Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5069 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Hindi
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The film-of-the-musical-of-the-film, The Producers unites the hit Broadway pairing of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, drafts in Uma Thurman, and somewhere along the way loses half the fun that made the original movie and the Broadway show such a success.

Under the watchful eye of creator Mel Brooks, this may be a musical version but it tells the same tale--two men stumble across a great way to make money, by putting on a Broadway flop. So off they go to devise the most offensive, sure-fire failure, only to see their creation--Springtime For Hitler--become the town’s hot ticket.

While there’s undoubtedly some fun to be had here, and Lane and Broderick are clearly have a great time in their roles, there are a couple of key problems with The Producers. Firstly, and most crucially, is the staid direction. This very much feels like a camera was placed in front of a stage, and it hurts the film a lot. Secondly, the wonderful energy of Mel Brooks’ original movie is sadly lacking, and at no time does this no version threaten to be an equal to its predecessor.

And yet there are winning moments, some good laughs, and a gentle couple of hours of entertainment. Yet the key attraction is clearly a chance for the majority who never got to see Lane and Broderick treading the boards in their acclaimed performances before, and for many, that rightly justifies the asking price. You just can’t help wishing the film around them was a little better, though.--Simon Brew

Synopsis
This remake of Mel Brooks' 1968 film features Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the roles that they originated in the smash Broadway adaptation of the original film. Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Lane) is famous for his spectacular opening night flops. Leopold Bloom (Broderick) is an uptight accountant who virtually discovers gold while reviewing Max's books. When Leo realises that you can actually make more money with a flop than with a hit, the two team up and begin a search for both the worst script and the worst director they can find to ensure failure. The script selection seems easy when the duo stumble upon SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER, an homage to the Fuhrer penned by Franz Liebkind (Will Ferrell), a German sympathetic to the Nazi cause. Convinced that the script will incite outrage, the duo needs a bad director to seal the deal. Campy director Roger DeBris (Gary Beach) and his assistant (Roger Bart) fit the bill perfectly. But when their scheme fails, Max and Leo find themselves with the worst possible outcome: a hit. To make matters worse, Franz is just a little peeved that Hitler was depicted disrespectfully and he has a gun. Will Max and Leo survive the playwright's wrath? Will they go to jail for cooking the books? And will Leo ever submit to the advances of sexy Swedish receptionist/actress Ulla (Uma Thurman)? Directed by stage director Susan Stroman, making her feature film directorial debut, this riotous romp features lots of laughs from the major players, as well as brief appearances by Jon Lovitz, Michael McKean, and Richard Kind. Lane and Broderick make it easy to understand why the show was an unprecedented hit on Broadway, and Ferrell is a scene-stealer as Liebkind.

Customer Reviews

BOINNNGGGG! Yes it's Springtime for Hitler!
What a fantastic idea! Making more money from a show that bombs than from a successful one. The question being what show is guaranteed to flop. Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) and Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) find that show - Franz Leibkind's "Springtime for Hitler", a Third Reich Romp. "The Producers" charts their progress in finding the show and putting it on.

The story though is not new as Mel Brooks made the original (non-musical) back in 1968 with Zero Mostel (Bialystock) and Gene Wilder (Bloom). Having been a fan of the original, I wondered about the whole remake culture and how generally remakes suck. That having been said, I first went and saw "The Producers" in London's West End and saw a revitalised but still very recognisable romp with the best production number of "Springtime for Hitler" that I've ever seen. I had a great time, but returning to the DVD, the first thing that struck me was that the run was truncated and the second number of the show relagated to the Deleted Scenes section of the disc. Disappointing.

For the rest of the movie I suppose I felt two things:
(1) - Wow a fantastic job Corey English and Reece Shearsmith did on stage when compared to Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the movie, and..
(2) - Some of the gags and songs fall kind of flat without the atmosphere of the theatre and the live audience.

Nevertheless the 2005 release of the updated musical version of the original has some inspired performances and wonderful set pieces. Specifically noteworthy are Will Ferrell as Franz Leibkind and Desperate Housewives' Roger Bart as Carmen Ghia.

Stage shows always have their difficulties in moving to the silver screen and "The Producers (2005)" is no exception, however, in my opinion it still works. The DVD extras, especially the out takes are hilarious, and make sure that you watch the credits all the way through for the very last song.

While watching, make sure you have your blue blankie handy just in case!

One of the funniest films I have seen in a while
Although I have never seen the stage musical that this is based on, or the film that is based on for that matter, I do really like the film. The Producers has Broadway producer Max Bialystock and bored accountant Leopold Bloom team up to make millions by putting on the worst show the world has ever seen but things inevitably go wrong.

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick take the lead roles that they had in the stage version and produce a great performance in the film, although at it does seem that it takes a while for them to get into their roles for some reason but once the film gets going you should start to enjoy their performance. Uma Thurman is brilliant and beautiful as always and although I am not that much of a Will Ferrell fan I must say that he dose give a brilliant performance. I also laughed out loud when I noticed John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood) as the lead tenor in the `Springtime for Hitler' musical. I can understand why fans of the original would dislike the film but I must say that I for one really enjoy it.

"The cast is great, the script is swell"
Being a projectionist I see a lot of bad films! but The Producers was one of 2005 greatest next to Kong and Narnia. I was already a huge fan of the original and the Stage version but when I read Principle photography has begun on the new musical film of The Producers I was counting down the days!

As I was putting the film in the projector for my own little screening I was hoping it was going to meet my expectations and it did! Its everything it should be, Nathan Lane is fantastic pouring so much energy into his performance as do the rest of the cast. The musical numbers are brilliant especially "I wanna be a Producer" and Betrayed".

It is a shame that "The King of Broadway" and "Where did we go Right?" songs where cut but this was obviously due to running time issues. All in all The Producers is a fantastic film. If you see it and don’t find it entertaining in any way, I urge you to SEEK HELP! Or in the words of the last song , “If you think it stinks keep your big mouth shut!”