HTF REVIEW: Blazing Saddles HD DVD (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED).

Herb Kane · 05-25-2006, 02:09 PM

Blazing Saddles

Studio: Warner Brothers
Format: HD DVD
Year: 1974
Rated: R
Film Length: 93 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: DD+ & DD 5.1
Color/B&W: Color
Languages: English & Spanish
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
Genre: Comedy/Western
MSRP: $28.99
Package: Single disc/HD DVD Keep case

I want rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists......Could you repeat that, sir?

The Feature:
The next wave of Warner's HD DVD titles recently debuted which included two fan favorites; the 1993 hit film, The Fugitive and the feature film, the 1974 Mel Brooks' classic, Blazing Saddles. The film ranks #6 among the American Film Institute's top 100 comedies and boasts a flood of stars such as Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn.

In a town filled with "Johnsons", Rock Ridge is in the way of the railroad. Lt. Governor Hedley Lamarr (played by Harvey Korman) is the assistant to Governor William J. Le Petomaine (played by Mel Brooks), and soon realizes that the land where the town stands is far too valuable to ignore. In order to procure the land, Hedley Lamarr sends in his henchmen, but after the sheriff is killed, the town demands a new sheriff from the Governor. Lamarr persuades Le Petomaine to appoint the first black sheriff in the west, Bart (played by Cleavon Little). The new appointee gets a little help from Jim "The Waco Kid" (played by Gene Wilder), to help him thwart the assault on the town led by Taggart (played by Slim Pickens). Though Bart is a rather refined and sophisticated choice, winning over the local townsfolk will be no easy task. But who's kidding who, the story is of very little consequence.

For those not familiar with the film, it is a parody of the old western - in fact it defines the very word and nobody is exempt from it. Everything from African Americans to even Looney Tunes characters are fair game, right down to the very nature (and genre) of the film itself, the western. Over the years, the film attracted a lot of negative attention from those who feel the movie isn't as politically correct as it should have been. Unfortunately, the same critics are most likely missing the point; which is the fact many westerns were very stereotypical in nature, echoing subtle (and sometimes, not so subtle) nuances of racism. Brooks' point, whether it was intentional or not, was to satirize the issue and to his credit the film was produced in a manner that, regardless of how offensive the words or gestures are, they never seem to offend.

There is so much going on at all times, the film needs to be watched a couple of times in succession to pick up everything. The film sports a number of standout performances, specifically Cleavon Little as Bart and Gene Wilder who plays the quick-on-the-draw Waco Kid. But most notably is Madeline Kahn's role of Lili Von Shtupp, who fans of Frenchie from Destry Rides Again, will recognize and appreciate the Marlene Dietrich-style chanteuse. Kahn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Another interesting bit of trivia, Mel Brooks was sued by the actress "Hedy" Lamarr over the use of the name "Hedley" Lamarr and eventually settled out of court.

The Feature: 4/5

Video:
Blazing Saddles is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Comparing this to the previous version makes very easy work of detecting the differences; namely sharpness and color. As has been the case with the other HD DVD titles, I was thoroughly impressed and amazed with the colors of the film - all of which are thoroughly lush and vibrant. They are without question, the highlight of the video presentation. Skin tones always looked real and accurate. Blacks were also extremely deep (and well defined) and whites were contrasted nicely always looking clean and crisp. Contrast looked great as did a very appealing amount of shadow detail.

Another highlight of the new format is the amazing amount of image detail. There were many facial close-ups that, quite frankly, look better than many of the modern day transfer releases. The level of definition is most impressive.

The print appeared to be virtually immaculate and free of any dust, dirt or debris and appeared to be mostly stable. There were a couple of slight - very slight signs of edge enhancement that were visible during some of the mountain scenes, but admittedly, I had to look for it. Very impressive - bring on more WB.

**Just a footnote with regards to the grading - I'm still very tentative when it comes to assigning these titles a numeric grade. I still feel as though I have seen too few of them to make an absolute numeric assessment... so for now, continue to take these grades with a grain of salt.**

Video: 8/10

Audio:
Now presented in DD+ as well as a 5.1 track, the differences between the SD disc and the HD DVD are admittedly less glaring. The track is wide open and most effective - very tactfully done. The overall fidelity and tonal quality sounds natural. The track was absolutely free of any hiss or other distracting anomalies. Dialogue was also very clear and bold. Similar to the previous SD version, where this track tends to shine is the soundstage - as evidenced by Count Basie and his band in the middle of the desert, as the music was open and considerably airy. The dynamic range was adequate although not remarkable. As for the use of surrounds, I would describe them in terms of ambiance and allowing the track to open up, more than I would in a manner of directionality. Tactful and effective. There was very little to no specific use of LFE, and bass response seemed tight and certainly adequate.

Audio: 7.5/10

Special Features:
Similar to the previous SD 30th Anniversary Special Edition, this version comes with a respectable amount of special features (all in standard definition) starting with:

A Commentary By Mel Brooks. The feature (more like a running conversation) is not screen specific but it is chock full of interesting tidbits relating to the idea and concept of the movie and the casting as well as some of the pre-production WB hurdles. Mr. Brooks is non stop however, this isn't the typical commentary which runs for the duration of the film. It ends abruptly during the "I'm Tired" number which Lili is singing on stage. Very well done but a tad brief. Duration: 55:00 minutes.

Back In The Saddle is a documentary which includes a number of tidbits, anecdotes and production information. There are a number of participants including Mel Brooks, actors Harvey Korman, Gene Wilder, Burton Gilliam, writer Andrew Bergman, producer Michael Hertzberg. There are a number of pre-production issues discussed as well as the racial issues and controversies - some of which overlap the previous commentary featuring Mr. Brooks. Duration: 28:20 minutes.

Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn is a brief segment which features comments from Brooks and actors Dom DeLuise and Lily Tomlin who discuss the late actress and generally sing deserved praise for her and her performance. Duration: 3:42 minutes.

Next up is a T.V. Pilot, Black Bart which was a proposed TV spin-off show which starred Lou Gossett Jr. and Steve Landesberg. It's hard to even imagine the correlation between this and the original film and it's shocking that it even made it to the pilot stage however it is an interesting inclusion for fans of the film. The presentation is absolutely gorgeous. Duration: 24:25 minutes.

Additional Scenes. There are a total of eight additional scenes and these don't really add much to the picture although their inclusion is a welcomed one. Duration: 9:40 minutes.

And finally the Theatrical Trailer is included which is in really good shape. Duration: 2:17 minutes

Special Features: 4/5

**Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity. Video and Audio portions will be rated from 0-10. The remainder of the review will continue being rated from 0-5 (similar to SD DVD reviews). Since the ratings are not averaged, the final Overall Rating will be from 0-5.**

Final Thoughts:
There is no denying that Blazing Saddles has achieved modern day classic status as one of the funniest films of all times. To this day, lines from the film can be quoted and are instantly recognizable from the movie. Whether you love the film or detest it, one thing is for sure; you'll never see a major motion picture like it made in today's politically correct climate, and that's kinda sad.

It's interesting to note that Blazing Saddles is (so far) the oldest film to debut on the newest HD format. While many of us wonder what the format is capable of - at least in terms of older films, one needs to look no further than this newest release to get an idea of what we have to forward to. In fact, it only serves to heighten the anticipation for future releases of true vintage classic film and the potential results that HD DVD will yield. I'm still trying to sum up various periods and what my expectations might or should be, however, just when I think I have a handle on it, my perspective changes. My point? We have a long way to go and we have a lot of material to cover to get there. Just for the record – 3 weeks and counting and not a single freeze-up or glitch with the new Toshiba HD-A1 player.

In my previous review of the SD 30th Anniversary Edition, I offered the following advice, "I would strongly advise you to save a shitload of dimes, because this thing is worth every penny". Well, keep saving. The HD DVD will cost you a bit more but it will be worth every penny - and then some...

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 (not an average)

Highly Recommended.!!

Release Date: May 23rd, 2006

Walter Kittel · 05-25-2006, 02:21 PM

Having watched a number of more recent titles on HD DVD, like many others, I have also been curious as to how older features would fare in this domain. Nice to hear such positive impressions with regards to the image quality of this title. (And yes, my anticipation of other Warner Bros. classics on HD DVD is suitably whetted.)

- Walter.

Tim Glover · 05-25-2006, 02:29 PM

Nice review Herb!

Rachael B · 05-25-2006, 02:51 PM

I'm giving the video 9.8 !

LarryH · 05-27-2006, 07:52 PM

Is this actually out? I haven't seen it at Best Buy and my order with Amazon claims shipping will be June 26-July 10.

**HTF Ads**

Steve Tannehill · 05-27-2006, 08:53 PM

My Best Buy actually had this on Tuesday, along with The Fugitive.

The new Universal titles were there, too. Amazon actually had them to me on street date.

- Steve

TonyD · 05-27-2006, 09:49 PM

i might pick this at bestbuy.
was on the shelf 24.99
i also have the weekend coupon.
had it in my hand today but thought i would see what amazons price was first.
since i get 10% there

but they dont offer it yet.

well obviously amazon does have i just couldnt find it the other day.

guess i'l order it.

LarryH · 05-29-2006, 09:43 PM

I guess I must have missed out on Amazon's initial shipment and will now have to wait for the restock. I guess saving a few $$ will be worth the wait, since I have already developed a backolg of other unwatched HD-DVD's