The Producers (1967 film)

Written and directed by Mel Brooks, The Producers is the story of a Broadway producer who teams up with an accountant in financing a sure-fire flop hoping to make money out of the flop and live happily. The film is a look into two different men who team up to find a flop as their choice would prove to be something that might offend so many in the hopes they can succeed by creating a Broadway bomb. Starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars, and Dick Shawn. The Producers is a whimsical and lively film from Mel Brooks.

The film follows the life of a washed-up Broadway producer who hears his accountant talking about the ideas of making money in investing a flop where the two come together to find a sure-fire flop as they choose a play written by a former Nazi called Springtime for Hitler. It’s a film with a simple premise in which two men decide to take part in a scheme in the hopes they can make some serious money but the journey in finding the flop, getting the worst director to helm the play, and get a terrible cast would prove to be hard. Mel Brooks’ screenplay play into this unlikely partnership between the producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and the account Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) as the former coaches the latter in what it takes to raise funds and such while convincing the Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars) to have his play be made with the help of the notoriously-flamboyant director Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewett). It all play into this scheme where Bialystock and Bloom take careful planning into as it would culminate in the opening night where they hope to unleash the mother of all Broadway bombs.

Brooks’ direction is quite straightforward in terms of the compositions and setting as much of the film is shot on location in New York City with some of its interiors shot at the Chelsea Studio in the same city. While there are some wide shots including a key scene at the Metropolitan Opera House, much of Brooks’ direction rely on close-ups and medium shots to play into the interaction of the protagonists and the adventure they take. At the same time, Brooks would infuse elements of life-hearted banter as it relates to the nerve-stricken Bloom and the aggressive Bialystock where they encounter so many things. Brooks would also put in some moments that are funny such as a Swedish receptionist named Ulla (Lee Meredith) whom they hire just so she can wear skimpy clothes and dance. When the character known as L.S.D. (Dick Shawn) comes into the picture to audition for Hitler, the humor would amp up into the film’s climax for the play’s opening night. Yet, its aftermath that would lead to the funnier moments as it relates to the reaction of Springtime for Hitler and what the audience would see whether Bialystock and Bloom’s scheme would work. Overall, Brooks creates a witty yet exhilarating film about two Broadway producers trying to cash in by financing a sure-fire flop.

Cinematographer Joseph Coffey does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward and colorful for many of the scenes in the day as well as the way the play is presented in its lighting. Editor Ralph Rosenblum does nice work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the humor. Production designer Charles Rosen and set decorator James Dalton do amazing work with the look of Bialystock and Bloom’s office as well as the staging of the play. Costume designer Gene Coffin does fantastic work with the lavish costumes from the dress that De Bris wear as well as the costumes at the play. Sound editor Alan Heim does terrific work with the sound as it is straightforward to play into the atmosphere of the crowds at the play. The film’s music by John Morris is wonderful for its playful orchestral score that add a lot to the film’s humor as it include a few original songs by Mel Brooks such as the titular song to the play.

The casting by Alfa-Betty Olsen is great as it feature some notable small roles from William Hickey as a drunk at a bar, Renee Taylor as an actress playing Eva Braun, Madelyn Cates as a landlord claiming to be a concierge, Barney Martin as an actor playing Hermann Goring, Andreas Voutsinas as De Bris’ assistant Carmen, Estelle Winwood as one of the old ladies that Bialystock woos to get her money, and Lee Meredith in a funny performance as the very attractive receptionist Ulla. Christopher Hewett is superb as the flamboyant and openly-gay play director Roger De Bris who cares more about extravagance rather than the story. Dick Shawn is hilarious as L.S.D. as a singer who auditions to play Hitler as he acts like a Beatnik of sorts as he consistently brings in the laughs.

Kenneth Mars is excellent as Franz Liebkind as the author of Springtime for Hitler as this former Nazi who wrote the play to show Adolf Hitler in a different light while being furious if things don’t go his way. Finally, there’s the duo of Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in incredible performances in their respective roles as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom. Mostel brings an energy and determination to his role as a man that is willing to humiliate himself to pleasure old ladies as well as deal with the struggles of being a producer. Wilder is definitely the funnier of the two in the way he is wracked with nerves as he comforts himself with a tiny piece of his blanket as well as display this abundance of energy that had been repressed in him. Mostel and Wilder are a joy to watch in the way they interact with each other as well as be foils to each other.

The Producers is a phenomenal film from Mel Brooks. Featuring a great cast, a witty story, some catchy songs, and an abundance of funny moments that are fun to watch. The film is a whimsical comedy that play into two men trying to pull a scheme by choosing the worst story ever in the hopes they can make money. In the end, The Producers is a spectacular film from Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks Films: (Twelve Chairs) – Blazing Saddles - Young Frankenstein - (Silent Movie) – High Anxiety - (History of the World Pt. 1) – Spaceballs - (Life Stinks) – Robin Hood: Men in Tights - (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)

© thevoid99 2018

Young Frankenstein

Based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Young Frankenstein is about the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein who decides to create the same experiment his grandfather did with some hilarious results. Directed by Mel Brooks and screenplay by Brooks and Gene Wilder, the film is a spoof of sorts of the monster movies where it plays up into the myth and legends of the Frankenstein monster while being filled with a lot of absurd innuendos. Starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, and Gene Hackman. Young Frankenstein is a stylish and hilarious film from Mel Brooks.

Set in the 20th Century, the film is the simple story of a scientist, who is the grandson of Victor von Frankenstein, as he inherited a house in Transylvania where he ends up recreating the same experiment that his grandfather did many years ago. It’s a film that plays up the story of Frankenstein but in a somewhat modern setting where Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson Frederick (Gene Wilder) is trying to deny his family heritage by having his surname be pronounced as “Fron-ken-steen”. The film’s screenplay doesn’t just spoof Mary Shelley’s novel in some ways but also add some absurdity into the film as it relates to the people Frederick Frankenstein meets such as a descendant of Frankenstein’s assistant Igor whose grandson (Marty Feldman) shares the same name but is pronounced “Eye-gore”. It also has these elements that play into the modern world though the people of Transylvania aren’t happy about Frankenstein’s grandson in their hometown as well as the idea that he might do the same experiment that terrorized the town so many years ago.

The screenplay is also filled with a lot of gags as it relates to Dr. Frankenstein’s old housekeeper Frau Buchler (Cloris Leachman) where horses get antsy whenever her surname is spoken. A lot of the gags in the film doesn’t just play into some of the offbeat humor of the film but also in moments that involve the creature (Peter Boyle) who was supposed to have the brain of a deceased yet revered historian but circumstances led to all sorts of trouble. Even as the creature would do things that are also offbeat in its own way that includes a spoof of sorts about the creature meeting a young girl just like the original 1931 film by James Whale.

Mel Brooks’ direction definitely owes a lot to the early horror films and monster movies of the 1930s while it also bears elements of modern-day filmmaking. Shot in soundstages, the film definitely plays up to that air of classic Hollywood where it isn’t afraid to be artificial but also have fun with it. Many of Brooks’ compositions are quite simple in terms of its framing and the way he creates these lively and often improvised moments in the comedy. Notably in a short but hilarious sequence where the monster meets a blind hermit (Gene Hackman) as it is a whole lot of fun to watch while Brooks uses some wide and medium shots to capture the whole sequence. There are also these moments that is a homage to the 1931 James Whale film such as the machine that is used to create the monster as it’s the actual machine that was used from the original by its original designer Kenneth Strickfaden. Brooks’ approach to some of the intimacy in the film as well as the non-comical moments have him use some close-ups while providing subtle bits of humor without deterring too much from the story. Overall, Brooks creates a very witty and entertaining film about Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson carrying the legacy he tried to run away from.

Cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it has this very atmospheric look in the photography with Hirschfeld providing some unique lighting and moods for many of the interior/exterior scenes in the film. Editor John C. Howard does excellent work with the film‘s very stylized editing with its usage of transition wipes, iris outs, dissolves, and other stylish cutting techniques to not just play with the humor but also pay tribute to the editing style of the past. Production designer Dale Hennesy and set decorator Robert de Vestel do amazing work with the look of Dr. Frankenstein‘s home as well as the town and the lab that features the original props from the original 1931 film.

Costume designer Dorothy Jeakins does nice work with the costumes as it is a mixture of the period clothes of the past with some of the modern suits that Frankenstein wears. Makeup creator William Tuttle does fantastic work with the look of the creature as well as the look of the blind hermit. Sound editor Don Hall does terrific work with the sound from the way the thunderstorms and lightning sound to the way some of the machines sound like. The film’s music by John Morris is wonderful as its orchestral score play into some of the humor and light-dramatic moments as well as an inspired and hilarious usage of the standard Puttin’ on the Ritz.

The casting by Jane Feinberg and Mike Fenton do incredible work with the casting as it include some notable small roles from Richard Haydn as an executor of Dr. Frankenstein’s estate, Rolfe Sedan in a dual role as a train conductor in America and in Europe, Danny Goldman as a medical student who is interested in Frankenstein’s heritage, and Gene Hackman in a superb cameo as the blind hermit Harold as it’s a very funny brief role from Hackman who does a lot with the few minutes he’s in. Kenneth Mars is fantastic as Inspector Kemp as this one-eyed police inspector with a prosthetic right arm who is suspicious about Frankenstein where he keeps an eye on him while also being very funny. Cloris Leachman is brilliant as Frau Buchler as Dr. Frankenstein’s housekeeper who has a secret about Frankenstein’s grandfather as she would play a role in the monster’s freedom.

Madeline Kahn is excellent as Frankenstein’s fiancée Elizabeth as this socialite who wants to remain pure as Kahn is just delightful to watch while her scene in meeting the monster is just a riot. Marty Feldman is phenomenal as Igor as Frankenstein’s humpback assistant who is also the grandson of the original Igor as he says some very funny things as well as create a moment that would inspire one of the greatest rock songs ever made. Teri Garr is amazing as Inga as Frankenstein’s assistant who would also have her funny moments but also be someone who can calm Frankenstein where she would eventually become his love interest. Peter Boyle is great as the monster as this large man with an abnormal brain where Boyle doesn’t get to say much but his physical presence and awkward comedic timing makes him a joy to watch as he nearly steals the film from everyone. Finally, there’s Gene Wilder in a sensational performance as Frederick Frankenstein as this man of science who is reluctant to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps where his desire for recognition in the field has him crazed where Wilder is full of energy and bravado in what is one of his defining performances.

Young Frankenstein is a spectacular film from Mel Brooks that features great performances from Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, and Madeline Kahn. Along with a superb supporting cast, visual homage to the 1931 James Whale film, gorgeous visuals, and some hilarious moments. It’s a film that isn’t just one of the most inventive comedies ever made but it’s also a film that manages to be entertaining through and through. In the end, Young Frankenstein is a tremendous film from Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks Films: The Producers - (Twelve Chairs) - Blazing Saddles - (Silent Movie) - High Anxiety - (History of the World, Part 1) - Spaceballs - (Life Stinks) - Robin Hood: Men in Tights - (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)

© thevoid99 2016

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Based on the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the story of a young boy who finds a golden ticket to be invited to go to the chocolate factory of its mysterious creator. Directed by Mel Stuart and screenplay by Roald Dahl and David Seltzer, the film is whimsical take on Dahl’s story with explorations of innocence and the desire of hope for a young boy who lives with his poor family with Gene Wilder playing the role of Willy Wonka. Also starring Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear, Denise Nickerson, Julie Dawn Cole, Paris Themmen, Dodo Denney, Leonard Stone, and Jack Albertson. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a delightful and majestic film from Mel Stuart.

The film is about a boy from a poor family who learns about a contest to be invited to a mystical chocolate factory owned and run by the reclusive Willy Wonka. The contest revolves in trying to find five golden tickets where whoever gets a golden ticket will be invited to the factory which hadn’t been open to the public for many years due to spies disguised as employees stealing Wonka’s ideas for rival competitors. Once five of these children, accompanied by their parents, enter the factory and meet Wonka. They would embark into a unique world yet also strange places with strange workers where the children would also find ways to cause trouble. The film’s screenplay which was largely re-written by David Seltzer, who would be un-credited for his work, has a unique structure where much of its first half is about finding the golden tickets and the five children who would find them.

One of the children in the story is its protagonist Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) who is the most eager to find a golden ticket as he lives in the town where Wonka’s factory is. He struggles to help his family while being a child as he is encouraged by his Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) to find it as he believes the ticket and its prize of a lifetime supply of chocolate will give their poor family hope. The other four children the gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner), the spoiled Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole), the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde (Denise Nickerson), and the TV-obsessed Mike Teevee (Paris Themmen) are all these kind of individuals who represent some form of sin as they represent everything Charlie isn’t. Even as all five enter the factory where they’re being tested in what they do as they were each approached earlier in the film by a man claiming to be one of Wonka’s rivals in Slug worth (Gunter Meisner) who wants one of Wonka’s new candies.

Mel Stuart’s direction is this nice mixture of comedy, drama, fantasy, and bits of the musical as it has this balance that doesn’t make it jarring or inconsistent. Shot largely on location in Munich and Bavaria in then-West Germany, the film plays into a world that is a mixture of the modern world with a sense of the old world as well as an environment where this chocolate factory is at. Much of the compositions are simple as Stuart favors a more intimate look to play into the world of Charlie’s family life while there are a few wide shots to establish some of the locations and the mania that surrounds the search for the golden tickets. Once the film enters the factory, it is this world that is quite imaginative as it has these elements that looks very fun to look and to eat while it also borders into the line of the absurd and surreal. Most notably a scene where Wonka and his guests ride on a boat through this tunnel that is scary but also kind of fun in a dark way.

Even in how some of the kids in their own bad vices would get their comeuppance as it has that air of dark humor that is often followed by songs sung by Wonka’s workers known as the Oompa-Loompas who sing about the sins of these children. There is also some sentimentality as it play to why Wonka is opening the factory and sent out the tickets to showcase some of the wonders of life and imagination. Overall, Stuart creates an exhilarating and dazzling film about a boy who goes to a wondrous chocolate factory created by its eccentric creator.

Cinematographer Arthur Ibbetson does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography for how many of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes are shot as well as the way many of the factory‘s interiors including its room with the chocolate river looks. Editor David Saxon does nice work with the editing as it is very straightforward as it doesn‘t go into any kind of style with the exception of the surreal tunnel scene. Art director Harper Goff does brilliant work with the look of the many different sets from the labs that Wonka does for his experiments, his office, the room of chocolate with the chocolate river, and other sets which also include the interior of Charlie‘s family home.

Costume designer Helen Colvig does terrific work with the costumes to play into the different look of the children as well as the whimsical look of Wonka. The special effects work of Logan Frazee are wonderful for the scenes set in the tunnel as well as in some of the magical moments that goes on inside the factory. Sound editors Charles L. Campbell and Roger Sword do superb work with the sound in the way some of the sound effects are presented as it play into the whimsical world of Wonka. The film’s music and songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley is incredible as it has this air of serenity in its orchestral score while its songs play into that sense of sorrow, heartbreak, imagination, and whimsy as it says a lot to its characters and the situations they’re in.

The film’s cast is phenomenal as it include some notable small roles from Steve Dunne as a newscaster, Tim Brooke-Taylor as a computer scientist, Werner Heyking as Charlie’s newspaper vendor boss, David Battley as Charlie’s schoolteacher, Peter Capell as the Tinker who works outside of the factory, and Gunter Meisner as Wonka’s rival Slugworth who offers a great deal of money to the kids in exchange for one of Wonka’s candies. In the roles of the Oompa-Loompas as they’re played by Rusty Goffe, Rudy Borgstaller, George Claydon, Malcolm Dixon, Ismed Hassan, Norman McGlen, Angelo Muscat, Pepe Poupee, Marcus Powell, and Albert Wilkinson where they all provide that sense of whimsy into their role as Wonka’s little working men who sings songs that play into the sins of some of the children. Small roles from Dora Altmann as Grandma Georgina, Ernst Ziegler as Grandpa George, and Franziska Liebing as Grandma Josephine are wonderful while the performances of Ursula Reit as Mrs. Gloop, Dodo Denney as Mrs. Teevee, and Leonard Stone as Sam Beauregarde are fun to watch with Roy Kinnear in a fantastic performance as Veruca’s father who does whatever to please his daughter.

Diana Sowle is excellent as Charlie’s mother who tries to ensure some hope for Charlie as the search for the tickets become impossible while Aubrey Woods is superb as the candy shop owner Bill who would sell the candy including the one to Charlie that would feature his golden ticket. Jack Albertson is amazing as Grandpa Joe as Charlie’s maternal grandfather who urges Charlie to find that ticket as he knows how much it means to him while also knows about the story of Willy Wonka. In the role of the other children Charlie has to compete with, Michael Bollner is terrific as the gluttonous Augustus Gloop who is always eating something while Paris Themmen is energetically fun as the smart-aleck Mike Teevee who watches too much TV. Denise Nickerson is brilliant as the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde who just loves gum as well as do whatever she can to hold on to the gum-chewing record.

Julie Dawn Cole is remarkable as Veruca Salt as this very bratty and greedy young girl that wants everything including the golden ticket while being full of energy and has her own song to sing. Peter Ostrum is marvelous as Charlie Bucket as this young kid who is hoping to go to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory as he clings for some hope in his life as well as give his family a chance to end their life in poverty. Finally, there’s Gene Wilder in an incredible performance as Willy Wonka as this very offbeat yet charming creator who is sarcastic at times but also ambiguous and weird yet Wilder has something in his performance that is just indescribable as it’s really an iconic role from the actor.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a spectacular film from Mel Stuart that features Gene Wilder in an outstanding performance as the titular character. Featuring a great cast, lovely visuals, beautiful art direction, and a phenomenal music soundtrack, the film is definitely a film that families can enjoy as well as be weird enough for adults to be engaged by. In the end, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a magnificent film from Mel Stuart.

© thevoid99 2016

Blazing Saddles

(In Memory of Gene Wilder 1933-2016)

Directed, starring, and songs by Mel Brooks and screenplay by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger from a story by Bergman, Blazing Saddles is the story of a State Attorney General who conspires to have a railroad be built on a town while getting an African-American railroad worker to be its sheriff only for the sheriff to gain the trust of the locals to fight back. It’s a film that is a spoof of sorts on the western genre that includes some well-intended anachronisms as well as a commentary on race relations and ideas of the American West. Also starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, David Huddleston, Alex Karras, and Dom DeLuise. Blazing Saddles is an off-the-wall and rip-roaring film from Mel Brooks.

Set in the American West, the film is about a railroad worker, who was about to be hanged for hitting his boss with a shovel, who becomes the sheriff for a town that is under the threat of bandits unaware that that the bandits are working for the State Attorney General wanting to build a railroad through the town. It’s a film that sort of makes fun of the western genre where it plays into every cliché that happens as well as provide some commentary about the modern world where this town is aghast over the fact that their new sheriff is African-American. The film’s script doesn’t just play into some satirical commentary on race relations but also what men of power would do to stop this sheriff only to be outwitted.

The script also has gags that doesn’t just play into clichés but also subvert many stereotypes of the genre such as this dim-witted henchman named Mongo (Alex Karras) who is revealed to be quite philosophical. Another gag in the film is the fact that it’s intentionally anachronistic where it adds to the film’s subversive approach to the genre as well as the fact that the antagonist Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is mistakenly called Hedy Lamarr. It adds to some of the absurdity that is in the script as well as the fact that it refuses to take itself too seriously.

Mel Brooks’ direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions he creates yet he definitely brings in a lot of the visual tropes that is expected in the western genre with its usage of wide and medium shots to capture the beauty of its locations. Shot in the back-lot studios of Warner Brothers, the film definitely play into some of the artificial aspects that is common with the genre while also creating these moments that are offbeat. Even with the anachronistic elements such as an audition scene for Lamarr’s posse where there’s German soldiers from World War I, bikers, and Ku Klux Klan members as well as a scene in the climax where the film literally breaks the fourth wall. It’s among these moments of the absurd that makes it so interesting while Brooks isn’t afraid to be politically-incorrect as it add to a lot of the humor that occurs in the film. Even as Brooks is willing to go into lowbrow territory just to maintain that sense of joy and laughter without deterring too much from the story. Overall, Brooks creates a witty yet sensational film about an African-American sheriff fighting for liberty, justice, and German sausages.

Cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc does excellent work with the cinematography as it is very straightforward in its approach to the daytime exteriors while using some light for some of the interiors and scenes set at night. Editors Danford Greene and John C. Howard do nice work with the editing as it is very straightforward with some stylish cutting for some of the transitions. Production designer Peter Wooley and set decorator Morris Hoffman do amazing work with the look of the town as well as the office of Lamarr and Governor Le Petomane. The sound work of Gene S. Cantamessa does superb work with the sound as it‘s straightforward in playing up the chaos of the West. The film’s music by John Morris is wonderful for its orchestral-based music that play into the world of the American West as it includes some songs written by Mel Brooks that are very funny.

The casting by Nessa Hyams is great as it features notable small roles and appearances from Robyn Hilton as the governor’s busty secretary, Ralph Manza as an actor playing Adolf Hitler, Count Basie as himself, Robert Ridgely as the hangman Boris, Rodney Allen Rippy as a young Bart, Anne Bancroft as an extra at the congregation, Richard Collier as the town doctor, Liam Dunn as the local reverend, Carol Arthur as the local schoolmarm, Charles McGregor as Bart’s friend Charlie, Burton Gilliam as Taggart’s henchman Lyle, and David Huddleston as one of the locals in Olson Johnson who isn’t receptive about Bart because he’s African-American. Dom DeLuise is fantastic as filmmaker Buddy Bizarre who is trying to make a Busby Berkeley-style musical while Mel Brooks is superb in a dual role as the dim-witted Governor William J. Le Pentomane and a Yiddish-speaking Indian chief the young Bart meets. Alex Karras is excellent as Mongo as this big and strong man who looks and seem like the dumbest person around yet is surprisingly philosophical where he eventually helps Bart and Jim.

Slim Pickens is brilliant as Taggart as Lamarr’s henchman who is the personification of every cliché of the western genre where he says all sorts of shit and does idiotic things. Madeline Kahn is amazing as Lili Von Shtupp aka the Teutonic Titwillow as German seductress/performer who is asked by Lamarr to seduce Bart only to fall for Bart. Harvey Korman is incredible as Hedley Lamarr who always has to correct people for saying his name wrong as he is this state attorney general trying to do whatever he can to destroy a small town so he can get this railroad built. Gene Wilder is phenomenal as Jim aka the Waco Kid as the fastest gunslinger in the world that is trying to escape his past while later helping out Bart in every way where Wilder provides a lot of humor without doing much. Finally, there’s Cleavon Little in a sensational performance as Bart as a railroad worker who becomes sheriff for a town unaware that he is meant to cause trouble only to win over the people and do whatever it takes to outwit and outplay the bad guys.

Blazing Saddles is a magnificent film from Mel Brooks. Featuring a great cast, hilarious gags, witty commentary on social and racial issues, and some off-the-wall humor. It’s a film that isn’t just a great spoof on the western but also manages to do a lot of things and more to create something that is full-on entertainment. In the end, Blazing Saddles is an outstanding film from Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks Films: The Producers - (Twelve Chairs) - Young Frankenstein - (Silent Movie) - High Anxiety - (History of the World, Part 1) - Spaceballs - (Life Stinks) - Robin Hood: Men in Tights - (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)

© thevoid99 2016

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)

Based on the book by Dr. David Reuben, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a series of short stories all about the world of sex. Written for the screen, directed, and starring Woody Allen, the film is essentially a collection of shorts as they each relate to different subjects about sex from perversion to what happens during ejaculation. Also starring Lynn Redgrave, Louise Lasser, Gene Wilder, Tony Randall, Burt Reynolds, John Carradine, and Regis Philbin. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a hilarious comedy from Woody Allen.

In Do Aphrodisiacs Work?, a court jester (Woody Allen) tries to seduce the Queen (Lynn Redgrave) in medieval times as a sorcerer (Geoffrey Holder) gives him a potion to win over the Queen. What is Sodomy? is about a doctor (Gene Wilder) who meets an Armenian man (Titos Vandis) who claims to have fallen in love with a sheep. When the doctor meets the sheep, he falls in love with her. In Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm?, Fabrizio (Woody Allen) tries to figure out how to give his wife Gina (Louise Lasser) as he makes a startling discovery. Are Transvestites Homosexuals? has a middle-aged man (Lou Jacobi) dress up in women’s clothing during a dinner with family.

What Are Sex Perverts? is a game show where Jack Barry asks fellow contestants (Regis Philbin, Robert Q. Lewis, Pamela Mason, and Toni Holt) what perversion does this person have. In Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate?, a researcher (Woody Allen) and a journalist (Heather McRae) meet with the controversial Dr. Bernardo (John Carradine) whose experiments has run amok leading to a large breast terrorizing a small town. In What Happens During Ejaculation?, a man is on a date with woman as a brain operator (Tony Randall) leads a control center filled with various men as they get ready to have sex while a sperm (Woody Allen) starts to worry.

The film is essentially a collection of shorts where Woody Allen answers these questions about sex. Through these seven shorts that Allen creates, he gives each one a different style and presentation to answer these questions in his own style. Do Aphrodisiacs Work? is a medieval times piece where a court jester tries to have sex with the queen with references from Hamlet while What is Sodomy? is a straightforward drama about bestiality where a doctor falls in love with a sheep. Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm has Allen paying tribute to Federico Fellini as he sports sunglasses like Marcello Mastroianni while the dialogue is spoken entirely in Italian as it has this style that is based on Fellini’s films. Are Transvestites Homosexuals? is a straightforward comedy about a guy that just wants to wear women’s clothing where the real answer is that it all depends on the man.

What Are Sex Peverts? has Allen presenting that segment as an old-school 1960s TV game show program with all of these perversions presented in a very silly form. Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate? is essentially a version of Frankenstein with someone as a version of Igor (Ref Sanchez) which reveals a doctor’s insane ideas about sex as a giant tit runs amok forcing a researcher to try and stop the tit. Then it all closes with this hilarious idea of what happens during sex as it’s all controlled by a guy in a NASA-like control center with a switchboard guy (Burt Reynolds) as they all go on a mission for the sex to be successful. The way Allen presents these stories into different genres and in different frames allows him to stretch his creativity as he creates a very funny and intelligent film about sex.

Cinematographer David M. Walsh does an excellent job with the photography that is very colorful for a lot of the sequences while giving the Aphrodisiacs segment a lush look while the Perversion sketch a very grainy black-and-white look. Editor Eric Albertson does a superb job with the editing as it’s presented in a straightforward manner while playing to certain rhythms for certain sketches such as the Orgasm and Ejaculation segments.

Production designer Dale Hennesy and set decorator Marvin March do a great job with the set pieces created such as giant boob in the Research segment along with the control room in the Ejaculation segment. Sound editor John Strauss does a nice job with the sound work to capture the chaos of the control room in the Ejaculation segment while the rest of the film is pretty straightforward. The film’s score by Mundell Lowe is wonderful as it plays to different music styles from medieval folk music for the Aphrodisiacs to more ragtime jazz music throughout as the film opens and closes with Cole Porter’s Let’s Misbehave.

The casting by Marvin Paige is wonderful as it features appearances from Robert Q. Lewis, Pamela Mason, Toni Holt, and a young Regis Philbin as contestants in the Perversion sketch with Jack Barry playing himself and Erin Fleming as the girl in the Ejaculation segment. Other notable small roles include Anthony Quayle as a king and Geoffrey Holder as a sorcerer in the Aphrodisiacs scene along with Titos Vandis as the Armenian man and Elaine Giftos as the doctor’s wife in the Sodomy segment. From the Ejaculation segment, there’s funny appearances from Tony Randall as the control room operator along with Burt Reynolds as the switchboard guy while John Carradine is very funny as Dr. Bernardo in the Research segment along with Ref Sanchez as Igor.

Heather MacRae is very good as the journalist in the Research segment who falls for the young researcher while Lynn Redgrave is very funny as the Queen who takes the aphrodisiac with a big surprise of her own in the Aphrodisiac segment. Allen regular Louise Lasser is excellent as the very sexy Gina in the Orgasm segment while Lou Jacobi is really a joy to watch as the man dressing up in women’s clothing in the Transsexual segment. Gene Wilder is great in a hilarious performance as the doctor who falls for a sheep in the Sodomy segment. Finally, there’s Woody Allen who is amazing in his varied roles for the films as he plays up his own nebbish persona in the segments he appears such as the cool Fabrizio in the Orgasm section while being a sperm in the Ejaculation scene.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a very witty and whimsical comedy from Woody Allen. The film is among one of Allen’s most absurd and entertaining films of his early period from the late 60s and early 70s. It’s also a film for anyone that is curious about sex will get to see something that is presented with humor and doesn’t dumb things down. Even though the subject of homosexuality and transvestitism is much more complex nowadays and more accepted than it was back in the 1970s. Still, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a fun and riotous comedy from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily? - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011