Where do I start writing about this movie? The movie is a western. That is, it has western elements, but it mixes thousands of different elements from other species. Well, it's a black comedy western.
And its creator seems to be having a lot of fun. How could he not with all these heroes at his disposal:
- an african american sheriff (Cleavon Little) named Bart Black, dressed always in the latest cowboy fashion
- an drunkard gunslinger (Gene Wilder) that shoots so fast, he does not even have to touch his gun.
- a corrupt attorney general (Harvey Korman) who wants to pocket the land and compensation for himself, ΄
- a stupid governor, Lepetomane, played by Mel Brooks himself,
- a naive and slow-thinking henchman, Mongo,
- a prostitute (Madeline Kahn) coming directly from Germany (a referance to Marlene Dietrich) and many other bigger or smaller roles that each of them with their surreal presentation from the director's point of view makes them even more grotesque.
The main story of the film is simple: In the era of railway construction, a corrupt prosecutor is trying to evict the inhabitants of a peaceful city. The reason is obvious, as the railway will pass through it and the value of its land will rise. To achieve his goal, he sends an African American, sentenced in the gallows, as the town's new sheriff in order to offend the town residents and they leave the town in hands.
So far so good? The plan, of course, does not go as the prosecutor wants, as the clever, cunning young sheriff wins the favor of the city and tries to thwart the plans of the evil prosecutor. Mel Brooks with his vitriolic humor sets up a crazy comedy. Our first acquaintance with the protagonist is not accidental ... When the foreman in the railway works, where our hero works, asks him with an obvious racist disposition to sing him a "nigger work" song, our cheeky hero turns the situation around...
Or with drunkard good hearted pistolero that becomes the new sheriff's deputy:Or Lili Von Shtupp (a parody for Marlene Dietrich), the prostitute who even though tries to seduce our hero, she falls for him instead... (Listen to the song's lyrics, they are a masterpiece of Brooks' humor)
This is typical you may say for a western... The hero that starts a mission to save the town and gets the girl, right?
Wrong! Nothing is typical with Brooks. Take for example that the corrupted general attorney's name is Hedley Lamarr (a clear reference to Heidi Lamar, a well-known actress),
Governor Lepetomane: Thank you, Hedy. Thank you. Hedley Lamarr: It's not Hedy, it's Hedley. Hedley Lamarr. Governor Lepetomane: The hell are you worried about? This is 1874. You'll be able to sue her! source
who enjoys sending people to the gallows for execution. And naturally the executioner is a guy dressed like the medieval years, with no time to spare cause of the load of work (executions) he has to do.
Or the way that the cunning Bart knocks out Mongo, the henchman sent to kill him, with a Candygram, lololol.
Let's not forget the anachronisms that he uses inside the film, like the KKK, or the german soldiers of WWI (remember, we are still in 1870s) or even the limousine or taxis.
But I believe the most surrealistic scene is the one at the end. During a fight between the good guys and the bad they nreak the wall of the studio and they burst into the neighboring studio in which a musical is being filmed. The fight goes on involving the members of the musical, causing a ruckus in WB studios, while the heroes of the movie "Blazing Saddles" leave the set, get in a taxi and enter a cinema to watch their own film. Can something be more comicosurreal than that?
Buddy Bizarre: What the hell are you doing here? This is a closed set! Taggart: Piss on you! I'm working for Mel Brooks! [draws back to punch him in the face] Buddy Bizarre: Not in the face! [Taggart obliges and punches him in the stomach] Thank you! source
I believe that even though the actors were all exceptional (Cleavon Little was awesome) the big part of the credit for this film should be given to the creator, "one of the most intelligent people in America", Mel Brooks. A man who, as he -himsef- described his films, "they rise below vulgarity ".
One of my favorite descriptions of Brooks was that of renowned film critic Roger Ebert:
There are some people who can literally get away with anything -- say anything, do anything -- and people will let them. Other people attempt a mildly dirty joke and bring total silence down on a party. Mel Brooks is not only a member of the first group, he is its lifetime president. source
Mel Brooks made this comedy in 1974. Probably he couldn't do it today. There are jokes inside that film that were not political correct and there is a chance that someone might get offended by some script lines.
But, please, bear in mind that it is a parody of westerns, a satire for cinema and its people and before anything else it was filmed almost fifty years ago, when things were different.
So, with this warning, I recommend you to make pop corn, buckle up your saddles and enjoy a not so classic comedy, but a hilarious laughter therapy.
Thank you for reading!
