Review of Blazing Saddles (1974) by Charles M — 02 Dec 2010

I'm way too biased on this movie. I think it's Mel Brooks' magnum opus - an ode to the Western while upsending every cliche that it had tacked on since those days of the Gene Autry serials. The blacks are very progressive in this - the film pokes fun at racism not only in Westerns (usually, racism was dealt quite seriously e.g. "The Searchers"), but also in all other sorts of films (especially typecasting - which is why Madeline Kahn is so perfect as "Teutonic twat" Lily von Shtupp).

I recommend this film for everybody ages 12 and up. There's humor for all, from your Western references (Randolph Scott, the showdown that becomes a little out there) to that classic campfire scene (I like the dialogue more than the actual farting itself). The language, while strong in its usage of racial slurs, is somewhat minimal (with a lot of "friggin'"). The violence is like a Warner Bros. cartoon in real life.

And it is, indeed, a torch to light the way for other parody films.