Director
Mel Brooks
Cast
Zero Mostel….Max Bialystock (as Zero in closing credits)
Gene Wilder….Leo Bloom
Kenneth Mars….Franz Liebkind
Estelle Winwood….Old Lady
Renée Taylor….Eva Braun
Christopher Hewett….Roger De Bris
Lee Meredith….Ulla
Dick Shawn….Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.)
The Movie
With the new version of The Producers coming to theaters soon, MGM has released a 2 Disc Special Edition of the original movie, and it is well worth it.
Max Biolystock is a Broadway producer who has to fund his shows by romancing old ladies. By the looks of them, we’re talking really old ladies. Accountant Leo Bloom comes to his office to do his books and finds out that Biolystock extorted two thousand dollars from his last show. Me mentions in passing that he could make more money with a flop than a hit, and soon Max convinces Leo to join him and they are off to the races.
They decide to produce the play “Springtime For Hitler”, written by Franz Liebkind, a former Nazi who never seems to take off his helmet. Along with Liebkind comes Roger De Bris, a gay director who has no talent to speak of. His work only makes “Springtime” worse than it already is, which is the goal. Also joining the hijinks is Lorenzo St. DuBois, simply LSD. He is cast as Hitler in the show and it’s just as bad as you would expect and the producers would hope.
The show itself is absolutely hilarious and well done and when it becomes a hit, Max and Leo are in some real trouble.
This movie is a classic, plain and simple. Zero and Gene Wilder have such chemistry on screen it is almost palpable and they play their roles perfectly. The rest of the casts, including Lee Meridith as Ulla the secretary, are seemingly perfect fits for their respective roles.
Not to be forgotten is the screenplay and direction itself. Mel Brooks is at his finest with this movie and the Oscar he received for the screenplay is absolutely deserved. This is a classic comedy and something you should see before taking a look at the new version with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane that is coming out soon.
Score: 10/10
The Video
Fullscreen at 1.33:1 or Widescreen at 1.85:1, the choice is yours. The transfer is great, a few glitches, but nothing to hamper the movie.
The Sound
5.1 Dolby Digital, no problems noticed.
The Extras
The Making of The Producers: This is broken into 5 parts and has commentary from most of those involved, including Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks. It basically covers how everything got done from beginning to end, which is rare for “Making Of’s”, which normally show the cast behind the scenes. This goes in depth into casting and how personal connections got people different roles.
A look at the New Theatrical Release – The Producers: Trailer for the new movie.
Sketch Gallery: Blueprints and sketches for the various different sets.
Playhouse Outtake: An outtake of a scene with Max, Leo and Franz at the playhouse.
Photo Gallery: Still shots of certain scenes and different poses of Zero and Wilder.
Peter Sellers Statement Read by Paul Mazursky: A very nice review of the original film.
Score: 5/10
