I wish I could put ten stars in my rating of this wonderful film. However I feel I'd be doing the ratings and readers an injustice, by doing so.
I was a kid when I saw, "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," in the early 1970's. It became my favorite comedy film of all time, then. I laughed so very hard that my gut hurt the rest of the day. Whenever I heard that the film would be shown on TV, I'd try to clear everything from my childhood schedule to watch it.
I watched it just now, and the same laughs simply weren't there anymore. I simply grew up. I'm not panning this film, but it's impossible to ignore the era from where the film was produced. There are some scenes with African Americans present, in which the slapstick is made with reference to race. It put a damper on my enthusiasm, even while I understand that any film becomes a bit of an historical reference to mirror its era.
With regard to the climax of the film, I found myself forcing some laughs, as though I felt compelled to show that the scenes were still funny. At that moment, watching the scene at the abandoned building, I couldn't help but think about the children of today. And a sadness crept over me for a moment. Mad World is slowly withering, because the youngsters of today have no idea who Buster Keaton was, or Buddy Hackett, or perhaps all of those wonderful stars that made cameo appearances throughout the film. As a kid, I could instantly identify with almost every star that appeared, from Jimmy Durante in the opening scene, to Joe E. Brown, the official screaming in the crowd near the end of the film. That made it so much easier to be in the moment as each cameo popped up. I felt great about knowing them, which added to my enjoyment.
Today, what kids recognize Uncle Milty? Don Knotts? Jack Benny or the Three Stooges? Even the clean slapstick is a thing of the past, just like films that are rated G, like this one. But it was still nice to see those actors pop in for their cameos, because their memories still live on, for now.
I was a kid when I saw, "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," in the early 1970's. It became my favorite comedy film of all time, then. I laughed so very hard that my gut hurt the rest of the day. Whenever I heard that the film would be shown on TV, I'd try to clear everything from my childhood schedule to watch it.
I watched it just now, and the same laughs simply weren't there anymore. I simply grew up. I'm not panning this film, but it's impossible to ignore the era from where the film was produced. There are some scenes with African Americans present, in which the slapstick is made with reference to race. It put a damper on my enthusiasm, even while I understand that any film becomes a bit of an historical reference to mirror its era.
With regard to the climax of the film, I found myself forcing some laughs, as though I felt compelled to show that the scenes were still funny. At that moment, watching the scene at the abandoned building, I couldn't help but think about the children of today. And a sadness crept over me for a moment. Mad World is slowly withering, because the youngsters of today have no idea who Buster Keaton was, or Buddy Hackett, or perhaps all of those wonderful stars that made cameo appearances throughout the film. As a kid, I could instantly identify with almost every star that appeared, from Jimmy Durante in the opening scene, to Joe E. Brown, the official screaming in the crowd near the end of the film. That made it so much easier to be in the moment as each cameo popped up. I felt great about knowing them, which added to my enjoyment.
Today, what kids recognize Uncle Milty? Don Knotts? Jack Benny or the Three Stooges? Even the clean slapstick is a thing of the past, just like films that are rated G, like this one. But it was still nice to see those actors pop in for their cameos, because their memories still live on, for now.