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The Producers
Studio: MGM
Year: 1968
Rated: NR
Film Length: 90 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (1.85:1)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
"Don't be shtoopid be a shmarty
come and join the Nazi Party"
There used to be a time that Mel Brooks made
good...no...great films. In his heyday,
while putting out such hits as Blazing Saddles
and Young Frankenstein, he was undeniably
the biggest comic force in cinema. Of course, no-one
remains on top forever, that is, unless you turn one
of your most outrageous films, The Producers
into a hit Broadway show. But let's go back to the
beginning...
In 1968, Mel Brooks made his directorial debute
with a film called Springtime for Hitler, which
was later renamed to The Producers. It had
all the elements of a great Mel Brooks film -- a
crazy storyline, lots of lunacy, and one of the most
memorable songs in motion picture history.
Broadway Producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) is
washed out. He hasn't had a hit show in years, and
now spends his time seducing little old ladies in
hopes of raising cash for some sort of show that will
put him back on top. Enter Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder),
a high-strung accountant who informs Bialystock that
he could actually make more money producing a
Broadway flop than trying to make a hit. As Leo
exclaims, "No one will expect anything back and you
can pocket the difference."
With this scheme in mind, the pair finds the worst
play ever written, a script titled: "Springtime for
Hitler: A Musical Romp with Adolf and Eva." Betting
that this would be a sure-fire flop, they hire the
worst director and actor possible, and make it a
musical.
If you can't guess what happens next, I won't tell
you anything. What I will tell you is that though
this isn't Brook's funniest movie, it still remains
his most lovable effort whose humor has certainly
proven to stand the test of time.
How is the transfer?
This is nothing short of a revelation.
You know, very little effort is given to comedy
transfers on DVD. I have seen too many of my
favorite comedies thrown on the format with such
little regard as to how they look. Fortunately,
MGM saw the value of this film, took the original
film elements, and released a DVD that is totally
worthy of its Special Edition label.
Before I talk about how great this film looks,
you must understand that I have seen countless
lackluster transfers of this film on both VHS
and television that generally looked muddy.
Imagine my shock when I saw the opening moments
of this transfer. My jaw just dropped! Here was
an absolute clean transfer that looked as if it
was delivered from above. This looks almost like
a brand new film -- showing very little age, and
without any of the muddiness that plagued the
transfers that came before it. Colors are well
balanced and quite vivid. You'll be amazed at
how deeply red the curtains are in Max's office,
or even how red a NYC taxi cab can be. Flesh tones
look extremely accurate, and there's even some
nice rock-solid black levels here (check out Max's
suit later in the film). You can even see Wilder's
deep blue eyes for the very first time. Outdoor
scenes really show the beauty of this transfer,
with some beautiful shots of Central Park that
look crisp and clear.
This transfer sports a brand new 5.1 Dolby Surround
mix as well as containing a mono track. Don't be
fooled by the 5.1 specs.....everything seems to get
pushed to the center channel with the film's music
score evening out the fronts. I don't think the rears
ever came into play. You may actually find yourself
switching to the mono track instead. The only nice
thing I can say about the 5.1 mix is that it does
improve the musical presentation of Springtime
For Hitler, as I found the LFE channel rising
to the occasion, emphasizing the musical beats of
the song. It may be worth switching back to the
5.1 mix during this scene just to see what it's like.
Otherwise, both channels provide strong audio with
nice dynamic range and no noticeable hiss.
Special Features
MGM has produced a rather interesting DVD that
includes both a widescreen and full-frame
version (selectable from Main Menu) on Side A
and supplements on Side B.
First up is The Making of The Producers,
a brand-new documentary that becomes instantly
exciting as it reunites all the surviving cast
members. Gene Wilder remembers only wanting to
be a stage actor when Mel Brooks approached him
to star in his first film. Lee Meredith had no
idea who any of the actors were that she was
co-starring beside. Kenneth Mars admits that to
prepare for his role, he took his German costume home
and slept in it every night. Of course, there were
many who were initially offended by the film, but in
time, people saw it for what it was. What I found
really amazing here is that the story of Max
Bialystock is actually based on a Producer Mel worked
for at the young age of 16. This producer actually
seduced elderly women to finance his shows. Brooks
goes on to talk about how he came to direct this film
as well as how he used Zero Mostel's wife to convince
her husband that this was a role he should do (Peter
Sellers initially agreed to star). Brooks has one
great story after another including one about the
little old lady that lied about her age, and
constantly kept poking Zero Mostel in the wrong
places, prompting an angry response from the actor.
This is an absolutely terrific featurette that will
delight fans of this film. Do yourself a favor...
as much as you might be sorry for doing so, don't
miss the Intermission.
(length: approx. 64 minutes)
Sketch designs gives us an instrumental
montage of several of the film's original production
design conceptual drawings.
(length: approx. 2 minutes)
A Playhouse outtake features a deleted
extension of the scene where Wilder, Mars and
Mostel wire explosives beneath the theater.
(length: approx. 3.3 minutes)
A Photo Gallery contains about 40 stills
from the film, as well as some funny moments with
a very young Gene Wilder.
As you will recall from my review, Peter Sellers
was originally contacted for the lead in this film.
He agreed, but for some reason, never returned
contact afterwards. Included in on this DVD is Peter
Sellers statement read by Paul Mazursky.
Rounding out the extras is the film's Original
theatrical trailer as well as trailers for the
Special Edition DVDs of Fiddler On The Roof, The
Princess Bride, The Greatest Story Ever Told and
Some Like it Hot. There is also a short
promo for the Broadway soundtrack.
Final Thoughts
It's so nice when the wait for a classic comedy
like this to DVD is rewarded with a transfer that
justifies its delay. The Producers has
been buffed and shined, in a remarkable new transfer
that will certainly please old-timers like us, as
well as winning over a whole new generation of youths
who have never seen it before.
Great job, MGM!
Release Date: December 3, 2002
