The Mel Brooks Collection | Blu-ray, Comedy, Cornelius Crimple reviews | DONNE TEMPO
The Mel Brooks Collection
The extras are bountiful for each movie ranging from optional commentary tracks starring a verbose Mr. Brooks to a look back at the career of Madeline Kahn. Adding to the fun are trivia tracks, the pilot for a Blazing Saddles television series (called "Black Bart"), gobs of featurettes and deleted scenes.
The disks, held in an attractive book-style, slipcase container, are nestled next to a separate monograph offering a text and photographic retrospective of Mr. Brooks' illustrious career.
The set list of cinema included in date-chronological order.
"The Twelve Chairs" (1970): Based on a classic Russian novel about a search for a dining room chair that contains a fortune in family jewels, the film stars Ron Moody, Dom Deluise and Frank Langella. I'll call this one an early test for Brooks to mold his brand of humor.
"Blazing Saddles" (1974): Old West shenanigans that would make Clint Eastwood's eyebrows fall out feature a Brooksian ensemble cast of Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman with Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart. You'll never eat Pork-N’-Beans again, at least not without laughing.
"Young Frankenstein" (1974): It's a black-and-white spoof of the old Universal horror film with Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein, Marty Feldman as Igor, Peter Boyle as the monster and mad Madeline Kahn as the Bride of Frankenstein. Possibly, Mr. Brooks best film and Cloris Leachman's most twisted performance. By the way, the movie looks gorgeous on Blu-ray.
"Silent Movie" (1976): Yes, no talking allowed but laugh liberally at this sniping of Hollywood. Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, Ron Carey, Charlie Çallas, Burt Reynolds, Liza Minelli and Paul Newman have nothing say. See it and weep from laughter.
"High Anxiety" (1977): Now let's deflate the Hitchcock legend in one of my favorites Brooks films. The energy is frenetic and the mix of Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman and a constantly stupefied Brooks as a psychiatrist afraid of heights keeps the belly laughs flowing.
"History of the World Part I" (1981): Brooks attacks the Roman Empire, French Revolution, Spanish Inquisition and Last Supper in his History of a Mad, Mad World with help from Sid Caesar, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Sheckey Greene, Henny Youngman and Orson Welles.
"To Be or Not To Be" (1983): I bet very few film goers remember this remake of a classic Jack Benny and Carol Lombard film. I still do and it's my favorite Brooks film. Co-starring with his wife Anne Bancroft, the pair is a Polish acting team caught in the midst of a Third Reich takeover. And the Nazis in trouble. It's a nice mix of serious and funny.
"Spaceballs" (1987): "May the Schwartz Be With You," proclaims the wise old golden sage Yogurt (Brooks of course) in this skewering of Sci-Fi films and especially a flick set in a certain galaxy far, far away. Despite a cast that includes Bill Pullman, John Candy and Rick Moranis and Joan Rivers, the premise is much funnier than the actual film.
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993): Let's just forget this Sherwood Forest skit was included in the set and lament why 20th Century didn't cut a deal to get the 1968 cinematic archetype for the Brooks genre, "The Producers" in the set. Heck I would have even taken a few episodes of "When Things Were Rotten."