A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: The Producers

Date of original theatrical release: 1968

Details:

Zero Mostel

Gene Wilder

Christopher Hewett

Dick Shawn

Written & directed by: Mel Brooks

Score: 1/2

The Review: By now nearly everyone knows the general plot line (when you really do get to Broadway, you cannot keep a secret): it's hard to make money being a successful Broadway producer, but quite easy producing a flop (if you ignore a few minor laws), so select the worst play ever written ("Springtime for Hitler", a serious apologia by a rabid not-quite-in-the-closet Nazi), find the worst director available, turn it into a musical and cast it with deadbeat dropouts from the hippie era (Shawn as L.S.D.), fund it many times over from the last pennies bilked from little old ladies, then wait for it to bomb at the premiere, and walk away with millions. But since this is somewhere between a farse and satire, and sprung full-blown from the twisted mind of Mel Brooks, of course nothing of the sort happens.

As a physical type, Zero Mostel is a casting director's dream as the philandering, aging, balding, slimeball producer, seducing aged widows in his quest for funding. And Gene Wilder's not that bad either as the wimpy accountant turned co-schemer. But both play so broadly and so far over the top as to be in the next country, not just the next valley, that I started cringing during the opening credits -- are they done yet?! -- and continued periodically throughout the whole film. Imaginative, yes; funny, at times screamingly so; watchable, sometimes; entertaining, yes; but I was not satisfied -- I didn't want more, but less. The gem at the core is the opening musical number, "Springtime for Hitler" -- it is the epitome of Brooks, and the highlight of the film. The surprise for me was that, much that I enjoy watching other Brooks idylls such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and History of the World, Part 1 -- repeatedly -- this one will not be on my watch-again-soon list, let alone my buy-and-own-it list.

Mel Brook's first film as director.

(17-July-04)

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