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DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Blazing Saddles - 30th Anniversary Special Edition (RECOMMENDED). (1 Viewer)

Dave Poehlman

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Yay! No more twitching video! Maybe I'll try and take advantage of Blockbuster's trade-in offer. I wonder if they'll look at me funny for buying the same movie I just turned in.

"Baby, please! I'm not from Havana!"
 

Tim_C

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I just bought this a few days ago - I'm excited to watch it. It's one of the few Mel Brooks films I've never seen.
 

Parker Clack

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Tim:

You are definitely in for a treat then. It is one of those movies that people quote all the time.

"What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is going on here?"

"Badges! We don't need no stickin' badges"

"Telegram for Mr. Mango!"

and on and on.
 

Haggai

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Sorry, Parker, gotta correct you on the last one there. That would be "Candygram for Mongo!" :D
 

Robert Crawford

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Parker,
Actually, that line was taken from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre". Anyhow, I watched "Blazing Saddles" the other day and I laughed my ass off again.
 

WillardK

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Nice review, Herb. One point though: the film doesn't target groups of people or cartoons as your wording implies (intentionally or not). It's target is the acceptance of stereotypes.
 

RobertSiegel

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First, I'll add to the excitement. I got my copy today after shopping 4 Best Buy Stores. Three of them told me they only ordered 1 or 2 copies. This isn't the first time. On street date for Auntie Mame, STAR!, Helly Dolly!, and many more classics, Best Buy didn't have a one. They seem to have 50 copies of DIRTGIRLS FROM THE MOON PART 8, but are poorly stocked on classics, especially on release date. Maybe it's just the Minneapolis stores? I figure since they are based here in Minneapolis, at least their big store near headquarters would do better.

Blazing Saddles dvd is awesome. How great to hear the soundtrack, obviously taken from master recordings, in full stereo. While most of the singing is all master tracks, I was surprised when Madeline comes on and sings, it is an on the set audio recording of her voice, not the studio like the others. Strange! But I heard at one point she doesn't like dubbing. OH HOW I WISH they would do this with more mono films.
 

Rick P

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OH MY... yes, it's amazing that the pilot ever got that far.. no way in hades that would have ever gotten on the air... but was interesting to see Lou Gossett doing a Clevon Little impression :) and I'll assume Steve Landesberg was trying to do Gene Wilder.. but making him a Confederate vet? I assume that was so they could make Civil War jokes betwenn him and Bart.
 

Jay Pennington

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With alarm I took a listen and was relieved to find that this is not the case. The canned singing has been tinkered with to give it a little room ambiance but it's the same studio performance as ever. Not a bit different. Whew! :)

(they usually don't even record sound on the set in cases like this)
 

Michael Moulton

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One thing I have not seen in any reviews-- is the "commentary" on this edition the same as the interview on the original release, or a new feature?
 

Ken_McAlinden

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It is the same non-screen specific audio essay that was on the previous DVD and most recent laserdisc release. Letting Mel Brooks tell stories until he runs out of gas was a good idea since he comes off much better than he does in the screen-specific commentary for Young Frankenstein.

Regards,
 

William K

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I can't believe the Tues it came out my local Best Buy and a sales girl told me

"Oh yea... a few other customers today had asked about that movie. Kinda weird that they all asked for it on the same day huh? I guess we sold out of it some time ago."

I told her it was released that day.

"Hmm.. I guess we didn't get it in 'cause it's such an old movie. Maybe they didn't think anyone would want it."

AAAARRRGGHHHH!!!!!!

So 2 Best Buys and a Circut City later I still haven't seen it.

Sigh.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Finally got to sit down and watch this last night.

First of all, I need not say that this is one of
the funniest comedies ever made and it still holds
up quite well after 30 years.

The transfer was good -- nothing overly spectacular.
I didn't do an A/B compare to the original version,
but besides cleaning up surface dirt and scratches,
I would imagine it's very hard to improve upon the
dulled colors of a western setting.

I am disappointed in the added features. The
Madeline Khan piece was pitiful. It looks like
only a small segment of a much larger tribute.
Perhaps it was disc bandwith constraints that
held Warner back from including the entire program.

And the inclusion of the TV pilot? Who cares?!
Really, I watched 10 minutes of this pilot dud
and turned it off. I wonder how many people are
actually going to be able to sit through the entire
show.

The extra scenes were kind of cool to see. This
is obviously the kind of stuff fans really want to
see on a DVD like this and I give kudos to Warner
for including it.

The fact that we get the same ol' Mel Brooks
commentary is a real shame. I would have hoped
the director would have wanted to contribute to
the 30th anniversary of this film.

Overall, this is a fairly decent Special Edition
although I do feel something better could have been
with the added materials. I will say this -- the
fact that this is not in a snapper case makes it
well worth double-dipping. :)
 

Colin Jacobson

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Apr 19, 2000
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Oh, come on - that was a very cool addition for historical reasons. No, it wasn't funny, but it's the kind of thing that's great to have just to get the OPTION to see it. I applaud WB for including the pilot - it sucked, but it was still fun to be able to watch it.
 

Steve Christou

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I watched it last night too, loved it, the remastered picture and 5.1 stereo was more than enough to justify buying it again for fans of this comedy classic. And at only £9, it's a steal.:)
 

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