Blu-ray Review The Producers (1968) Kino Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Todd Erwin]

Kino’s new Blu-ray release of Mel Brooks’ directorial debut, The Producers, sports a new transfer derived from a recent 4K restoration and an engaging new commentary track.



The Producers (1967)



Released: 10 Nov 1968
Rated: PG
Runtime: 88 min




Director: Mel Brooks
Genre: Comedy, Music



Cast: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, Kenneth Mars
Writer(s): Mel Brooks



Plot: A stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.



IMDB rating: 7.6
MetaScore: 96





Disc Information



Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Kino Lorber
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC



Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA...

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[B-ROLL]

I saw this feature as part of a double feature with The Party with Peter Sellers. As I was eight years old I had no clue what was going on and why people were laughing. The Party was and arguably still is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen (also released on blu-ray by Kino).

As an adult, I've come to appreciate The Producers and it sounds like I will be double-dipping as I already have the Shout! release.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Just received the Blu-ray and will watch it this weekend with the commentary. I agree with Roger Ebert saying it's one of the funniest films ever made.

 

[AlexNH]

A different take: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Producers-Blu-ray/269871/#Review

 

[cineescape]

The Shout! Factory edition probably sounds "louder" because its 24 bit depth allows the soundtrack more dynamic range than the Kino's 16 bit version. It's detestable when distributors do this. Kino's BD release of Billy Wilder's "Avanti!" has superb DTS MA 24 bit sound quality; they could have done the same with "The Producers".

 

[JoeStemme]

With spring in the air, a person's mind starts thinking thoughts of “Springtime for H!tler and.......Germany!”

Mel Brooks' Directing debut is a smash that keeps on smashing. Brooks had a long career as a writer and performer before getting THE PRODUCERS off the ground. It's now cited as a movie that no major studio would likely back today - and, mostly for good reason. Gleefully offensive with broad caricatures and questionable “taste” (to be fair, there was criticism of the film at the time, too).

Brooks' writing is excellent and the cast is comedy gold: Kenneth Mars, Dick Shawn, Gene Wilder, Estelle Winwood and, especially, Zero Mostel who simply owns this as the Max Bialystock, the conniving producer who comes up with the plan to bilk investors (how much could Max have made today off of crypto and NFTs?!!!). There are so many quotable lines and sight gags. My favorite remains the Busby Berkeley parody with the overhead shot of the cast forming a swaztika.

THE PRODUCERS became Brooks' comeback vehicle when it was revived to Broadway, and later a film version of the play.

Never saw either - worth seeking out??

 

[BobO'Link]

I own a copy of the movie based on the play. I've seen it twice and doubt I'll ever watch it again - IMHO, it was that bad. In all fairness, the original has been one of my favorite films since I first saw it in 1968.

Mathew Broderick delivers a completely wooden performance, the directing is flat with the look of a static camera pointed at the stage (the director is quite accomplished on the stage but lacks the skill to do a motion picture and it shows in this production), an important scene is left out (Max and Leo in the bar when the intermission crowd comes in - at least it's in the deleted scenes on the disc but shouldn't have been cut), and there's a scene in which the *entire play* is related in song (Nathan Lane as Max) from a jail cell - a scene that's *not* in the original film and goes on far too long, dragging down the production while bringing it to an almost full stop (it's a good place to go to the kitchen for a snack - or just skip it entirely). That scene should have been cut in favor of that missing bar scene. And I don't care if Brooks' *did* write the songs - they're mostly just average and also drag things down. They also combined the in-movie play director role (L.S.D.) with the role of Franz, the playwrite (played by Will Ferrell). That somewhat works but I miss them being separate as the characters were perfect and perfectly cast in the original.

Uma Thurman is good as is Will Ferrell (which surprised me as I don't like him at all in anything) and have the best scenes in the film which isn't saying much as neither has that much screen time. The anamatronic pigeons are groan inducingly bad and just about kill the main good scene with Ferrell.

Stick with Brooks' original film. The cast is superior to the film of the play and the story has a better flow.

 

[JoeStemme]

I own a copy of the movie based on the play. I've seen it twice and doubt I'll ever watch it again - IMHO, it was that bad. In all fairness, the original has been one of my favorite films since I first saw it in 1968.
...

Stick with Brook's original film. The cast is superior to the film of the play and the story has a better flow.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I've really never had the desire to watch it. Maybe, if I had a chance to see it live with a good cast

 

[titch]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I've really never had the desire to watch it. Maybe, if I had a chance to see it live with a good cast

I saw it in New York in January 2006 at the St James Theatre. The cast included: Brad Oscar (Max Bialystock ), Hunter Foster (Leo Bloom), Gary Beach (Roger DeBris), John Treacy Egan (Franz Liebkind), Brad Musgrove (Carmen Ghia) and Angie Schworer (Ulla). It wasn't nearly as good as the original film.