It runs neck-and-neck with Young Frankenstein, but for me, Blazing Saddles is Mel Brooks’ greatest film. If there’s anyone out there who hasn’t seen this brilliant satire, here’s a bit of a synopsis: It’s 1874, and an expanding railroad operation has run into quicksand. State Procurer Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) quickly hatches a plan to run the railroad through the small hamlet of Rock Ridge, where everybody’s last name is Johnson. Hoping to scare off the townsfolk so he can buy up their land on the cheap, he convinces cross-eyed, doofus Governor William J. LePetomane (Mel Brooks) to hire the country’s first black sheriff to police the town. Black Bart (Cleavon Little) rides into Rock Ridge on a horse with Gucci saddlebags and takes his place in the town’s sheriff’s office.
Nearly comatose in the drunk tank is Jim (Gene Wilder), the one-time “Waco Kid,” a former gunslinger who lost his steady hand in a bout with the bottle. When Hedley assembles a rag tag crew of “rustlers, cutthroats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperadoes, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, half-wits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswagglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass kickers, shit kickers and Methodists” to scare off the moronic townspeople, Bart and Jim devise a plan to save Rock Ridge.
For the few people who haven’t seen Blazing Saddles, I don’t want to give away all the hi-jinks. Suffice to say, this is Mel Brooks at his best.
Presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, Warner has delivered a solid 4K disc. A nice level of grain gives things a filmic appearance. Clarity is top notch, particularly for a fifty-year-old film. Colors are bright and well saturated. Check out the curtains during Lili’s anti- burlesque show). Black levels are deep and un-crushed (see Hedley’s suits) and contrast is dialed in. Flesh tones look natural and reveal the smallest details in closeups. Wide shots reveal the traditional western setting. No scratches or other anomalies are present.
The Dolby Atmos track is nice to have. Given the obvious limitations of a fifty-year-old film, things have more punch than previous releases. Surround activity is present, if not overly enveloping. Sound effects pop when present. Bass is reserved, but effective. The whoops of the townspeople are full and frequent. Dialogue is clean, clear and concise. A Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is also available.
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
Most of the extras have been ported over from previous editions, except when noted:
- Scene Specific Commentary by Director Mel Brooks
- NEW! Inappropriate Inspiration: The Blazing Saddles Effect: Comments from Jeff Garlin, Ike Barinkholtz and others about their experiences with Mel Brooks and how he influenced their careers.
- Blaze Of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wild, Wild West
- Back In the Saddle
- Additional Scenes
