Change Your Image
esdavis
Reviews
The Producers (1967)
Mel's Best Film? *contains spoilers*
Mel Brook's has always been a favorite director of mine, not because I believe him to be a genius, but because 90% of his work is side-splittingly hilarious. Only after seeing The Producers, Mel's first film, did I realize how much of an impressive director he is. Not only is the movie wildly amusing, it's perhaps the one of the most well written farces of all time. It certainly is Mel's most skillfully written film, possibly surpassed only by 1974's Young Frankenstein.
Max Bialystock (Mostel) is a washed up New York producer whose last attempts to fund his business involve the seducing of elderly women. All seems lost, until his neurotic accountant (Wilder) gives him an idea. After raising millions of dollars for a play that is a sure-fire flop, they can keep the remaining funds when it tanks on opening night. The two quickly develop an outlandish friendship and rummage around for the most appalling play they can find. Salvation is found in what seems to be the crudest play of all time, `Springtime For Hitler'. After recruiting an abnormal director, and the worst actors ever to grace the stage, Max and Leo assume they've closed the deal. There's only one problem `Springtime For Hitler' turns out to be a hit.
Gene Wilder received an Oscar nomination for his work as Leo Bloom, and it was completely deserved. His quirky antics as the nervous accountant easily stand the test of time, providing a character that's very pleasurable. On the other end of the spectrum, Zero Mostel was a gluttonous, self-centered, greedy shmuck whose schemes never acquiesce, even in prison. In other words, he was superb. No one else could have fit the huge, in more ways than one, role of Max Bialystock. Highly amusing characters makeup the rest of the cast, from Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars) as the sadistic author of Springtime For Hitler, to Ulla (Lee Meredith) Max and Leo's slightly under-qualified secretary. Every supporting actor gives a top-notch performance in The Producers.
The screenplay is fantastic for a comedy of this kind. The character interaction is brilliant, especially between Zero and Gene. The scenes were a little choppy, and the picture didn't have the blazing fast pace later Brook's films provided. Brook's himself, wrote the songs including `Springtime For Hitler', proving that his writing talents are slightly superior to his directing abilities. He won the Oscar for best original screenplay, but wasn't nominated for best director. Still, this movie is nothing to complain about. It's drop dead hilarious, extremely witty, and a must see for anyone who loves a brilliant laugh-fest. B
The FBI Story (1959)
Overlooked, but still great!!! (*contains spoilers*)
Have you ever felt like your being watched, like someone keeps tabs on every move you make? Well, just remember before you decide to break the law, the FBI will always be there. At least that's the feeling you get after watching the gripping but slightly mellow crime drama, The FBI story. It traces the roots of the organization from a small bureau to one of the most modern facilities in the world (in 1959), by telling the story through they eyes of one of its agents, Chip Hardesty (James Stewart).
Chip was with the FBI from day one, and he gladly puts his job above everything else in the world, even occasionally his family. The FBI Story tracks his life by depicting what he does as an agent, and how being one affects his personal life. The film does a spectacular job of showing what kind of cases the FBI handles and how they handle them. The audience gets to see Chip stop Ku Klux Klan riots, go undercover to solve an Indian murder/estate scandal, bring fugitives into custody, rescue hostages, and helped fight in WWII. He even helped bring Communist spies to justice.
Stewart, in a vaguely complex performance, is stellar (as always) as the slightly neurotic agent who loves his job maybe a little too much. One of the best parts about this film is that we get to see the inside workings of both Chip's family life and his job. We witness him suffer through the death of his best friend and then his son. We also observe his wife having a miscarriage, and his marriage having rocky times. Almost all of his personal problems are caused by love of his job. Vera Miles gives a spotty performance, but it's very convincing, none the less. She was never a brilliant actress, but there was always something very attractive and alluring about her. Well maybe that's just me? Sadly, none of the other performances are worth mentioning, but the attention-grabbing story managed to keep me exceedingly interested.
The cinematography of this film was impressive, especially the scenes in the South American jungles. The colors all had a texture that really set the atmosphere of the film. Perhaps the greatest part of this movie was Mervyn Leroy's fabulous direction. Every scene was so fluid they just rolled together to tell a brilliant story. It's chock full of ingenious camera shots, some with a very Hitchcockian feel.
All in all, The FBI Story is a spectacular, but overlooked film. Clocking in at two and a half hours some viewers might be intimidated, but if you get the chance I recommend jumping into this one. I enjoyed Jimmy Stewart's spectacular performance, and the captivating story.