Blazing Saddles was directed by comedy great, Mel Brooks, at a time where such work was taboo but still possible to make. Today it wouldn’t have been made. Not the most well known of classic comedies, Blazing Saddles is still on the top of fans list as the great comedy film ever made. The movie wanted to do something not really done before. It tackled a very important political issue at the time and made a movie spoofing the idea of the issue. The issue of course is racism. What Mel Brooks did wouldn’t be possible today; simply due to the language and nature. But, he made the black man the hero and the white man the sidekick (and villain) and didn’t have him play a victim. Instead, Black Bart, played by Cleavon Little, is the most intelligent person in the film. He’s surrounded by white idiotic redneck racists, the usual stereotypes were switched.
The movie feels like a typical western, it takes place in the middle of nowhere, everyone has guns and rides horses, and the people aren’t the most clever. It has corruption, alcoholics, scandalously dressed ladies, and very bold language. The language is enough to make your draw drop and have you thinking if it’s actually appropriate to laugh. It looks like a slapstick, it acts like a slapstick, and it sounds like a slapstick (there is a long scene of nothing but campfire farts) but it’s just the cover for a smart film. At one time Bart is even rocking a Gucci saddlebag on his horse, showcasing the films attempts at sophistication.
It comes off that way because it wasn’t just a white jew who wrote it; he had the help with extremely well known comedian Richard Pryor. Pryor knew he needed to help push the envelope on the way comedies are handled. With his help what was created was a movie that uses bold lines and intensely uncomfortable moments to make the audience aware. The audience is now laughing at what seems obscure but unfortunately was the everyday truth for a lot of Americans. The movie is still relevant today since racism is still a major issue in our society.
The film follows basic western movie making 101. The new sheriff comes into town and eventually helps the townspeople defeat the bad guy. It has the saloon scenes, it has it’s church moment, and the town looks like it’s made from cardboard. Within following the cliche points and moments of all westerns before, Mel Brooks still creates a film that feels fresh. The movie does take a turn for extreme obscurity when we are no longer in the wild west and instead pulled into Hollywood, Ca. This was considered a ground breaking move at the moment and even Monty Python used it for their film The Holy Grail. This would eventually become an overused comedy trope, like most of the tricks Brooks used. When taking in consideration he was the first to do so, it makes one appreciate what he created.
Overall, the movie had made it’s mark on the film industry and society. It wasn’t afraid to make those uncomfortable and laugh at the same time. Most of the work we see today can trace Blazing Saddles as an inspiration for their jokes and ideas and it finally made a black man the hero of his own story instead of him waiting for assistance; truly rethinking the genre.
Hello Katherine,
Similar to his work in “Young Frankenstein”, Mel Brooks is undoubtedly a comedic director that still likes to incorporate current day issues and address them in a light way while still very clearly getting his point across. He even used similar actors, such as Gene Wilder. Although I have never seen this film, I would be interested to because it would probably even tackle many current day issues regarding racism and switching the usual roles of the white man being the hero. I enjoyed that you spoke of how the film was very bold and did not seem to hold back in making its viewers uncomfortable. It seems as if this film truly faced viewers to see the harsh reality of racism and the disgust in making someone seem less intelligent simply based on the color of their skin. I can see where this could get under the skin of those who are white and really see the prejudice that is placed on those of color.
Hi Katherine,
I really liked your post. Your writing was very fluid it just flows. I hope to be able to write like this in my future posts to incorporate my ideas with the facts of the movie. Blazing Saddles was a very funny movie and does hit hard subjects without bringing the audience down only like Mel brooks can do. I was unaware that Richard Prior had influence on the writing of this movie, but it totally makes sense to me now. I like that you also point out that this movie will still relate to today’s issues with racism.
Katherine,
I really liked your post. Your writing was very fluid it just flows. I hope to be able to write like this in my future posts to incorporate my ideas with the facts of the movie. Blazing Saddles was a very funny movie and does hit hard subjects without bringing the audience down only like Mel brooks can do. I was unaware that Richard Prior had influence on the writing of this movie, but it totally makes sense to me now. I like that you also point out that this movie will still relate to today’s issues with racism.