Movie Review: The Producers (1967) · 10:59pm Jun 8th, 2018
The movie that launched Mel Brooks' career, and one of his most popular, The Producers is a classic of American comedy.
I had the special fortune of watching this movie on the big screen, thanks to a special event at one of the movie theaters in Bristol, Tennessee. Every month they show a classic movie, and for the month of June it was The Producers. 
My dad and I made an evening to drive out and catch a showing, and had a grand time. XD
With that out of the way, onto the review!
The movie opens on the character of once-great Broadway producer Max Bialystok (played by Zero Mostel), who has been reduced to a greedy, hand-to-mouth existence of romancing wealthy old ladies to finance his next play. In a fast-paced and hilarious opening sequence (which frames the opening credits so that each screenshot captures Max's expression at the most wild moment XD) we see Max go about his business of sending off one lover, greeting another, and finally meeting his fearful and hysterics-prone new accountant Leo Bloom (played to perfection by Gene Wilder).
While going over Max's books, Leo discovers a two-thousand dollar discrepancy, which Max persuades him to cover up. While shuffling numbers on this case of small-scale fraud, Leo idly has a revelation that - under the right circumstances - a flop of a play could make its producer MORE money than a hit. (Basically, by overselling shares in a play that flops, the producer can pocket the money, because nobody would audit the books of a production that is seen to have lost money.)
Max, naturally, seizes on this idle comment, and enthusiastically plans a big scam, where he and Leo vastly oversell shares in the absolute worst play that can be put on Broadway - a play so bad that it'll close on opening night and avoid payouts - and allow them to take the money and escape to Rio de Janeiro.
This part of the movie is probably my favorite, because of how skillfully it introduces the two main characters' personalities and lets them play off of each other. Max is greedy and washed-up, but delightfully bombastic, snarky and short-tempered, as well as possessing strong charismatic ability that allow him to convince Leo to take a risk of having a life beyond a drab existence handling money. Leo is timid and polite, and perpetually anxious and neurotic, breaking out into hilarious bits of hysterical shouting when overwhelmed by Max or the general situation (one of the film's most hilarious moments is his breakdown when Max discovers that he carries a piece of his old baby blanket around, and snatches it; Wilder's screaming fit had me in stitches).
After coming up with a plan (and talking Leo into it), Max goes over tons of bad plays, to try and find the absolute worst one possible. Finally, on the verge of giving up, the two find their play...
"Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden." A completely sincere "love letter to Hitler," written by deranged ex-Nazi Franz Liebkind (played with manic bombast by Kenneth Mars), it is guaranteed to be the most offensive piece of garbage to ever be aired on a stage. (Max convincing Franz to let them make the play is another comic delight, thanks to both Franz's ranting, as well as Max and Leo's expressions at his antics.)
To direct their guaranteed box-office bomb, Max and Leo turn to "the worst director in town," Roger De Bris (played by Christopher Hewett), a flamboyant peacock of a man, who apparently never knew that the Third Reich referred to Germany...
And for the part of Hitler, they choose Lorenzo Saint DuBois (played by Dick Shawn), or "LSD" as he's popularly nicknamed, because he's a drug-addled hippie and idiot...
Of course, all of this work is essentially buildup to the film's signature sequence: the opening night of "Springtime for Hitler."
I can't state this enough, the reactions of the audience are hysterical. Probably some of the best expressions of shock, disbelief and outraged horror ever put to film.
What we see of the musical itself is just as hilarious, mainly because of how ridiculous it all is.
And of course, that is what spells doom for Max and Leo's plan.
After the initial horror and outrage, once the audience sees LSD's performance as Hitler, they love the play and think it's actually a satire. Now Max and Leo have to figure out some way out of their scam, and avoid going to prison for fraud...
Spoiler - it doesn't go smoothly. At all.
So, to conclude... The Producers is a pretty hilarious ride from start to finish. Yes, there are parts of the story that have not aged well (as funny as Max is, I was left kind of uncomfortable by the idea of him seducing elderly ladies for their money) (and also, Roger's flamboyantly gay character might be pretty offensive to some modern audiences...) but all in all, this movie still holds up as one of Mel Brooks' best, and quite the hilarious comedy movie to enjoy...
Definitely recommended watching. 
I love this movie, it's the sort of thing that, in universe and out, has no business whatsoever working, but somehow DID. It's WONDERFUL. If you like this, I highly recommend Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, other Mel Brooks classics.
4879225
Oh, I have seen Young Frankenstein - also on the big screen, as a matter of fact. And it's wonderful
Haven't yet seen Blazing Saddles, but I do have a DVD of it, so I can fix that soon enough...
4879404
If it helps, it contains more Gene Wilder.
4879425
That's always good. XD
4879434
Thought occurs. A lot of movies that seem and actually are utter garbage that flop incredibly hard may actually be The Producer type schemes.
4992702
Wouldn't surprise me at all.