Finally. At last I get to talk about my favourite comedic filmaker. This is it guys, now I get to talk about Mel Brooks during June Jokefest. For the first time at least because, trust me, we'll be seeing quite a bit more of Mr. Brooks before June Jokefest is through. I mean, he's made so many of my favourite comedies, including my all time favourite, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So to celebrate the maser of parody, let's talk about one of his lesser known films, Silent Movie. I find it weird how much this film seems to slide under people's radar. Why? I'm not sure actually. Maybe because it's tonally different to most of his other films? Maybe because it's silent? Oh yeah, this is a silent film. Well, the only word spoken in the film is said by a mime. The plot here is that Mel Funn is a fantastic director, but is recovering from a drinking problem and he plans to save the studio by making a silent movie. He's aided by Dom Bell and Marty Eggs in his epic quest to get this film made.
The fact that Mel Brooks actually stars in this film means more than you might think. See before this film, Brooks mainly just had cameo roles, like in The Twelve Chairs and Blazing Saddles. But here, he plays the main character, Mel Funn. I mean, I'll put it like this. Brooks, who had only cameo-ed in his own films up to now, was making a silent comedy film in the 1970s. The fact that this DIDN'T go wrong is outstanding. The fact that it's as good as it is, well that's almost unbelievable. But hey, no time like the present to look at this film and all the risks it took, so let's talk about Silent Movie!
The comedy here is almost purely visual, so it helps that Brooks has a natural penchant for visual comedy. He works spectacularly off of Dom DeLuise and Marty Feldman (and Marty Feldman's eyes). The setups are always incredibly silly, and the punchlines even more so, but that gives the film this distinct charm. It's always outdoing itself with absurd visual gags, from slapstick, to surreal imagery, to playing with the medium (like adding deliberately unfitting sound effects, or that joke with the mime I was talking about earlier.), it's all here and Brooks throws everything at you to make you laugh, and he makes it work, like he usually does. It's perhaps the silliest film I've talked about during June Jokefest so far, because of the sheer lack of sense in this movie. Everything works off of Mel Brooks logic. Not subtle, not cerebral, but it doesn't need to be. It's stupid, joyful fun. And emphasis on that joyful part, by the way.
I love the way the movie portrays the film industry. Unlike say, The Producers, which portrays people in the entertainment industry as greedy, moneygrubbing hacks, Silent Movie takes a different approach. Okay, yeah, the film does admittedly highlight a lot of the more superficial aspects of the filmmkaing industry, especially when Gulf + Wester- I mean Engulf & Devour try to take over the studio, but for me the film always had this good natured charm about it too. I think the film mainly portrays studios in an unflattering manner, but it's impossible to ignore the sheer glee of Silent Movie as Funn comes closer to making his film. The scenes at the end especially when Funn and co. are in the theater are just so joyful. It's one of those movies that reminds me what movies are, and what they can do. It's got this incredible feelgood effect, one where, when Funn succeeds, you kind of feel like you've accomplished something too. It never fails to put a massive grin on my face whenever I watch it.
And here's something else. THE CAST. Holy shit, the cast. Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minelli, Anne Bancroft and Paul Newman. Yes, Butch Cassidy himself is in this film. The cameoes here are endless, and result in some top notch gags. The shower scene with Burt Reynolds never fails to get a laugh out of me. I refuse to spoil it, just watch it for yourself. I will admit to never being too big a fan of Liza Minelli's cameo though. The joke just goes on for WAY too long for my liking. There's only so much mileage you can get out of "Funn, Bell and Eggs keep falling over each other over and over." I'm sorry, but it gets old quick.
That aside, this movie is awesome. It's funny, it's charming, and I'd honestly call it underrated. And I'm using that word correctly, before anyone says anything. It's Brooks not at his best (there's no Nazi satire to be seen here.), but it's still a film that I wholeheartedly recommend you track down. It's a movie about movies, which isn't exactly rare, but I don't think many other films have illustrated the pure power of cinema in-universe like this one. It's a lot of fun, it's absolutely hilarious, and it's just such a happy film. Go watch it if you haven't. It definitely deserves more love than it gets.
And now for a small break from June Jokefest. I will be back though, with my Top Five Favourite Monty Python's Flying Circus Sketches though, so look forward to that, and I'll see you in a bit!
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