Customer Reviews

The Producers

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I remember seeing the original film of The Producers in a virtually deserted theatre and loving it. I still think it is one of Mel Brooks' best films. So I was a bit apprehensive when I heard it was being turned into a Broadway musical and then that musical was being made into a film. But, on the whole, I have to admit to enjoying it much more than I thought I would.

Much of the credit must go to Susan Stroman's stagey and somewhat campy direction, which suits the material perfectly. Even more credit belongs to the incredible Nathan Lane for managing to equal Zero Mostel's original Max Bialystock and even, once or twice, surpassing it. He is, quite rightly, the heart and soul, of the film. The rest of the cast is not bad either. Uma Thurman is a pleasant surprise, the double act of Gary Beach and Roger Bart are pure politically-incorrect joy, and even Will Farrell is good. Which leaves Matthew Broderick. He certainly comes to life when singing and dancing, much more so than I would have expected. But his characterisation of Leo Bloom seems just a bit too bland. I know Leo is supposed to a personality-deficient accountant, but I really miss Gene Wilder's manic edge. With Broderick, there's not even a hint in the eyes that he really needs that blue blanket.

It was fun spotting all the lines of dialogue from the original and seeing how the story and characters were altered (I could understand LSD not fitting into the new concept but the playing of Hitler first by Hans, then by DeBris seemed a tad awkward). But, this being a musical version, the show is going to rise or fall on its musical numbers. In general, the staging was clever and often laugh out loud funny. The songs, it must be said, are not the most memorable ever heard on Broadway. But the energy and enthusiasm with which they are performed more than make up for that. Strange then that some of them are edited. The opening number ends so abruptly - I'm grateful that the DVD has the entire number as an extra. I can see no real reason why it was cut short (unless someone felt it was too Jewish). Surely, running times are not the crucial factor they used to be. But many delights survive including a chorus line of grannies with walking frames, beautiful girls dressed only in pearls, and Uma Thurman doing a quite good Cyd Charisse impersonation with her seemingly endless legs. In fact, the only real musical disappointment for me was the notorious Springtime For Hitler number which seemed to lack the punch, fizz and open-mouth shock quality of the original. Maybe it's the passage of time or just knowing that it was coming. But Nathan Lane's Betrayed number was soooo good that I had to rewind for an instant encore.

All in all, it's nice to see that someone can still do a good old-fashioned musical.

Loud, Crass, Dopey, Sleazy, Tuney, Beautifully produced and Acted and Supremely Not PC, Susan Stroman's "The Producers" comes at you like gang busters on speed.
The Singer/Actors here are/will always be identified with these parts as they have been on the Stage for the last several years: Nathan Lane as Max Bialystok, Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom and now Uma Thurman as blond bombshell, Ulla.
The story is pretty simple: Max, Broadway producer down on his luck comes upon the idea via his accountant Leo, to produce a show that will without any doubt fail; thereby, through larceny and/or accounting tricks, make both Max and Leo a lot of money. Make sense? Not much but who cares: it's in the telling that "The Producers" is so much fun.
Both Lane and Broderick chew the scenery within and inch of its life and most of the musical numbers are fantastically staged outdoors to great advantage: the investor ladies with walkers scene is a hoot as well as Leo's number with his fellow accountants as is the opening scene from the show that Max and Leo produce: "Springtime for Hitler."
"The Producers" will not teach you anything except maybe not to listen to your accountant nor will you leave the theater with any profound thoughts...but you will leave happy and positive...and those are not bad things, not bad things at all.

A fantastic film, made less than it could have been by the studio's inability to keep everything intact.

Now with this DVD version, it seems that everyone will have a chance to see the film version of Nathan Lane's "King of Broadway", one of the best songs in the stage production - which for some reason, was not included in the theatrical release. We also get the short "In Old Bavaria", also cut from the theatrical release. However, omitted completely from the movie is the hilarious "Where Did We Go Right?" - disappointing, as it's the only song in the musical that won't ever be seen on film (and it's a great song, too!)

Even though I'm of the opnion that Mel Brooks himself would have done a better job with the camera work; Susan Stroman does her best to direct the film, and brings a flavor of old 1970's movie musicals to the entire production (whether it was intentional or not.)

Be forewarned: After listening to the original broadway cast recording (which receives my highest possible recommendation), you will wish they kept the original Franz [Brad Oscar] and Ulla [Cady Huffman] - their voices are very strong and it's hard to accept Will Farrell or Uma Thurman in those roles if you've been, even slightly, exposed to the original cast (especially Cady Huffman - who truly makes Ulla "belt" the song "If You've Got It, Flaunt It").

All compromises aside, this is one heck of a movie musical which brightly shines the spotlight on the performance abilities of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. You can easily see why they will always be the definitive stage versions of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom.

I was thrilled when I found out Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane would reprise their Broadway performances for the big screen. When you live 1,000 miles from New York, you often rely on the movies to bring you these little gems. And a gem this is. The most fun-filled, laugh out loud funny musical comedy of the year delights mainly due to the outstanding performances of Lane and Broderick.

The story is as old as 1968 when Mel Brooks gifted us with the original movie. The accountant who inadvertently gives the Broadway producer the tip of a lifetime----produce the worst play of all time and pocket the backing-is a singing, dancing romp that leaves you feeling you have seen the best of Broadway at the movies. No one but Nathan Lane could ever bring all the sleaze of Max Bialystock to life with such hilarity; no one but Matthew Broderick could make the nerdy Leo Bloom so enchanting: and no one but Uma Thurman could convince us such a stunningly seductive woman could fall for either.

Will Ferrell shines as the playwright enamored with Hitler and thrilled to bring his "Springtime for Hitler" to the stage in one of the movie's best production numbers, the other being the sex-starved old ladies dancing desperately with their walkers.

Bawdy writing by Mel Brooks and the inimitable mugging of Lane and Broderick make this a must-see for fans of musicals.

I saw the producers twice on the big screen and I plan to see it again and again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Director Susan Stroman knows how to put a smile on your face and to make people laugh!!!!!!!!! This is a laugh out loud comedy that will always be a masterpiece of sheer comedy!!!!!!!!!!!

This is exactly what a movie musical is supposed to be! The film version of "The Producers" does an excellent job of bringing the Mel Brooks musical to the big screen. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their roles as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, two men who set out to produce the worst flop in Broadway history and make off with two million dollars of their investors' money. Max and Leo settle on an outrageous and offensive show titled "Springtime for Hitler," which is every bit as atrocious as you would expect it to be...and then some!

Susan Stroman directed and choreographed the film (she was also the director and choreographer of the Broadway show). Lane and Broderick have amazing chemistry and give outstanding performances. There are some fantastic new additions to the cast, including Will Ferrell as an author with a Nazi fetish and Uma Thurman as Swedish actress/secretary/sex kitten.

I cannot say enough good things about this movie. The audience laughed for two hours straight. It's hilarious, over-the-top, and absolutely fabulous in every way. (Be sure to sit through all the credits to hear Ferrell sing a little Nazi lullaby and see a special bit at the very end that includes a Mel Brooks cameo.)

Now I'll leave you with a few memorable lines from the show within the show:

"Springtime for Hitler and Germany.
Deutschland is happy and gay!
We're marching to a faster pace
Look out, here comes the master race!"

I read and I understand some of the 'negative' reviews for the movie version of this Broadway Musical. ... In my opinion, they're wrong!

If the 'bad reviewers' had the chance to watch the DVD from the Recording of the Broadway CD, you could see that Mr. Brooks referred to the show as an RKO 1937 Movie Musical. And that's what Ms Stromann did. ... The stage version itself relives this genre. If you recall ALL the movies until 1948 were filmed in Hollywood in Sound Stages or on the back lots of the movie studios. They were 'Filmed Plays & Musicals'. On The Town was the first for MGM, by request of Mr Gene Kelly!

So, I think she took a Great material and did exactly what she should've done. A Great Musical Comedy the way it used to be filmed!

Just so you all know. ... Fun fact! ... Until 1943 all Musicals were called Musical Comedies on Broadway. Oklahoma was the first show to be called just a "Musical". It opened at the St. James Theatre. Fifty-eight years later Mel Brooks brought the term "Musical Comedy" back to Broadway at the same St. James Theatre!! Heil, Mr. Brooks!!

By the way ... I LOVED this movie!!!!

This musical was so succesful with the Broadway community but the movie community just doesn't seem to like it. Perhaps they've forgotten how to appreciate musicals. There once was a time when movie musicals were the biggest thing in Hollywood... everybody loved them and they swept all of the major awards at the Oscar's. But now the movie going public just doesn't seem to appreciate them. Here is a movie that's really funny, looks great visually has goods songs (although definetly not the best)and the critics and movie goers just don't seem to like it. But I'm here to tell you that it's very good. Plus, it's just great to see a musical on the big screen... it's been forever since Hollywood made a real movie musical. Go see it, you'll enjoy it a lot... it's an utterly unique experience.

It's difficult for me to be objective about "The Producers". The original 1968 film is one of my favorite movie comedies, and I was fortunately enough to see Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the smash 2001 Broadway musical version directed by Susan Stroman. She handles this responsibility for the film adaptation, her first time behind the camera, and her lack of experience in the medium shows with the constancy of medium shots and the general staginess of the whole venture. However, this doesn't turn out to be as detrimental as I worried it would be. The more critical aspect of this release is that the stage version has been captured on celluloid.

What Stroman does very well is capture Brooks' no-holds-barred comic spirit with this broad-based burlesque revue. She takes an already over-the-top concept and one-ups the original version in hammy schtick and sound decibels. The story is the same with minor tweaks - a larcenous impresario reeling from his latest Broadway failure partners with a by-the-book accountant in a grand scheme to produce a costly flop to reap the write-off in closing the show on its opening night. In a grand recreation, Nathan Lane captures much of the spirit of Zero Mostel in his rimshot-driven portrayal of unscrupulous producer Max Bialystock. He only lacks the fearless desperation that Mostel brought to the role. As nebbish accountant Leo Bloom with a fondness for his blue blanket and a tendency toward uncontrollable tantrums, Matthew Broderick is a game performer but doesn't have that saucer-eyed, slow-burn mensch factor that makes Gene Wilder particularly unique.

Also coming back in thoroughly exaggerated turns from the stage version are Gary Beach as flamboyant transvestite director Roger DeBris and Roger Bart as his mincing assistant Carmen Ghia with the snakishly long ssss. Working seamlessly into this ensemble are Will Ferrell, uninhibited and very much at home as always as the old-school Nazi Franz Liebkind, who composes the failed flop in question, "Springtime for Hitler", and Uma Thurman, again proving what a sharp comic actress she can be and also quite a singer-dancer as Ulla, the sexy Swedish secretary, with whom Leo falls hopelessly in love. Jon Lovitz even shows up with a comic Lionel Barrymore impression as Leo's stingy boss, Mr. Marks.

The production numbers are great fun even if most of the songs are not all that memorable except, of course, for "Springtime for Hitler" performed in all its gaudy, tasteless glory. Village People look-alikes show up appropriately for the typically ridiculous "Keep It Gay" number, and Stroman wisely opens up the "Along Comes Bialy" number to a Central Park setting where a multitude of old-lady investors dance in unison with walkers. However, there are some missed opportunities along the way, at least moments I thought were classic in the stage version - Beach's wonderfully fey Judy Garland tribute at the end of "Springtime for Hitler" is lost by having the camera too close, and Lane's showstopper, "Betrayed", seems to beg for some sped-up flashbacks to duplicate the blitzkrieg momentum of the song.

But there are also wonderful surprises like Thurman's triumphant solo, "When You Got It, Flaunt It", and Ferrell's hilarious reprise during the end credits, "The Hop Clop Goes On". And please stay in your seat after the credits for the fun free-for-all performed by the entire cast, "Goodbye!". If I have one complaint, it may be self-inflicted - since I have seen the original version so many times tirelessly, I just knew what every plot turn would be well before it happened. Regardless, this one is a treat even if it feels like the performers are playing to the back row of the theater.

Mel Brooks had a great vision for the film version of the Producers musical - to film it exactly as it would have been seen on stage. Brooks knew that the Producers was something special. However, the crew behind the film knew there had to be changes, yet wanted to remain faithful to Brooks' wishes at the same time. The end result has spectacular performances, music, and script, but somehow doesn't work.

The main element that has not transitioned to the screen is the spontanaety of the actors, well versed in their lines, demonstrating a fine chemistry only found by seasoned stage performers. What looks marvelous on stage doesn't neccessarily look as great on screen. Case in point is the scene immediately after the show stopping Springtime For Hitler sequence, where Ballystock and Bloom are at their office, bouting it out against cops, the director, screenwriter, and themselves. Played out on stage, this must have been a riot! The magic doesn't translate as well as that immediacy of the stage is lost.

The other element that muddled the film a bit is the fact that filmgoers who are familiar with the original, but not of the musical maybe a bit put off by how Lane and Broderick struggle to find their niche in the shoes previously held by Zero Mostel and Gen Wilder. I suppose if you watch the film as a seperate piece from the original, this does not pose a problem. It helps that Lane and Broderick have fine chemistry and are fine performers.

Don't get me wrong - I liked the musical version of the Producers. However, this is one musical that is probably a lot better on stage. When one watches this film, they will probably be troubled by the fact that they couldn't watch these fantastic performances played out live on stage - and in the end, that's what's missing from this film.