No matter what you thought of the 2005 film version of the Broadway musical that was based off of this movie (if you saw it), you should see this movie. In my humble opinion, having to make room for several musical numbers meant that they cut all the best parts out. And nobody can beat the combo of Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.
This movie was Mel Brooks’ first, and some (me) would say, his best. It’s cleaner, smarter, and better organized than most of his later works. With only a PG rating, it also makes for a good gateway into the director’s portfolio. If you think the humor in this a bit crude, stop here. If you didn’t notice anything amiss at all, perhaps you could work your way up to Blazing Saddles (1974), considered by many others to be Brook’s finest work.
The Producers is the story of Broadway producer has-been Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and timid accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder). They start off on the wrong foot, but quickly become partners when Bloom accidentally gives Bialystock the idea of a lifetime: raise an obscene amount of money to put on a cheap play that is sure to fail. When the play doesn’t make any money, the investors won’t expect their money back and the newly-formed partnership can skip off to Rio to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.
Most of the movie is spent collecting all the elements needed for a sure-fire flop. Eventually the duo come up with the play “Springtime for Hitler,” written by a man who claims he is no longer a Nazi; an idiotic, flamboyant director; and an even dumber hippie actor named Lorenzo St. DuBois. Here is our introduction to the aforementioned playwright, Franz Liebkind:
With this combination, the plan is guaranteed to work, right? I’ll leave it to you to find out.
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