Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Blazing Saddles
1974
***
Director: Mel Brooks
Cast: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks, Slim Pickens, Burton Gilliam, Alex Karras, David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman

In 1874, a corrupt politician hopes to profit from the arrival of the railroad. In order to drive away the racist townsfolk of Rock Ridge, he appoints a black man as the town's sheriff. Mel Brooks' irreverent parody features some great performances (Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, and Harvey Korman), but it is a bit of a hit and miss in terms of gags and pacing. While Brooks ridicules racists in one scene, he makes a homophobic joke in the next. The fourth-wall-breaking ending is wacky and memorable. Ironically, this is still one of the highest grossing Westerns of all time.