The Bottom Line
- Laugh-out-loud-funny sight gags, one-liners, and comedy sketches
- Memorable comic performances by several actors, particularly Madeline Kahn
- Hilarious spoof of Westerns, enhanced by humorous musical numbers
- I find the ending of "Blazing Saddles" unsatisfying and not very funny
- Some viewers may be put off by the movie’s treatment of racial humor
- "Blazing Saddles" may be just too silly for some people
Description
- DVD containing comedy "Blazing Saddles" (1974), cowritten and directed by Mel Brooks
- Movie ranks number 6 on AFI's list of 100 top comedies
- Film stars Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, Mel Brooks
- DVD contains a 55-minute commentary by Mel Brooks
- DVD provides a 28-minute making-of documentary and a 4-minute tribute to Madeline Kahn
- DVD contains almost 10 minutes of deleted scenes plus the 24-minute TV pilot "Black Bart"
- Excellent picture (anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1, Color) and good sound quality
- Feature run time: 1 hour 33 minutes
- DVD release date: June 29, 2004
Guide Review - "Blazing Saddles" DVD
Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" ranks sixth on the AFI's list of 100 top comedies, and it's certainly one of the most hilarious movies I've ever seen. It's been released previously on DVD, but the 30th Anniversary Special Edition is the best version yet available for home enjoyment of this zany film.
What passes for narrative in this movie is driven by the premise that an African American man becomes the sheriff in a racially prejudiced town in the Old West. This serves as a situation in which Brooks strings together a series of comedy sketches parodying Western movies. But I suppose I should warn the unwary that the film reflects 1970s sensibilities and there are a number of jokes involving the use of the N-word.
The DVD provides audio commentary by Mel Brooks, and you listen to it while the movie plays. However, it ends about 55 minutes into the movie, and although the DVD box claims it is scene-specific, it didn't sound like it to me. Still, I enjoyed listening to Brooks.
There's also a fairly good making-of documentary, as well as a few additional scenes, most of which I believe were in the bowdlerized network TV version of "Blazing Saddles." Also, there's a brief excerpt from a Lifetime Television show about Madeline Kahn. And finally, there’s the pilot for the 1975 television show "Black Bart."
If you like Mel Brooks' brand of humor, I think the "Blazing Saddles" 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD is well worth buying.
