Mubi Monday: The Producers (1967)

While a lot of people still acknowledge The Producers as a fantastic comedy, and it has since been developed into a stage musical that was also then adapted into another film version, I can't help but feel that it's also slightly forgotten nowadays. When people think of writer-director Mel Brooks they tend to think of Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein (both equally brilliant, in different ways). Maybe even Spaceballs (not quite so brilliant, but full of fun). But if ever we needed a comedy that made Nazis ridiculous, and underlined that ridiculousness in a big musical number, then I think the time is now.

Zero Mostel plays Max Bialystock, a producer of stage plays who has to spend his days getting funding from little old ladies he allows to treat him like a young loverboy. It's a bit embarrassing, and he knows that his life isn't going the way he wants it to. Things look as if they're about to get worse when his accounts are audited by the nervy Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder). Seeing how unsuccessful Bialystock is, Bloom soon figured out that, with a bit of creative accounting, a flop play could make some people very rich. You just get much more investment than necessary, and then keep all of the "profit". The two men then seek out the worst play they can get their hands on, which they find in the absolutely awful "Springtime For Hitler". Written by Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), a German upset at how the last World War ended, it's a joyous celebration of the Third Reich, the mission to assemble the master race, and Adolf Hitler. (who ends up played by a free-love hippy dippy beatnik named Lorenzo St. DuBois AKA L.S.D.)

I am going to make a general assumption here, and I am willing to be proven wrong. But I don't think I am. Most people think of The Producers and think of the third act. That's where you get the most outrageous moments, some of the biggest laughs, and that aforementioned musical number. It's a strong finale, and arguably one of the best examples of film comedy that is equally smart and silly. There are so many other highlights throughout the film though, from the antics of Mostel and his various investors, the panic attacks performed by Wilder, and one of my favourite quotes delivered by Mars about the painting talent of Hitler. I could go on and on (Lee Meredith as Ulla, almost every line delivered by Mostel), but I fear I would then fall into the trap of simply repeating every gag uttered in the film.

Although layering silliness upon silliness, Brooks always knows exactly what targets he is aiming at, and, whether it's the preciousness and precociousness of artistes or the fetishism of Nazi regalia, he hits every time with superb accuracy, helped by his usual excellent casting.

While I prefer Wilder to Mostel when thinking about a comedic leading man, there's no denying that they both complement one another perfectly here, with Mostel bringing a bone-deep weariness to the role that only starts to fade away when things look as if they might actually work. Wilder has the moments of manic energy, but his nerves help to remind viewers of just how much is at stake as the leads stage what they consider the most sure-fire flop of all time. Mars is very funny as Liebkind, and quite rightly mocked by others for his strange attempts to hang on to a past as it never was, and Dick Shawn is a delight as the cool cat, L. S. D. Meredith makes a hell of an impression in her few minutes onscreen, Christopher Hewett and Andréas Voutsinas are both excellent, and all of the older ladies who ultimately provide the funding for "Springtime For Hitler" are quite hilarious.

Very rewatchable, and I was tempted to give it another viewing immediately when I rewatched it this time, The Producers is absolutely on par with the other classics from Brooks. Some may view it as tasteless, but that tastelessness is part of the point. And I'd rather see people risk being offended by this, while laughing hard, than see people not being offended by public figures who, for example, think it's perfectly fine in this day and age to end their speeches with Nazi salutes.

9/10

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Angel (1984)

A real classic slice of '80s exploitation, Angel is a movie that I had been wanting to see for many years, ever since catching sight of the poster with the tagline: "High school honor student by day, Hollywood hooker by night". Even as a young boy I sensed that this was something sleazy, which made it more appealing to me in my youth. Of course, I grew up and tried to act mature. Thankfully, that didn't last long and my love of horror and exploitation fare eventually put the film back on my radar and, as an adult, I sensed that it was something sleazy. Which made it more appealing to me.

The story is covered by that tagline. Donna Wilkes plays young Molly Stewart, a schoolgirl who spends her evenings making money as a prostitute named Angel. It's a dangerous time to be in that line of work, however, with a crazed killer on the loose. The police are trying to do what they can, especially Lieutenant Andrews (Cliff Gorman), but the girls, and guys, are determined to look out for each other. Molly/Angel is especially reluctant to be watched by anyone in a position of authority, perhaps because of her double life and whatever she has to deal with at home.

Directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Joseph Michael Cala, Angel was popular enough to spawn three sequels (each with a different actress in the main role). It seemed to have something to appeal to everyone, even if that something was an uncomfortable mix of crime, quirkiness, sleaze and more than a dash of Lolita.

Donna Wilkes is fine in the main role. In her mid-twenties at the time, she still looks believably young enough for the character while also being able to handle the more sordid aspects of the material. Cliff Gorman is a decent enough authority figure, Elaine Giftos is very good as a teacher taking extra interest in Molly, and Susan Tyrrell, Dick Shawn, Rory Calhoun, Donna McDaniel and Graem McGavin are all . . . . . . fun as the interesting characters who make up Molly's unconventional family unit. And then there's John Diehl, who puts in a fantastic and creepy performance as the killer, lifting the whole film up a notch when he's onscreen.

This is a very basic review, that's the way I tend to approach films, but there's certainly a lot more to look at in Angel. The 1980s seemed to be, perhaps more than any other decade, a time when it was okay to put minors in some very adult situations. This may have been due to a combination of censorship relaxation and an acceptance of how much faster kids seemed to mature in the modern age or it may have been due to something else entirely. I'm no expert, but I know that films such as this one, My Tutor and Private Lessons, to name the first few that come to mind, all feature a mixture of sex and lead characters who are some years away from being classed as adults.

I've already said more than I intended to about a cross-section of movies I don't know enough about, I just think that in discussing a movie like this one it's important to remind people of the time and the context. Or maybe that's just what I keep telling myself when I catch up with such films three decades after they were initially released.

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Collection-Avenging-Final-Chapter/dp/B005FQ2HEQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1362788196&sr=1-7&keywords=angel