Blazing Saddles 1974 by AverageMansReviews

Blazing Saddles 1974 by AverageMansReviews

Review Time

Warning: there is racism and other ethnic slur/homophobic slur/slavery/burning/shooting/capital punishment/colonialism/animal cruelty/man on women violence/bodily functions/drugs

I would feel comfortable taking the cautious approach so there will be less said in this content: in short; they want to build this new train route through Rock Ridge, but this community live here conveniently a sheriff unfortunately dies. So they want them to leave on their own accord, so to ensure that they send them Shariff Bart [Younger Bart: Rodney Allen Rippy/Adult: Cleavon Little:] an African-American slave turned Sheriff is sent to this town to do his job and let's just say he has to win them over. But at least he makes one new friend straight away Jim the Waco Kid [Gene Wilder:] the town drunk which when the sheriff arrives we first meet Kid upside down in a prison cell asleep.

There framework and pacing of this 92 minutes film is generally speaking a smooth ride, it by its structure gets out of hand very much towards the closing stages of this film. As I have just mentioned it does it by structure so I can't really criticise it for doing what it is designed to do and that is majorly break the fourth wall not only in the context to us, but simultaneously in the film itself and yes there are other breaking of the fourth wall but only to us in this film as well.

Comedy/Action/Art: we have this heavily inspired Warners Bros Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny skit with this sheriff/delivery guy; delivering this package to its destination/person; he opening and it exploding. The reason why I have said it was heavily inspired is because we also have that legendary/familiar background music to accompany this sequence of events. Later on;  Lili Von Shtupp [Madeline Kahn:] a stage performer/amongst other jobs; as she performs this musical number "I'm so tired." Generally speaking the costumes and the set designs even the comical ones in the final quarter of this film are smart, clean and tidy and well presented.

Character developments and the performances: the character developments are good versions of their character's types, the performances; in hindsight you can tell that there is good camaraderie between this cast as they just want to make this project happen.

This film receives: 5/10, this film is mixed; on the whole this film finds itself at this mark. I really like Mel Brooks which this film is written, directed and starring Brooks as Governor William J. Le Petomane: a stereotype of a politician, Indian Chief Aviator Applicant, Voice of German Dancer and Voice of Grouchy Moviegoer [full disclosure; I only picked up on the first two.]  But being polite but not woke [you see you can be polite and not woke by saying; this film has not aged particularly well and I know it was a different time back in the 1970's] and I can partially be amicable about it. But as it relates to this film you seen I counted including the half attempts or/and any other references to something offensive there 22 occasions roughly and when I say roughly this is just a ball park figure, it is somewhere around here, which is still a little bit high, so I came up with this mark. But to defend Mel Brooks a little bit here he is Jewish fully within his rights to bring up anything about the Jewish community or Germany. This as far as I’m aware of here and now is the only project of Brooks’ that hasn’t aged too well. But then again what do I know this film back in the day picked up awards 3 Winners National Film Preservation Board, USA 2006 National Film Registry, Online Film & Television Association 2016 OFTA Film Hall of Fame Motion Picture and Writers Guild of America, USA 1975 WGA Award (Screen) Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen Mel Brooks Norman Steinberg Andrew Bergman Richard Pryor Alan Uger. 5 Nominees that includes these were all from the same award ceremony/event Academy Awards, USA 1975 Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role Madeline Kahn, Best Film Editing John C. Howard Danford B. Greene and Best Music, Original Song John Morris (music) Mel Brooks (lyrics) For the song "Blazing Saddles"