The Producers (1968) - 7 stars out of 10

The Producers (1968) - 7 stars out of 10

Mel Brooks walks the narrow line between offensive and hilarious with his film, "The Producers."  I prefer the musical version because it's what I am used to, but seeing the original 1968 film version shows me that it is the genius story (and not the musical numbers) that give this film such an amazing punch.  As expected, the funniest sequence of the film is the "Springtime for Hitler" stage scene.  The dropped jaws of the audience members are hilarious as the show is so tasteless that it's wonderful.  Zero Mostel is great as the swindling Max Bialystock (even though I don't like him as much as Nathan Lane in this role) and provides laughs from start to finish.  Other great performances include Kenneth Mars as the Hitler-loving Franz Liebkind and Dick Shawn for his interpretation of  a Hippie Hitler on-stage; however, the highlight of this film is unquestionably Gene Wilder.  His performance feels candid and erratic as every line is delivered over the top.  The blue blanket scene is one of the most hysterically strange scenes in the world and his constant anxiety is very amusing.  This movie is simple and thrives on its brevity, delivering a hilarious sequence of unfortunate events and then ending on a high note.  Brooks elevated this story to a new level of humor (and offensiveness) by turning it into a musical in 2001, but this bare-bones version is still a joy to watch as Wilder goes over the top.