So, we are into the 150's and within 9 of my mythical number where the reviews will hopefully come back into being joyous and happy. So sneaking just into the 150’s is a black comedy from Mel Brooks. Mel was never shy of certain taboo topics and often poked fun at Nazi’s. This movie maybe a bit close to the mark with some and in the current climate this may be offensive so you’ve been warned before watching. Released in 1974 (a great year! I might add), this film starred Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks & Alex Karras. For the mid seventies this had a tidy budget of $2.6m and it went on to make $119.6m which is fantastic. It also set Mel Brooks into the comedy realms of star dome. This movie is well liked by critics as well with IMDb giving it a 7.7 from 10 and an even more impressive 88% from Rotten Tomatoes. Which if you check the previous blog won’t affect the scoreboard on that one. Onto the plot
Set on the American frontier in 1874 the new railroad will have to detour around quicksand meaning going right through the middle of Rock Ridge. Making Rock Ridge worth (to quote Harry Enfield) “Loads of Money!!”. Realising this the unscrupulous Mr Trump sorry I mean Attorney General Hedley Lamarr wants to take over the town by driving the people out. So, he organises a gang of goons to terrorise the town and kills the sheriff. The townspeople demand the governor appoints a new sheriff and Lamarr persuades him to appoint Bart a black railroad worker who was due to be executed for assaulting the Goon’s leader. He guessed a black sheriff will make the townsfolk to leave and chaos will ensue. They are not happy and are going to lynch him when he threatens to shoot himself and escapes to the sheriff’s office where he meats a drunken gunslinger called the Waco Kid. Meanwhile a large dim-witted man called Mongo is sent to kill the Sheriff who ends up making friends with the sheriff and a German seductress-for-hire ends up similar with the sheriff charming her. Mongo lets a clue slip when he points out the payment for him was linked to the railroad. After being outgunned the goons go and recruit other groups to help kill off the sheriff including the KKK, Nazis and Methodists. Bart then goes off to the east and recruit some gangs for himself to set up the big fight he recruits the other Black, Chinese and Irish railroad workers to fight with him against the others. This builds to the big battle at the end.
Too much plot? Yes probably. I wanted to raise the potential social issues that may trigger some people about this movie. This was back in a different time and Brooks handles it from a minority point of view with those rising together to fight the evil ones. This in a comedy and that is the real important thing with movies. It allows people to laugh at the ridiculous things that people may be doing for real. I hope it doesn’t trivialises them but highlight them in a joke tongue in cheek way that lets people work things out for itself. For me I see this a stupidly funny movie and when I say stupid it is stupid. There are silly parts that make you shake you head but you still do so laughing and that is the point. If we cannot laugh then what’s the point in the first place. Not to laugh at people but to laugh with them and bring people together. I hope this is the case and we can enjoy this together. Watch it and come back and tell me what you think.
Comments