We wore out two VHS tapes of this, hopefully the DVD lasts longer :). Has to be my husband's favorite movie of all time.

What talent performed in this film! Zero Mostel, brilliant in everything he did, is - no surprise - brilliant once again. Gene Wilder is a perfect foil for him, clutching his blue blanky while Bialystock(an absurd monicker, obviously from the head of Mel Brooks)manipulates him in stentorian tones. The movie ridicules the absurdity of theatrical people, and in this way, Brooks achieves additional humor through subtle self-deprecation. The tastelessness of the production in question is so completely outrageous that Brooks gets away with might have been considered anti-semitic self-flagellation. It reminds one of the Seinfeld episode when the comment, "not that there's anything wrong with it," allowed the writers to suggest impropiety in the homosexual lifestyle at a time when such a message was politically incorrect.
"The Producers" is probably more intelligent than Brooks ever intended it to be, but that is to the benefit of all who see it. On any level it is a laugh out loud experience to see both for the content of the story and the talent of the cast.

Mel Brooks made a typically noisy directorial debut with this joyously insane comedy which dares to affront its audiences with crookedness & crassness. I imagine by the way this film comes across, it made quite an impact with 1968 audiences, and its loony storyline continues to entertain audiences today (i.e., the smash Broadway musical & its film adaptation). Brooks originally intended it as a novel, but then it just didn't work out, and the piece morphed from stage play to screenplay. Lucky for us!
The pairing of the late Zero Mostel & screen newcomer Gene Wilder was a casting match made in heaven. No one goes into hysterics quite like Wilder, and Mostel is a wondrous force of nature who blows through the picture. The two played off each other beautifully. The great comic actors Kenneth Mars & the late Dick Shawn were nothing less than perfection in their roles of the nutty German playwright & the hippie-ish actor L.S.D., miscast (on purpose) as Hitler, respectively (the latter's audition selection of the song "Love Power" is really something else). And the shots of stunned, shocked faces of the audience during the "Springtime for Hitler" opener is an unforgettable comedy moment.
I saw the recent Nathan Lane-Matthew Broderick starring remake of "The Producers" movie, so it was interesting to compare the two films. My opinion? The latter is a more fully realized production from the original. But few films can match the sheer comic energy of the original. It remains an offbeat classic, an indication that Brooks was just beginning to unleash his comic talents on us...fortunately!

It had been years since we first saw this film, and having seen a few clips recently decided we had to own it, to enjoy the great humor. The Matthew Broderick film, while good, was a far cry from Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. You will laugh and laugh at Mel Brooks' outrageous humor.

We also ordered Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein to have as part of our film library.

Lola, Los Angeles

I was kidding about giving the movie one star. It really deserves five stars, I just wanted you to read my review. It worked. I have never laughed harder, not even from a Mel Brooks movie, though YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN came close. This is not just hilarious, it's imaginative. It must be hard to make a very imaginative fantasy, but I think it's just as hard to make a movie this imaginative that exists in the real world. It's also pure fun, like all of Brooks' other movies. It has a real heart, and it's wonderfully acted. Zero Mostel, especially Gene Wilder, and the supporting cast are excellent. I also want to mention the ending had me cheering, and just made me happy. The hilarious script won an Oscar as Best Original Screenplay.