The original Mel Brooks film The Producers was a huge flop in 1968, but has since established a place in film history as one of the greatest comedies.
Before the Tony Award-winning musical starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and before the subsequent remake of the aforementioned musical starring the same cast, there was Mel Brooks’ original masterpiece from 1967. The Producers is still considered to be one of the greatest comedies of all time. Starring Zero Mostel as the down on his luck King of Broadway himself, Max Bialystock, and Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom, the accountant who lives his dream of becoming a Broadway producer. The two create a scheme to produce a sure flop in hopes of getting the investment money and shooting off to Rio. Of course, things never go according to plan and that is where the film shines.
The film is packed with hysterical moments and fast-paced storytelling. At about 88 minutes, it gives the story just enough time before it even comes close to overstaying its welcome. The 2005 musical remake starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, which sits at two hours and 14 minutes in comparison, did not earn the accolades of the original. All the stars seemed to align with the production of film, which earned the Academy Award for Best Writing. The producer of The Producers, Sidney Glazier, unlike Max and Leo, picked the best script, the best director, and the best cast. There is no question that this is a film where they certainly went right.
Zero Mostel is perhaps the greatest comedic actor of all time. His facial expressions and subtle quips are his trademarked comedic style; he truly is the 'King of Broadway' (both in this film and in real life) with his bombastic and explosive personality. Mostel commands the screen and shines in almost every scene. However, Gene Wilder, also known for his outgoing hysterics, takes a mostly subdued approach to his role of Leo Bloom. The accountant is an anxiety-ridden mess but has moments where he lets all emotions rage in the most hilarious way possible.
Wilder and Mostel have real chemistry in the film that is established at their first long sequence together in Bialystock’s office. They bounce off each other and give each other moments to shine. They are truly believed to be a team in the film and nothing about their partnership is forced or contrived. Their motivations are established through practically zero exposition and mostly conveyed through mannerisms and moments like Bloom’s anxiety and Bialystock’s wooden belt.
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Wilder also delivers dramatic moments of heart, which he is also known for. Towards the end of the film, Bloom explains to the entire courtroom his admiration for Bialystock and how he has done no one any wrong or harm. It brings his entire arc to a head, where he started as an anxious accountant and ended with a full on eloquent speech about breaking out of his shell.
It’s outrageous, it’s spectacular, it’s everything we could ever want in a movie. The Producers pushed the line in the sand on the idea of “blue” humor, becoming one of the first true dark comedies, even if it is a brightly vibrant movie. Springtime For Hitler, what a concept. It gets even better. We see the entire Third Reich break into a song and dance on a Broadway stage, where they form a human swastika and explore the love life of Hitler. An old woman leaving the theater during the infamous stage sequence states what all audiences would be thinking of this type of comedy back in 1968.
“Well… talk about bad taste.”
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Brooks is almost self-aware that some humor in the film is going over the line a bit. However, the self-aware nature of that humor makes it all the more enjoyable because it is not taken seriously. Bialystock's goal is to make a musical he wants people to absolutely despise. That underlying motivation establishes the silliness of the following sequences with the cast of characters, such as the exotic director Roger de Bris, and the passionate German playwright Franz Liebkind. There is even a character named Lorenzo St. DuBois (LSD) played by Dick Sawn — what more could one ask for in a Mel Brooks picture?
The brilliant Mel Brooks is a director who trusts his actors. In this film specifically, there are many long takes where the actors have pure uncut interactions with one another. Specifically, Mostel and Wilder have moments of comedic banter rarely uninterrupted with music or cuts. It plays off as a Broadway play where the audience gets to see the actors play in real time. However, the screenplay is the central catalyst for the film itself and Brooks is to thank for this incredibly hilarious idea. In 1972, Brooks tells Dick Cavett on The Dick Cavett Show of his writing process for The Producers.
I was doing a show. And the producer of the [Broadway] show said, ‘look, they want a release… what are we doing next? Give me a title.’ I said we were doing a musical called Springtime for Hitler, tell them that… So, Ed Padula was the producer, and he was a little worried, and he said okay […] Now if I can get some idea underneath that. You know, a story or something, I would be very happy. I thought, well let me see, Springtime for Hitler, if it was a show it’s probably the worst show ever and the worst possible taste. And I worked back from that.
The genius that Brooks is as a writer shows that an idea as great as the eventual end result spawned from a moment of sarcasm. A great writer like himself works backwards from the main idea and establishes the story around said idea. Brooks developed it further to what it would become on the big screen. We as the audience and fans of Brooks are thankful for that imaginary sarcastic show title that never came to be.
What makes The Producers such a compelling film is its stakes. There is a desperation for Mostel’s character, Bialystock, that drives him to do the most absurd acts imaginable. From swindling money from old ladies looking for love, to plotting an assassination of actors, to blowing up the whole theater with dynamite, Bialystock is unpredictable. Bloom is the straight man in the comedy duo and is the one who at times must ground Bialystock into reality.
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Leo Bloom represents the everyman the audience can latch on to, but also acts out of desperation. He is stuck in a dead end job day in and day out and Bialystock is the one who breaks him out of that revolving door. They work so well together as they bring out their strengths in one and other. However, when things go too right, seeing them go from secure to desperate in a matter of seconds is the highlight of the film. Mostel and Wilder’s performances are golden as they assess their options when their sure fire flop becomes a massive success.
While The Producers did not initially do very well at the box office. With a budget of almost $1 million, the film only earned about $400,000. However, the success of a film is not bound by its financial earnings. The Producers was Brooks’ first major feature film, and he earned himself an Oscar for it.
What followed in Brooks’ career was perhaps the best lineup in any director's filmography. Movies like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and SpaceBalls still remain staples of comedy and iconic films in history. The inception of Brooks’ career began with two producers who had an idea to make the worst show on earth, but quite ironically, it spawned an entire filmography for Brooks, and influenced an entire genre for generations.