Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Most people have probably at least heard of The Producers, a very funny movie that Mel Brooks made in 1968. I actually only saw this movie for the first time a few years ago on television. I’ve since seen the movie several times and recently picked up the DVD.

Max Bialystock was a Broadway producer that romanced little old ladies to get the money for his shows. One day when Leo Bloom, an accountant, was going over the books, he made an observation that a producer could actually make more money with a flop than a hit if they raised more money than was really needed. When the show quickly closed, the investors wouldn’t have to be paid back. Max loved the idea and convinced the nervous Leo to go along with it. They found what they thought was the worst play ever written, Springtime for Hitler. It was written by Franz Liebkind, a man that seemed unbalanced and who was still devoted to Hitler. Max romanced many old ladies, ultimately selling 25,000% of the profits. He felt that Roger De Bris would be perfect to direct because all of his previous shows closed quickly. Roger was rather eccentric and after accepting the job decided that the play needed music and dancing girls dressed as storm troopers. The man cast as Hitler, Lorenzo St. DuBois (LSD to his friends) was even more eccentric. Max and Leo were shocked when things didn’t work out like they had planned on opening night. They quickly started plotting some way to get out of the mess they were in.

The Producers was a very funny movie that makes me laugh every time I watch it. Leo was very nervous and got hysterical a few times. His fits were very amusing, especially when his blue blanket was involved. Max and Leo had several funny exchanges throughout the movie. Roger and Lorenzo added humor in their scenes as well. Franz seemed to still be a follower of Hitler and acted nuts most of the time. Most of the characters acted at least a little bit unbalanced part of the time which did add to the comedy. Some of the scenes from Springtime for Hitler, along with the reaction of the audience, were shown which also added humor to the movie. Several things that happened were silly, but I thought that worked for the movie. There was a scene in a tiny elevator that cracks me up every time I see it. The movie could be too silly for some viewers. When a movie is about putting on a play called Springtime for Hitler and made by Mel Brooks, people have to expect some silliness. The movie was poking fun at Hitler and things he did, so that aspect may not go over well with anyone that actually survived that period of history. Some of the jokes were aimed at certain groups and could offend viewers, though they do seem tame compared to what is done today. When the movie was first released, those things were considered much more controversial.

The Producers was written and directed by Mel Brooks and is considered by many people to be a classic comedy. This was the first movie that Brooks made and he has gone on to make several other screwy comedies. I’ve enjoyed all of his movies that I’ve seen, including ones that some people don’t care for. Some of them are much sillier than others, which may be why they aren’t considered to be as good. It did take Brooks a while to get the movie made and then actually released. He originally intended for the title of the movie to be Springtime for Hitler, but had to change it to get a studio to release it. Mel Brooks did win the Oscar for best original screenplay and the movie received other nominations. In 2001, Brooks turned the movie into a Broadway musical that went on to win a record twelve Tony awards. A new movie version starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, the stars of the Broadway musical, was released late in 2005. I haven’t seen that version yet since it didn’t come to the theater here in town. I still want to see it.

Max and Leo were the main characters in The Producers. Both of them were in most of the scenes. Max had a few scenes without Leo, usually when he was romancing one of the little old ladies. Leo first mentioned the idea, not intending to actually do it, and then Max grabbed it and ran. The idea of all that money motivated Max and he was able to convince Leo to do it. Leo was very nervous and a bit uptight at first. As the movie continued, he got more relaxed, though he still had a fit or two later in the movie. Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder were great in the parts and worked very well together. They each had some spots where they went a bit overboard. That worked for the characters and the movie though, so it didn’t bother me at all. Ulla was the beautiful young woman that Max hired to be a secretary. She couldn’t speak much English and spent most of her time dancing around the office. I think she was there just to be eye candy. Lee Meredith was fine in the part.

Franz said many things that indicated that he’d actually known Hitler and still missed him. He always wore a helmet like he was still in the war and he raised pigeons. The man was a few crayons short of a full box. Kenneth Mars fit the part really well. I recently found out that Dustin Hoffman was originally hired for the part and he pulled out because he was cast in The Graduate. I’m not sure how he would have handled the part, but I do think it would have been interesting to see. Lorenzo acted like he was high most of the time and did some strange things. He wore a can of soup on a chain like a necklace. He did a lot of overacting as Hitler that managed to work. His box was short some crayons too. Dick Shaw was great in the part. Renee Taylor, who played Sylvia Fine on The Nanny, had a small part as Eva Braun during Springtime for Hitler. Roger and his assistant Carmen Ghia said and did some things that made it seem like they might be gay without that being said for sure. Christopher Hewitt and Andreas Voutsinas were good in the parts. Mel Brooks recorded one of the lines for the opening number in Springtime for Hitler.

CAST

Christopher Hewitt - Roger De Bris
Kenneth Mars - Franz Liebkind
Lee Meredith - Ulla
Zero Mostel - Max Bialystock
Dick Shaw - Lorenzo St. Du Bois
Renee Taylor - Eva Braun
Andreas Voutsinas - Carmen Ghia
Gene Wilder - Leo Bloom

Mel Brooks - Writer and Director

The Producers is available on DVD. A new deluxe edition was recently released. That is the version I bought. It has the widescreen and full screen versions of the movie. There are two discs, one of the movie and the second for the extras. There was a documentary on the making of the movie that included some of the cast and crew talking about the experience. There was one alternate scene shown and a preview of the new movie version. I did enjoy watching the documentary.

The Producers was a very funny, entertaining movie that I enjoy every time I watch it. Fans of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder should give the movie a chance.




Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD