Some of the most iconic films in history were released in the 1970’s. BLAZING SADDLES and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND may be polar opposites from one another but, they both made Hollywood shine even brighter in the mid to late 70’s.
Mel Brook’s 1974 film, BLAZING SADDLES, explored all different types of topics, which also led the film to push some boundaries. A.V. Jordan’s article from the Virginia Quarterly Review states ,”You see, what’s so funny about racists, is that they never get the joke, because the joke always carries a bit of truth”. When the film was released, many people interpreted it differently. There were the racists who took offense to some of the lines and then there were the people who were laughing so hard from some of those lines. Also since Mel Brooks is considered to be a auteur, people knew this film would be controversial in someway. The trailer for film deceives the audience by making it seem like a western with a splash of comedy.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND on the other hand, gives the audience exactly what they want, whether it’s a UFO, alien, or video effects that are out of this world (literally). This film is a Sci-Fi Blockbuster from 1977 directed by Steven Spielberg. Charlene Engel’s article from Literature Film Quarterly suggests that the new technology that Spielberg introduced to the film industry was great and everything but, the music and language from the film is really what made it stand out. Here is a scene where the humans use music as a way to communicate with the aliens.
Movie critics and everyone alike were memorized by this film because not many Blockbusters of the 70’s stood out visually like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. Arthur Knight, from The Hollywood Reporter , stated in a interview back in 1977 that the audio and visuals were nothing short of being spectacular and the giant UFO filled up the entire screen. This film also features different camera angles that made the special effects look even more realistic. A review by Vincent Canby ,from The New York Times, states that the film is “a achievement on it’s own”. Another review by Mike McCahill from The Guardian says “the depiction of Earth is so credible that we readily take the same extraterrestrial leaps of faith as its protagonist”.
When comparing these two films, they both have the similarity of bringing back an old genre but, with a new twist. BLAZING SADDLES is based on an old western and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is an adaptation of a 1950’s sci-fi movie. but, with more pizzazz. Both of these films also mention some controversial topics such as racism and a belief of extra terrestrials. Here is a scene from BLAZING SADDLES that involves some racism:
These two films have left their mark in Hollywood Cinema that’s for sure. Whether they are fans of sci-fi or spoof comedies, the people of today consider these films to be some of the greatest of all time and they will still line up and pay to see these films whenever they are re-released in theaters.
I like how you compared the two movies by telling us what the audience would think. For Blazing Saddles there were some uncertain parts that were risky to show on screen, such as the kkk reference. But the director, Mel Brooks just wanted to make a few(hundred) jokes that held some truth. As for the Close Encounter it gave the audience a look that was out of this world, and curiosity of other living species.