Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1342 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English, Yiddish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Mel Brooks scored his first commercial hit with this raucous Western spoof starring the late Cleavon Little as the newly hired (and conspicuously black) sheriff of Rock Ridge. Sheriff Bart teams up with deputy Jim (Gene Wilder) to foil the railroad-building scheme of the nefarious Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman). The simple plot is just an excuse for a steady stream of gags, many of them unabashedly tasteless, that Brooks and his wacky cast pull off with side-splitting success. The humour is so juvenile and crude that you just have to surrender to it; highlights abound, from Alex Karras as the ox-riding Mongo to Madeline Kahn's uproarious send-up of Marlene Dietrich as saloon songstress Lili Von Shtupp. Adding to the comedic excess is the infamous campfire scene involving a bunch of hungry cowboys, heaping servings of baked beans and, well, you get the idea. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
A hilarious, madcap spoof of nearly every Hollywood Western convention, BLAZING SADDLES turns racism on its ear at every turn. When the sheriff of a small frontier town is killed, convict Bart (Cleavon Little) is appointed the first black sheriff of the all-white Rock Ridge by the evil Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) in a plot to chase the townspeople from their homes. The naive Sheriff Bart soon realizes from the less-than-cheery welcome that the townspeople (who all seem to be named Johnson) aren't prepared for a black sheriff and that he was never meant to succeed at all. Enlisting the sensitive town drunk (Gene Wilder), formerly the Waco Kid, Bart embarks on a plan to help save Rock Ridge. A scathing spoof that deals with racism, sexism, and bodily functions, BLAZING SADDLES offers a contrast between picture and words that is shocking, subversive, and hysterical. Director Mel Brooks makes two memorable appearances as both the sleazy governor and a Yiddish-speaking Sioux Indian chief, while Madeline Kahn does a sidesplitting Marlene Dietrich imitation as the town floozy-entertainer. Featuring fabulous comic turns also by Alex Karras, Slim Pickens, and the aformentioned Little, Brooks, Korman, and Wilder, BLAZING SADDLES is one of the raunchiest, funniest, and lovable films ever made.

Customer Reviews

Timeless Genius!!
Just to say that I could watch this film seven days a week and I could never tire of it! It is is just simply a piece of cinematic genius in its own way and will hopefully live on forever despite people like Mr Hutton getting rather carried away in his review and taking the film to be literal in it's "racism" etc! May I suggest that he needs a long calming holiday and to get an open mind and a sense of humour. Everyone else I know that has seen this film,both BLACK and WHITE has understood the intended controversial humour and irony.Quite simply a must have for anyones dvd collection!!

The funniest film ever made
This is quite simply the funniest film that has ever been made. It is an absolute riot from start to finish. Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little are excellent but Harvey Korman steals the show for me as the hilarious Hedley ("That's HEDLEY!!!") Lamarr.

An audio commentary from Mr Brooks is all that is missing from the DVD.

One of brooks' finest films
I only watched this film because my best friend is a Mel Brooks fanatic and after seeing 'Men In Tights' previously I didn't have high hopes. To my delight it turned out to be one of the freshest and most engaging comedies I've seen in ages even though it may have been released 28 years ago. Gene Wilder is brilliant as the Waco Kid and Cleavon Little gives a great performance as the 'black sheriff'. I challenge you not to watch this film with a smile on your face from start to finish, purely because of the great performances by all of the cast and the wonderful humour of Brooks.