Review of Silent Movie (1976) by Stuart K — 16 Feb 2009

Mel Brooks became the new king of comedy in 1974 with Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, for his next film, he decided to take a step back, and make the sort of film that hadn't been mass-produced half a century earlier, a silent movie.

It has varying success, but when it's funny, it's very funny. It has washed-up film director Mel Funn (Brooks), looking for a comeback, and he has an idea for one, a silent movie, with his assistants Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman) and Dom Bell (Dom DeLuise), they convince the Chief of Big Picture Studios (Sid Caesar), to make the film, but only if Funn can get together an all-star cast.

Whilst, Funn, Eggs and Bell go around looking for an all-star cast to appear in the film, Big Picture Studios is looking to be taken over by conglomerate Engulf & Devour, who worried about the attention Funn's film is getting try to stop him.

It's a daring experiment to make in a time where no-one else was making silent films, alot of the jokes work, some fall flat, but the funniest parts come from it's all star cameos, including Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, Anne Bancroft, Marcel Marceau and Paul Newman!! As was the case with Brooks' previous film, Marty Feldman steals the film, and proves his worth as a brilliant slapstick comedian!!