene Wilder). Leo realises you can make more with a sure-fire flop than with a smash, and so they herd together failsafe flops (Kenneth Mars as the Nazi playwight, Dick Shawn as the hippie Hitler and, unforgettably, Christopher Hewitt as director of "dopey dancers in gooey gowns," Roger Debris). Moments of unadulterated joy pepper this movie; Dick Shawn as LSD gives an otherworldly audition for Hitler, the opening scene of "Springtime for Hitler" is a jaw dropper and Zero dancing in the bar at the interval is priceless (even the way he gets from the bar to the jukebox and puts in the coin is poetry). If you haven't seen this gem a dozen times, don't rent it, buy it. It's one you'll never tire of.

DOOZY PREMISE WITH *SOME* GOOFY GAGS, BUT..
The theme held so much promise -- a couple of spent-out producers setting out to create the worst play ever to exploit an accounting glitch with finances. But something happened on the way to the execution.

The comic timing is good, and Zero and Gene have an engaging chemistry which dangles a promise in the first 30 minutes. There was even an occasional giggle here and there, but soon the clock was ticking and I had only found the film annoying, overacted and frequently just downright silly.

It's basically two guys fumbling around like a couple of idiots for a farcical hour and thirty minutes. "Springtime for Hitler" could've been hilarious, but even that fell flat. Come on, a drug-induced sixties, flower-power stoner playing Hitler is supposed to be funny?

There's a whole bunch of weird bits of comedy that are definitely original. But that's all they are. That originality sports very little zest or appeal. Did I have to be born in the late sixties to get the humor? Is this a dated comedy?

Maybe I missed something. Perhaps a rental if you have a particularly open evening.

Still Funny After All These Years
I saw this movie at the cinema when I was in high school...many moons ago...and I laughed until I cried that evening...this movie holds up well with time and it is still hysterically funny...especially the wonderful performance by the Dick Shawn, as "LSD".

Where Did I Go Right?
The Producers is the best of Mel Brooks' trio of masterpieces, which includes Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Who knows if this is one of the funniest movies of all time? It's on my list of the funniest, though. You either love Mel's work, or you think he's inane and over-the-top; or both. Gene Wilder's best work may be found in Mel's movies; and Zero Mostel would certainly have been a mainstay in Mel Brooks movies if not for his unfortunate demise. The Producers is full of funny one-liners, and outrageous sight gags. Even the aspects that seem "dated" are still funny, because they were played over-the-top ridiculous in the first place; their datedness just plays into their over-the-topness now. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In 1995, it was promising to hear that Mel Brooks was creating "the companion piece to Young Frankenstein." He had also brought in the heavyweight of deadpan--Leslie Nielsen. As Lt. Frank Drebin in the Police Squad movies, Nielsen has no peer for silly stuff--just the player Brooks would seem to need for a strong movie, as any fan of Brooks perpetually hopes a new film may rekindle his madcap magic. Alas, the end results in Dracula: Dead and Loving It include a sprinkling of amusements and one big belly laugh. Brooks and his writers use a very tight adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, but the spoofs can be spelled out as we go, as if they arepaint-by-number. Some are jabs at Coppola's version of Dracula, but most are attached to classic Dracula films. If any real pleasure comes from the movie it's thanks to the efforts of the cast. Peter MacNicol plays the crazed Renfield to the letter, Steven Weber has a good time as the tight British Harkin, and Lysette Anthony charms as the doomed Lucy. Brooks and Nielsen ham it up just fine. There's even a surprisingly controlled performance by Harvey Korman (a character spoofing Anthony Hopkins's role in the misfire The Road to Wellville). As with Brooks's period comedies, the film looks better than it needs to and includes a few tricky special effects for good measure. This has nothing to do with the audience laughing--we need bigger jokes. And when you double over laughing in one scene--involving a stake through the heart and a bucket of blood--you want the movie to achieve Brooks's days of glory, when hearty laughter was the norm, not an isolated moment. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (59)

It's Not The Best, But Also Not The Worst!!
It's not the best Mel Brooks movie and not a classic like Young Frankenstein but it's not as bad a movie as some have made it out to be, it was really enjoyable and I have been a fan of Leslie Nielsen since his Naked Gun TV show and movies and I have been a fan of Harvey Korman since first seeing him on The Carol Burnett Show when I was a kid. And though I like Dracula Dead And Loving It I really prefer Love At First Bite which starred George Hamilton as Dracula, though that movie might be kind of dated these days at least for younger viewers.

Made me P!$$ my pants.
Come on now, it's a Mel Brooks film so you know it's going to be funny. I'm a Dracula fan and love the original story so I was a little curious to see what Brooks would do to it. When I saw the film, my questions were answered and the laughter came in spades.

You'll see alot of Brooks' regular actors returning for this one including Harvey Korman, Megan Cavanaugh, Amy Yasbeck, Peter MacNicol, and even Ann Bancroft in a cameo in the beginning of the film. Steven Weber was great as Jonathan Harker as was Brooks as Van Helsing. Leslie Nielson mixed his "Naked Gun" character with Dracula and the results are definately pleasing. But the standout actor in this film is Peter MacNicol as Renfield, Dracula's slave under his power. MacNicol's performance is hands down the best of the film.

If you're looking for a good laugh, this film will deliver on every level possible. But this film comes second to Robin Hood: Men In Tights which is Brooks' best film of his career.

Very Funny
I thought this movie was absolutely hilarious, and it doesn't need to refernece almost everything to sex, like most of today's comedies do. It's just simple slapstick and great jokes and tons of funny scenes. I love it! I saw this movie a couple years ago, and have been searching for it since. Maybe this DVD will give me the chance I need.

Renfield You IDIOT!
This is an excellent movie, it's been one of my favourites for years. I believe that Mel Brooks is a true genius. However, reading the reviews for this movie, I hardly think that they do it justice. Everyone should watch this movie. And to those reviewers who listed great Mel Brooks movies, I DO agree with you, but HELLO! You are all forgetting his funniest movie ever-
ROBIN HOOD MEN IN TIGHTS!
There is no movie that can compare with this one in terms of comedy.
So, in conclusion, Dracula Dead and Loving It is excellent, you should buy it, Mel Brooks is a genius and you should all buy Robin Hood Men In Tights and watch it many, many times until you have learnt it all off by heart as I (and many of my good friends) have done.

HEY PAPERPLATER LEARN TO SPELL
You couldn't have comprehended Bram stokers novel very well considering twice you spelt it B.R.A.N. Not to mention all your other mispellings and atrocious grammar. As for Bram Stoker's Dracula. That was the worst Dracula movie ever made on a high budget.Like wow man... Keanu Reeves is like uh... totally convincing as an englishmen.Mel Brooks was totally in the right to blast that movie.Though he barely touched on that one.70% of it was a satire of the Bela Lugosi version,so chill out dude.The Wayan brothers? HA! The Wayan brothers say "When we grow up, we hope we'll have as much comedic genius in our entire bodies as Mel Brooks has in his little pinky. Amazons review section should have an indicator next to the reviews that are written by children 12 years or younger.Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I tell people off.BUT NOT IN YOUR CASE. On to the DVD.For itself it's a great movie. Picture dimensions compared to the VHS; the same at the top, a little more to the sides, but the bottom is cut off slightly.This only bothered me for one scene. On the VHS at the end of the autopsy you can catch a glimpse of the cadaver's face.(That's the dead body on the table,PAPERPLATER). On the DVD you can't see it at all.The commentary is good but not great(in the informative sense).Yet I've watched this 3 times with commentary,because it's fun to listen to.I would still like to know who composed that wonderful piece Dracula and Mina waltz to just when Dracula said "COME MISS MINA"at the ballroom dance.A music only track would have been nice.And a 20 minute behind the scenes with outakes and bloopers should have been included.If this dvd came out years ago,these things wouldn't bother me.But after such a long wait, my suggestions should have been included.The sound and picture quality is excellent.THIS ONE IS RECOMMENED as a keeper for the intelligent movie viewer. ... Read more

Reviews (207)

The Quintessential Comedy Movie
I love this movie! From the opening scene, where Cleavon Little sings the negro work song, "I Get a Kick Outta You", ala Nat King Cole, and he is corrected by the white men shoing him how to sing "Camptown Ladies", to the absurd surrealist ending (when was the last time you've seen a movie burst out of the movie, this is beautiful comedy.

Sight gags flying by at the speed of light, you will have to watch it hundreds of times to get them all, one liners that would make the Marx Brothers proud ("Bart, I heard you was hung." "You heard right!) This is absurdist comedy at is best (A toll booth on the William J LaPetomaine Freeway). The Mel Brooks choreography is wonderful when Lili Von Schtup sings "I'm Tired." When was the last time you saw German Soldiers tango with their rifles. This movie is filled frame to frame with humor, and no one gets away not insulted (Okay, we'll take the Irish too!)

The cast was perfection, either just over the top, or way over the top Harvey Korman is hilarious as the nefarious Hedley Lamarr. Cleavon Little is fantastic as he makes fun of his own stereotypes, it is absolutely one of the funniest movies ever made by humans on the planet earth.

Until a Special Edition comes along ...
... this will have to do. But that ain't all bad.

Politically incorrect and loving it, "Blazing Saddles" holds up as a comedy nearly 30 years after its release, and maybe even has gotten funnier as Americans get more uptight. Heaven help us if we lose our ability to laugh at the outrageous.

And while the bathroom humor (and the campfire scene) gets all the notice, there are some very subtle jokes in the film, such as the "laurel and hardy handshake" and "Thank you, Van."

As for extras ... there's not much. A trailer, both widescreen and cropped versions, and an monologue by Mel Brooks that plays over the first half of the movie. It's not scene-specific, but it's worth listening to. For instance, Gene Wilder wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. To find out who was, and why Wilder got the part ... listen to the interview.

This film cries out for a special edition. A scene-specific commentary by Brooks and co-writers Andrew Bergman and Richard Pryor. A making-of documentary. The scenes that were edited into the TV version of the movie (like the diving scene and the governor's visit to the fake Rock Ridge)...

Tasteless But Funny
Plays like an ennactment of one of those tasteless joke books set to a Western theme. Not for everyone. Even fans of this sort of thing have to be in a certain mood.

The funniest western ever made
Cleavon Little plays a black railroad worker condemend to death for assaulting his white foreman. At the last minute he is reprieved by the governor who has the devious idea of making him sheriff of Rock Ridge, a town the governor wants destroyed so they can run the railroad through the area, he thinks a black sheriff will finish the town off. When Little arrives in Rock Ridge he is nearly lynched by the outratged inhabitants but manages to outwit them. Safe in the sheriff's office, he finds the town drunk (Gene Wilder) just waking up in the cells, and they strike up a friendship. Together they set about the task of winning over the folk of Rock Ridge ("simple, wholesome, country folk - you know, morons" as Wilder says), and trying to save the town from destruction. This blissfuly funny film is packed with hilarious episodes. There's the wonderful scene where Little, asked to sing a negro song, obliges with 'I get a kick out of you', the scene where he arrives in Rock Ridge, there's Madelein Khan's hilarious Marlene Dietrich impersonation, the wonderful scene where Little and Wilder infiltrate the baddies' gang disguised as Klu Klux Klan members, and my favourite scene of all, the bit where the townsfolk, asked to give some land to the minority groups who are to help them build the fake town, reply "All right, we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks, but we DON'T want the irish!" The film is utterly delightful, with hilarious performances from all concerned. There's just one thing that I wonder about. Cleavon Little is such a wonderful comic actor, not to mention being drop-dead gorgeous as well, why has so little been seen of him since this film was made? Never mind, if you're only going to be famous for one film, this is a great one to be remembered for.

Even the "Making-of" was recycled!
Five stars for the movie itself as well as the presentation. The movie looks and sounds great.

BUT--- as noted by many, the "30th Anniversary Edition" supplements are basically a hack job. This is easily one of the most influential comedies of all-time, it deserved to really be given the Special Edition treatment.

The "Commentary" is not a traditional commentary at all; not only is it simply the audio from a 55 minute interview with Brooks, it was issued on the previous dvd. This has been mentioned by many reviewers.

What hasn't been as well-reported is that even the half-hour retrospective doc has been recycled. The "Back in the Saddle" program, which is admittedly a decent if unspectacular show, was previously issued on the 2001 VHS edition! Basically, this featurette was issued on the 27th Anniversary video cassette release. Yes, this is the first time it has appeared on dvd, but still a rather lazy choice.

The "Additional Scenes" are, somewhat annoyingly, not accessible scene-by scene. They play as one approx. 10-minute piece. These scenes were added to the TV broadcast version. It's nice to have them, though most of them are shown in the "Back in the Saddle" featurette.

The only other significant supplement is the "Black Bart" pilot episode. This 24-minute show is a real curiousity, a great archival piece even though the show itself is excruciatingly BAD. Still, its interesting viewing, and very easy on the eyes. This show, quite simply, looks amazing! Very well preserved.

There are a couple other bits, like the trailer and an excerpt from a Madeline Kahn documentary (only about 4 minutes or so).

Really, all things considered, Warner really dropped the ball on the supplementals for this edition. The movie itself looks fantastic and the new 5.1 mix isn't anything special but it sounds better than the old disc. The movie is what really counts, and in that area the presentation can hardly be faulted. But in the end, they didn't actually produce any NEW supplemental material for this set. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

LIFE MAY STINK, BUT THIS MOVIE IS GREAT!
No, this is not your typical Mel Brooks comedy; loaded down with relentless slapstick comedy and sight-gags! IT'S TEN TIMES BETTER! Life Stinks, unlike other Mel Brooks movies, has real heart and soul. Yes, it's funny; but it's also very touching. In the movie, you get to "meet" some homeless people, who make you realize that; hey, they have real feelings and personalities too! I don't feel the movie pokes fun of the homeless; instead, it pokes fun at the rich guy who loses his cloak of money and then can't deal with the "realities" of life -(thus proclaiming, Life Stinks)! Again, this movie is NOT typical Mel Brooks, if that's what you're expecting. However, if you ARE expecting a movie that is wonderfully entertaining and worth viewing over and over again, then you definitely WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! BUY IT, AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF!

Moving and Hilarious
Mel Brooks is the greatest filmaker of all time. He's hilarious. LIFE STINKS is a charming, touching, warm, funny movie. I can't say enough good things about it. It's unlike any other movie because its daring and true. This movie is not fake. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND it!

Mel...What's the Point?
...the same premise was explored in the Landis/Ackroyd/Murphy piece "Trading Places" and that was hilarious. The Brooksian brand of humour was not working here because as the moovy went on
to things like being mugged and having shoes taken, they just could not be done funny...or at least not Mel Brooks funny. To the moovy's credit, it got Lesley Ann Warren in a bag lady drag that is quite funny at times, and touching at other times. (Elaine May could have gotten away with that role, not to take anything away from Lesley, though).

Irrelevant and not funny
Life Stinks was the first real stinker in Mel Brooks' catalog (and unfortunately it wasn't the last.) I think Brooks had by this time exhausted all the potential for his type of humor.

It [wasn't good]
It [wasn't good]. It's about a man walking on a roof fell off a roof. this man ate a piece of pie in a dream he had after he died and turned nto a ghoast. After that the pie came out of his dream,woke him up in real life,attacked him,and then killed him. Then his dead spirit which makes know sense because he's already dead sinks into the ground. Then the pie shoots it's self. ... Read more

Reviews (219)

I have a "hunch" you'll love this!
Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) wants nothing more than his job teaching biology at the university, the love of his life Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), and to put behind him the legacy of his grandfather, the infamous Baron Viktor von Frankenstein. He never planned on inheriting his ancestral castle complete with assistants (Marty Feldman, Terri Garr, Cloris Leachman). He never planned on finding his grandfather's notes . He didn't plan to reanimate a corpse (Peter Boyle) with an abnormal brain. And he certainly didn't plan for said corpse to get loose...

Put that way, this hardly sounds like a comedy at all. Ah, but Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, like Dr. Frankenstein, have deftly grafted inspired lunacy to a touching and solid story and given their creation life. Wordplay, slapstick, innuedno, sight gags and cinema's most memorable musical scene combine in a hilarious brew. Yet it is the original core, the story of the deformed oucast and the creator who ultimately redeem each other, that keeps it all from simply being vaudeville. Peter and Gene are fabulous at being silly and sincere simultaneously.

On to the extras! The trailers and production stills are nice, standard fare. The outakes are little disappointing. Several of the clips are close-up shots of a single performer, the camera never moving, so we hear the cast and crew cracking up, but don't always understand why. Some of the deleted scenes were pretty funny, and a shame they didn't make it into the final cut. The making of documentary interviews several of the key figures and does a good job of exposing what exactly it took to make the film. (Note to techno-geeks: not much detail on special effects, if that's your thing.) Also, there a couple of interviews done for a Mexican studio with Marty and Gene (don't worry, they also speak English).

Did you ever watch old home movies with, say, an uncle who'd reminisce and sometimes just make silly comments about what's going on? OK, now imagine that your uncle is Mel Brooks and that his home movie is this multi-million dollar spectacle. That's what the comentary track is like. It was really neat to hear not only what Mel had in mind for the various scenes, but his unabashed adulation at the creative talent he had to work with. He even talks about the fellow who plays Inspector Kemp's chauffeur!

All in all, a wonderful movie with a good helping of juicy extras.

Homage to Horror
This is probably Mel Brook's finest work, though some might vote for Blazing Saddles or the Producers. Not me, though. I'll take this one. In a tribute to the old horror movies of yore, Brooks puts together the perfect cast to carry it out. Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein (pronounced FRONKENSTEEN), Marty Feldman as Igor (pronounced EYEGORE), Teri Garr as the lab assistant Inga, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, and my personal favorite from the movie Madeline Khan. Her scene with Marty Feldman standing at the doorway of the castle and the one where she saunters into the bedroom looking like Elsa Lanchester are both absolute total screams. The great thing about the cast is the fact that they all are in total flow with the movie and with each other. The DVD has many extra features which makes it miles ahead of the VHS tape.

"Roll, roll, roll in ze hay."
Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" is not only a loving tribute to James Whale's original Frankenstein films, but a wildly entertaining spoof that still generates laughs years after its original release. This is Brooks in his prime and that is indeed a wonderful sight to behold.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) is the grandson of the notorious Victor Frankenstein. After reviewing his grandfather's work, Frederick tries to recreate the famous reanimation experiment at his ancestral castle. Frederick succeeds in bringing his own creation to life but as luck would have it, there is a problem with the brain implanted in the monster (Peter Boyle). Soon, the monster is roaming the countryside and finding itself in one hilarious situation after another until Frederick catches up with him and promptly puts his tap-dancing talents to good use.

"Young Frankenstein" is blessed with top quality comedic performances from start to finish. Wilder and Boyle are pitch perfect as the doctor and his creation and the supporting cast of Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Terri Garr, Cloris Leachman, and Gene Hackman all shine. The production design also is top notch as the Frankenstein Castle's interiors and exteriors are faithfully recreated - with the help of some of the original props - in glorious black and white and literally look like holdover sets from Universal's "Frankenstein" (1931) and "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). You would never think that source material like Mary Shelley's original work could inspire such a funny film, but leave it to Brooks to prove it could be done.

"PARDON ME BOY...IS THIS THE TRANSYLVANIA STATION?"
"Yah, yah, track twenty-nine...I hope you make it in time!" Non stop gags; a terrific atmosphere, worthy of the classic Universal Frankenstein movies we all know and love...James Whale would have LOVED this! Whenever the name Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman) is mentioned, the horses go into a frenzy of neighs; GREAT stuuf. At night in the graveyard, Igor (Pronounced EYE-GORE) and Wilder are digging up a corpse (digging because Igor took the wrong brain...Abby Normal!) for their nefarious lab work; Wilder starts complaining and Igor (Feldman) says: "Could be worse....could be raining." No sooner are the words out of his mouth then we hear a terrific crash of thunder, then see lightning, and then the skies open up. Then Igor says: "I have a hunch..." This is so funny it can make you sick from laughing; when Peter Boyle, as Frankenstein's Monster, launches into his famous "Puttin' on the Ritz" you are pretty much over the edge and barely able to breathe any more. One of my favorite lines is when Igor is driving Wilder to the Castle and there is a howl in the distance; Wilder says nervously: "What was that?" And Igor replies: "Werewolf." Wilder: "Werewolf?" Igor: "There...wolf."
Feldman, Wilder and Cloris Leachman are wonderful in this, and it was shot, appropriately, in black and white. I was fortunate enough to be at the studio when this was being shot and went onto the set and opened a door in the Castle and there were Peter Boyle, Wilder and Feldman all sitting around a table, taking a bre