The Producers (1968)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Hollywood Never Faced a Zanier Zero Hour!

Plot:

Producers Max Bialystock (Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Wilder) make money by producing a sure-fire flop.

Plot Keywords:

Hitler | Theatrical Producer | Accountant | Empire State Building New York City | Hot Dog Stand

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Zero Mostel	...	Max Bialystock (as Zero)
Gene Wilder	...	Leo Bloom
Dick Shawn	...	'L.S.D.' - Lorenzo St. DuBois
Kenneth Mars	...	Franz Liebkind
Lee Meredith	...	Ulla
Christopher Hewett	...	Roger De Bris
Andréas Voutsinas	...	Carmen Ghia (as Andreas Voutsinas)
Estelle Winwood	...	'Hold Me Touch Me'
Renée Taylor	...	Eva Braun (as Renee Taylor)
David Patch	...	Goebbels
William Hickey	...	The Drunk (as Bill Hickey)
Barney Martin	...	Göring
Shimen Ruskin	...	The Landlord
Frank Campanella	...	The Bartender
Josip Elic	...	Violinist

Also Known As:

Springtime for Hitler (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:G (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Canada:14A | France:U | Ireland:G | New Zealand:PG | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Broadway Theatre - 1681 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Crossbow Productions

Trivia:

The reason the film got released at all was due to the intervention of Peter Sellers. After Brooks completed the picture, he was told by Executive Producer Joseph E. Levine that the film, which was then called "Springtime for Hitler", would not be released; Levine thought it was in poor taste and not very funny. While Sellers was in Hollywood making I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968), he liked to have films screened for his friends and himself for entertainment. One night this film was screened and Sellers loved it. When he heard it would not be released he began calling Levine and eventually convinced him to release it, the only compromise being that the title of the film be changed to "The Producers".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene when Max and Leo are trying to talk Roger De Bris into directing "Spring Time for Hitler," Roger's personal assistant, Carmen Ghia places a wig on Roger's head to complete his costume for the choreographer's ball. As the scene cuts back and forth from wide shots to close ups of Roger while he is speaking, the bangs of his wig alternate between being off and on his forehead.

Quotes:

Leo Bloom: [after a fight with Max] I'm sorry I called you "Fat, fat, fat".

Movie Connections:

References City Lights (1931)

Soundtrack:

Flying Down To Rio

Mel Brooks' amazingly hilarious debut as a director

This Mel Brooks' directorial debut is still after ten movies he directed afterwards one of his very greatest, cleverest and wittiest comedies ever. It's a masterpiece and perhaps the funniest film of the late 60's. Merely the basic idea of "The Producers" is already hilarious enough. Theatrical producer Max Bialystock (played irresistibly by splendid Zero Mostel) finds out that with a bit of dishonesty the producer could actually make more money with a flop than he could with a hit. In order to make this scheme reality he teams up with his new friend Leo Bloom (always terrific Gene Wilder) and starts to look for the worst play ever written.

They end up choosing a play called "Springtime for Hitler" - highly questionable musical written by a fanatic Nazi jerk Franz Liebkind, a lunatic German nutcase who never seems to take off his helmet. Of course they also hire the worst and the most ungifted man they can find to direct the play, quite a personality Roger De Bris - a bloke who just seems to like wearing dresses. Naturally they find an old hippie Lorenzo Saint Dubois (or just LSD to friends) to play the part of Adolf Hitler. They are ready to vouch for the fact that the play is going to be as catastrophical as it possible can be. If all this sounds funny that's because it simply is so damn funny, in many scenes even hysterically funny.

Finally the play "Springtime for Hitler" starts out with a shocking song and the dubious lyrics contains parts like "Springtime for Hitler and Germany, Winter for Poland and France" and "Bombs falling from the skies again, Deutschland is on the rise again". I have to give you a serious warning. Want it or not, this foolish little song is annoyingly catchy so the possibility that it will stick in your head and you still hum or sing it few days later is always there and you can imagine where it could lead. Script is so ingenious it's basically a work of art and acting is widely spectacular. Zero Mostel is marvelous and master comedian Gene Wilder's performance once again extremely convincing ("I don't like people touching my blue blanket").

Kenneth Mars was an exquisite choice to play the part of the Nazi jackass Liebkind and Christopher Hewett handles the role of the director Roger De Bris enjoyably ("That whole third act just got to go. They're losing the war...it's too depressing!"). Dick Shawn is also superb in the role of LSD, one the best moments of the film was when he performed the unexpectedly humorous song "Love power" (great parody of a typical hippie, especially considering that "The Producers" was released in 1968). Overall "The Producers" is a magnificent comedy, a masterpiece that just gets better every time you watch it. At least I can't help of loving a movie that makes the Nazis look ridiculous.