Blazing Saddles Review

 

        What can I say about Mel Brooks? Enough has been stressed that he was at the time, one of those directors that broke ground in comedy during the 60s and through the 80s. It’s quite tough to look at his filmography and determine which is the best. Since he knew how to write to get to the punchline and extract more laughs, and star in the film. Blazing Saddles is the deconstruction of a genre that can’t ever be remade.

1. Shredding the Western

        When you sit down and listen to the opening song, you would think it would be just a by the numbers western. Well, that’s not entirely the case. We see Bart, part of group of African American men and Chinese immigrants building a railroad. It goes south when Bart tries to escape. Hedley Lamarr devises a plan to have the prisoner be the sheriff for the town Rock Ridge. Because the people would leave and giving Lamarr a route to build a track. Bart meets the Waco Kid and others to try and stop Lamarr.

        There’s no other way to put it into words affectionately but the film still holds up. Yes, it does have moments where it will give a reference for something that was relevant for the time. What off sets it is that, well let’s face it, the comedy is humorously offensive.  Now, I should at least explain what I mean, and I’ll get to it. 

        What I love about the film is that it nails being a parody first. Everything in the film just shouts western. Albeit some moments don’t look time appropriate but makes up for it by being part of a series of punchlines. Such as we see Bart rolling into a town with a new Gucci bag. Compounding it is the music that plays when we see Bart. He greets the band playing and it’s played completely straight. 

        The key thing that makes the film an absolute classic is the fact that it doesn’t hold back at all. Let’s face it, what it’s making fun of is probably true since western’s wouldn’t normally show black people or mention Asian immigrants. This film shows them and of course has the guts to systematically destroy the genre through it comedy. I think the best joke is when Brooks shows up as a Native American, albeit a Yiddish speaking Native. You would think that be weird, but it was common for Jewish actors to play Native American characters in western films.

2. Bart and Jim

        For making fun of Westerns, I must commend Brooks for having Bart stand up on his own. The best scene is when he arrives to Rock Ridge and easily finding out that the townspeople don’t like him. I always laugh when he fools the people into thinking he’s been taken hostage. Anyways, having a leading black man lead the show without a white counterpart is a feat in of itself. It also probably works because comedian Richard Pryor co-wrote the script.

        Having him star is one thing, and when he meets Jim is the neat thing. We do see the faults of Bart since he tries to be positive but is exposed to the town’s open racism. Jim helps him adapt to the town and in return Bart helps the former drunk gain the confidence of being a good shot. Jim is the stereotype of the western hero who can’t miss the shot. Literally, when he shoots, we never have the shot of him pulling out his colt. 

        The two characters I think represent the bigger picture in the film. Aside from being a parody or a scorch earth attack on a genre, the film is really about adaptability. We see just how much the townspeople like Bart since he manages to stop the bumbling Mongo from terrorizing the town. Thereby having the town really seeing Bart in a new light than just being a black sheriff. He’s, their sheriff. Jim contributes with the theme since he manages to gain his confidence as a shooter and assisting the new sheriff with stopping the bandits.

3.     Mel Brooks

        It's one thing for a director to do the double duty of writing and directing. What makes Brooks different is that he also acts. We see him in separate occasions where it's just hilarious seeing him act like a dummy. Like him playing the Governor who isn't completely infatuated, and I use that term loosely, with his assistant. 

        To talk a little bit more on his comedy. When you see the film, it's obviously a slapstick movie. What separates the film from other comedies is that it tries to be more than just slapstick. It's not just the characters that are delivering the punchlines, the overall set contributes to the lunacy of Brook's vision of the West. For instance, the town is having a meeting and the names of the town share the same last name. You can assume what's happening in that town. 

        I believe that he should be credited for putting it out there that he shined a light on a view of the Westerns that's really not that talked about or taught. Since, it's kind of hard to believe to there were Asian immigrants in that time, but they're not even mentioned in the western films of before. Now, it's a minute detail but I think it's really a way to present that idea to the audience that the whole genre is hokey for not being real enough. Because, he at least manages to present the world as silly but authentic. One last thing is that he's credited for having audible farts in the film. That's when you know a film is worth being preserved in the Library of Congress.  

4. A Thing About Race

        Now we can talk about the one aspect that separates the film from the others. And how it uses the n word. Obviously, it’s part of the joke to make fun of westerns in general. One would think it would be a violent place where black people were treated like second rate even after getting their emancipation. 

        The film doesn’t hold back on the racism. Really, how it manages to get away with it is just how it’s used. Most of the people who say the n word are all acting like idiots. For instance, when we see the rail workers ragging on Bart and his crew, he makes them sing a song to get back to work. That doesn’t work when the guy resorts to singing “Camptown Races”.

        Of course it’s one of those things where if people were to watch blind with no background knowledge or the actual intent, they would be offended. It’s understandable, but the key thing with how Mel Brooks went about it is to make fun of everyone. Nobody is safe with this movie. Even the townspeople is made fun of through imagery. I won’t give it away but if you pay attention, it’s hilarious. 

        Obviously, the movie can’t be made. If this film came out, it would be a cinematic kiss of death of any career tied to it, and of course having to suffer my generations loose definition of canceled. But it’s a thing worth admiring since Brooks is that talented as a comedian to really highlight the racism and make fun of it. That way, it’s not that obtuse with how it’s used but to show that innocent people can say that. While also be redeemed by saying they’re sorry. 

5. Overall

        I mentioned that Animal House is a breed of it’s own. Blazing Saddles is a rare diamond in the rough of comedies that it’s timeless for any generation to look at.