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He’s one of America’s most beloved funnymen – and still going strong at age 96.
Entertaining audiences around the globe for more than 60 years, Mel Brooks’ credits include writing for classic TV comedies like Get Smart, creating endlessly quotable movie genre parodies like Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Dracula: Dead and Loving It and voicing characters in everything from 2005’s Robots and the Hotel Transylvania franchise, to last year’s Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.
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Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles are among the greatest Mel Brooks movies available to view in New Zealand.
As he returns to the small screen as executive producer and narrator of Disney+’s eight-part History of the World: Part II (a spiritual sequel to his 1981 epic sketch movie), Stuff to Watch has picked out six of his greatest works (and where you can watch them right now).
READ MORE:
* The best movies you can stream for free – just by using your library card
* Eight great Michael Keaton performances (and where you can watch them)
* Eight great Minnie Driver movies (and where you can watch them)
* Richard Swainson: Remembering the Waco Kid
* Gene Wilder’s most memorable madcap roles
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Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder square up in Blazing Saddles.
Blazing Saddles (1974, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube)
Remade for a whole new generation recently as the aforementioned animated tale Paws of Fury, this is arguably the high point of Brooks’ directorial career.
Starring a magnificent ensemble that includes Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Slim Pickens, it’s the story of a corrupt political boss who appoints a black sheriff in order to ruin a western town, only for that lawman to become his most formidable adversary.
In a movie that’s so subversive, as well as politically incorrect, it seems ridiculous now that TVNZ famously cut one scene involving bean flatulence for many years, when it was a broadcasting staple.
“A brazen, punch-drunk, free-swinging spoof of every sagebrush saga that ever came down the Hollywood trail,” wrote New York Daily News’ Kathleen Carroll.
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Brooks himself plays the troubled Dr. Richard Harpo Thorndyke in High Anxiety.
High Anxiety (1977, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube)
A parody of Alfred Hitchcock films (as well as obvious Vertigo mickey-taking, there are also nods to Spellbound, The Birds and Psycho), Brooks even consulted the master of suspense when it came to writing the screenplay.
It’s the story of Dr. Richard Harpo Thorndyke (Brooks), who goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who might just be crazier than their patients – and have secrets worth committing murder for in order to keep safe.
”A masterpiece of characterization, design and execution,” wrote Nashville Scene’s Jason Shawhan.
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Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are The Producers.
The Producers (1967, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, AroVision)
The movie that became a hit Broadway musical before becoming a popular movie musical again in 2005.
Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are the down-on-his-luck producer and lateral-thinking accountant who come up with a money-making scheme involving creating a stage-play they are sure will be a sure-fire flop. I mean, who wants to see Springtime for Hitler?
“Each time I’ve watched it – and I’ve watched it many times… [this] has felt horribly pertinent to the present moment,” wrote The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw.
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In Silent Movie, Brooks delivers a terrific turn as washed-up director Mel Funn.
Silent Movie (1976, Available to Rent on DVD from Aro and Alice’s)
Both a satire of the state of America’s film industry the mid-1970s and an affectionate parody of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin’s slapstick comedies, this sees Brooks’ play washed-up director Mel Funn, who decides the way back is to make Hollywood’s first silent movie in 40 years.
As well as terrific performances from Marty Feldman and Dom Deluise (and cameos from stars of the era), this is best remembered for the one line of dialogue from the person you would least expect to utter it.
“Brooks has taken a considerably stylistic risk and pulled it off triumphantly,” wrote Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert.
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Brooks elicited plenty of laughs as Spaceball’s “schwartz” sage – Yoghurt.
Spaceballs (1987, Available to Rent on DVD/Blu-Ray from Aro and DVD from Alice’s)
Sorry Family Guy and Robot Chicken, this is the best Star Wars spoof of all-time.
A movie that became a mega hit on VHS (at least in this country), viewers delighted in John Candy’s Barf, Joan Rivers’ droid Dot Matrix, Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet and Brooks’ own sage Yoghurt, as Bill Pullman’s Lone Starr rescues a princess and discovers the power of “the Schwartz”.
“Spaceballs does have some big laughs that are not to be missed,” wrote Chicago Tribune’s Gene Siskel.
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Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle joined forces for Young Frankenstein.
Young Frankenstein (1974, Available to Rent on DVD/Blu-Ray from Alice’s and DVD from Aro)
A pitch-perfect parody of Universal’s 1930s monster movies, this sees respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) taking up residence – and his grandfather’s experiments – when he inherits a Transylvanian castle.
While Marty Feldman is magnificent as Igor, it’s Peter Boyle who steals the show as the monster, particularly when teaming up with Wilder for a memorable version of Puttin’ on the Ritz.
“Wilder’s hysteria seems perfectly natural. You never question what’s driving him to it; his fits are lucid and total. They take him into a different dimension,” wrote The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael.
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